I must admit - when I saw the title pop up in my email (without the tagline) I took it VERY literally and got confused. Because I could’ve sworn your son was toddler-sized, not a 1-year-old. But maybe you were going to take us down memory lane of your first year as a mom, and circle that around Poe’s decidedly weird family relationships because Victorians, am I right ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway! This is all solid advice. Authors have to hold 2 completely different ideas in their heads: your career is a marathon, not a sprint...but also, as you pointed out, if you blow the first 90 days of your release you’re completely screwed. Both of these things are true and terrible enough to deal with on their own! But COMBINED? I swear the market sets these jokes up on purpose.
I, too, am a data lover. Partly because collecting data allows me to procrastinate on the writing that would let me put that info to use. But also because data is the only thing that makes art feel attainable. Visualizing the finished product - not the icky first draft, but the true final manuscript - is such an uphill battle, sometimes. At least there’s data to tell you where that mythical final manuscript will live.
Also a fan of YMRT. Loved the Polly Platt season (great takeaways).
Vulgar and déclassé are my calling cards. Will integrate this lesson into my current spreadsheet.
I must admit - when I saw the title pop up in my email (without the tagline) I took it VERY literally and got confused. Because I could’ve sworn your son was toddler-sized, not a 1-year-old. But maybe you were going to take us down memory lane of your first year as a mom, and circle that around Poe’s decidedly weird family relationships because Victorians, am I right ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway! This is all solid advice. Authors have to hold 2 completely different ideas in their heads: your career is a marathon, not a sprint...but also, as you pointed out, if you blow the first 90 days of your release you’re completely screwed. Both of these things are true and terrible enough to deal with on their own! But COMBINED? I swear the market sets these jokes up on purpose.
I, too, am a data lover. Partly because collecting data allows me to procrastinate on the writing that would let me put that info to use. But also because data is the only thing that makes art feel attainable. Visualizing the finished product - not the icky first draft, but the true final manuscript - is such an uphill battle, sometimes. At least there’s data to tell you where that mythical final manuscript will live.