Working On My Novel by Cory Arcangel
In the book Working On My Novel, Cory Arcangel lists re-tweets that he posted on the Twitter account @WrknOnMyNovel.
As a meta project based on tweets talking about a book release, the release of the book is ironic, even more so as the project started with digital information. Giving them a paper format is an interesting approach.
Arcangel plays with this clash of the digital and the physical, which can provide an in-between aesthetic. On the other hand, he made a cover that does not hint at the digital aspect of the project: the title is set in a classic typeface – in this case Monotype Baskerville (as shown on the publisher’s page) and Georgia (as shown on the author’s page – possibly a mockup?) – which is very common in the world of publishing.
Editing a digital project in this way is an interesting idea, as is the choice to go through a publisher like Penguin. It’s also ironic: to propose a digital project and to illustrate the cover with a pencil drawing and a title with a black serif typeface. Arcangel never uses this kind of design, he is known for digital works and not for pencil drawings.
What does it feel like to try and create something new? How is it possible to find a space for the demands of writing a novel in a world of instant communication?
Working on My Novel is about the act of creation and the gap between the different ways we express ourselves today. Exploring the extremes of making art, from satisfaction and even euphoria to those days or nights when nothing will come, it’s the story of what it means to be a creative person, and why we keep on trying.
