52 Comments

“The times? Mid.” Made me laugh out loud. Thank you.

Expand full comment

Forgot to mention that my ideal recluse would look like George Clooney, David Gandy or Glen Powell and would relocate me to Paris, Lake Como, or Bali. I'm not picky. TIA.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks! And yes, I forgot to mention, a wealthy recluse need not be older, they can be a young up-and-coming Hollywood A-lister like Glen Powell -- dream big!!

Expand full comment

Best line 😂

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

Me too!

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

Dear Mr. Greaves,

How about this instead: I will lease you one of my 377 $100K True Fans at 6% interest. We can start at 10 years and go adjustable rate thereafter. He will be a perfect fit for your unique chuckle to laugh-out-loud (C-LOL) ratio.

Note that I write "he" not because there aren't "she's" available – there's a bevy – but because I have a True Fan in mind that I sense is growing a bit weary of my writing. It's important to have a feeling for this if you want to grow your business into anything resembling my own.

If desired, I can send you complete samples of "his" True Fan comment writing style along with a personality assessment that considers relationship commitment, fidelity and willingness to disparage competitors on your behalf.

Also, don't give up hope. There's no reason you should need to write more than 10 minutes a day with my technique. If you know Adam's True Fan Leasing Model, you can build an empire like mine – I'll send you videos of me drinking champagne on a rented yacht together with the samples. I've grown so successful from my writing at this point, I just want to share what I've learned.

The book is $19.95. Join me at my Paid Subscriber level of $5/month and it's yours.

Expand full comment
author

Hmmm...this sounds suspiciously like an MLM...fuck it, I'm in!

Expand full comment

Ornamental hermit was on my original list of careers but the schools careers adviser said the market was pretty much flooded and I’d be better off going into retail. Sorry about the roundworm. If you want to hook me up with Gregorio’s network I can pay you back with a pair of sneaky sandals. Also, Dickens. Mid. Thank you.

Expand full comment
author

It's never too late to pivot to ornamental hermiting! I'll gladly set up you with a wealthy noble in exchange for those sandals -- the Ivermectin is doing a number on my liver

Expand full comment

Excellent, send me directions by pigeon.

Expand full comment

Wealthy Recluse sounds so much better than "Sugar Daddy." You are a genius.

Expand full comment
author

It's all about branding!

Expand full comment

The Dickens extract is a pretty clear example of what you get when you're trying to satisfy 100000 different subscribers all at once.

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

That’s great!

Expand full comment
author

My thoughts exactly!

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

“Plus, Gregorio insists on paying me in untraceable Italian bearer bonds, which can only be cashed in at the Central Bank of Italy.”

🤣🤣🙏

Expand full comment

Congratulations on Gregorio! I also enjoyed your modern-day Dickens summary. Scenario #1 is very similar to Ruth Reichl’s The Paris Novel, but instead of a graveyard she is given a designer dress and told to go to a restaurant where she meets her rich old widower who finds her creatively irresistible because she eats oysters with as much gusto as his late wife who also wore that dress.

Expand full comment
author

That is way creepier, but, I mean, if it pays the bills...

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

It’s always the dead wife’s dress. A bit creepy.

Expand full comment
Sep 11Liked by Carlos Greaves

For a wealthy patron who will fund my work, I am ready to relocate to the Mariana Trench or sell my soul to the devil. Yk, the whatever-it-takes attitude.

Expand full comment
author

I like your can-do attitude! I'll let Gregorio's buddies know

Expand full comment
Sep 13Liked by Carlos Greaves

I appreciate you.

Expand full comment

So funny - it’s been a while since I enjoyed something so funny and so well done.

Expand full comment

I haven't tried this brilliant approach, but I can confirm The One Extremely Patient Spouse model pays off.

Expand full comment
author

Arguably even better than a wealthy recluse!

Expand full comment

That made me laugh.

I'm not sure about the first route to finding a wealthy recluse, I joined a local cemetery friends group for just this reason (of course I claim to want to protect the cemetery as a historical greenspace) and have yet to find my wealthy recluse

Expand full comment
author

Don't worry, it's only a matter of time!

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

I would love to be an ornamental hermit 🤣 I would want my wealthy recluse to home me in Egypt, perhaps in a houseboat so I can drift up and down the Nile, camera in hand, creating photographic masterpieces of ancient wonders.

PS, my GCSE English would have been much easier if Dickens had adopted your suggested style of writing ... 🤓

Expand full comment
author

Houseboat on the Nile sounds lovely! I'm sure we can find you a wealthy Egyptologist

Expand full comment
Sep 12Liked by Carlos Greaves

Ah, when I saw 'wealthy recluse' I was thinking the elderly spinster (or widow?) in Grand Hotel Budapest. Gregorio sounds like a catch though. Fabulous article.

Expand full comment

I hope someone fact checks this piece!

Expand full comment

(I hope no one fact checks this piece.)

Expand full comment

I am looking for something Scottish and windswept where I have to tend to some sort of eerie cemetery and I keep getting visions in mirrors, but in a like, cheerful way. Got any of those up Georgio’s sleeves ?

Expand full comment
author

The Scottish countryside is recluse heaven! I guarantee Gregorio can find you someone.

Expand full comment

Brilliant.

Expand full comment