[2023-04-20] To have enough
Today's newsletter from Atomic Habits author James Clear includes this quote from record producer Rick Rubin about the secret to creating hit records (or making anything great): "If you need 10 of something, make 30. Then pick the best."
As I close in on 1,000 posts in Jenesis, I am struck by this advice. It resonates with me. If I were to write a book about my cancer journey—or views on career, life and umpteen other topics—I would have so much content to draw from. Interestingly, I didn't start my blog as a precursor to writing a book, even though I've always wanted to publish my thoughts between two hard covers. I created Jenesis to keep my family, friends and coworkers apprised of my cancer treatments and results. What the blog became is something I never envisioned.
I imagine that many songwriters are the same—writing the story they feel compelled to immortalize in words. From these innumerable songs—30 or more—they pick the 10 that they will hone, record and ultimately include on their album.
Rubin's quote reminds me of something my husband says when he cooks: "Pour en avoir assez, il faut en avoir de trop" (to have enough, you have to have too much). Chris tells me it was a common phrase used by the character Père Gédéon, brought to life by Quebec actor and comedian Doris Lussier. A friend of Lussier, writer Roger Lemelin, included the character in his television series La famille Plouffe. Père Gédéon would visit the Plouffe family from time to time, bringing a joke or a song to liven the party. Chris can't recall the context for Père Gédéon's counsel about having too much in order to have enough, but he applied this concept liberally to his cooking.
For my part, since starting my cancer journey and finding peace in words, I've dreamed about writing a book that provides a year's worth of guidance in the form of one story per day. By Rubin's math, I would need 1,095 posts from which to pick the best 365. Assuming I maintain my current pace, I should hit that milestone on or about August 5.
