Have you ever been to Rick Moody’s Web site? He has a side career as a life coach, which I find hilarious – a little bit like the procrastinating novelist in Bored to Death who takes up private detective work to avoid writing. Anyway, on his Web site, you can him any life question that perplexes you (oy, I have a long list), and he answers. When you get there, click on “Life coach,†and see “English-speaking Asian.” A woman asks how to deal with people who say “knonichiwha†to her on the street. I actually think he handles the question very well and will try to process it – his answer is extremely well-written, complicated, and pretty nuanced. I don’t think I remember most of it.
Anyway, his site makes me a bit, not jealous, but the verb-adjective-form of “recognize†or “resonate.†(If there is a word, will you tell me what it is? My brain=tired.) Not so much because he is such a talented writer (I will take your word for it, because I have not actually cracked any of his titles open yet, though I vaguely remember reading short stories for grad school classes) and successful artist (well that’s obvious, the movie deals, etc.), but because he gives advice. That is one my favorite things to do! I love when my friends ask me questions like “how do I overcome my agoraphobia†or “how to ask that office mate out†or “do these shoes go with this skirt†or “what beverage do you serve with nutter butters.†I think about it for a while and come up with something. When I proposed to build a fake Web site with Nancy for our fake business, one of the services I wanted to offer was an advice column. The gazillion self-help books I’ve read and my superficial grasp of Buddhism usually yields something.
Nancy actually had a better idea – give out bad advice that makes the situation worse.
Anyway, because his life advice is so good, I am actually tempted to read his fiction. Hooray.