2 Comments
Mar 6, 2022Liked by Jan Hendrik Kirchner

Nicely put! I guess it explains why my sons never listen to my advice.

To add one piece of my own negative advice: Don't ignore all advice, because sometimes it can be really valuable. :) In 2003, I read a book about writing, called "So, You Want to Write a Novel" by Lou Stanek. It wasn't exactly unasked-for since I bought the book, but it was full of positive advice that wasn't in any way specific to my own personal situation. I followed it anyway and wrote my first book. Nobody cared. The book told me to not give up and try again. I wrote another book, and another. Both got rejected. By that time I was beyond caring, writing was just too much fun. Book #4 got published and became a bestseller. Meanwhile I have published more than 50 novels and children's books and can afford to be a full-time writer.

What can you learn from this? Nothing, unless you want to be a writer too, in which case I recommend you read the book. But I love to give unwanted advice! :)

Expand full comment

Soundbites are annoying, but a great way to get out of it is possibly this: given two quotes that seems to contradict one another, it is more likely that they are applied in opposite or non-overlapping situations, or that there is a regulative feedback loop to be aware of. https://rogersbacon.substack.com/p/eponymous-laws-part-1-laws-of-the?s=r

Expand full comment