2023 in Review: Nine Months of Writing and Reader Perspectives
A look back and request for feedback.
As the final days of 2023 swiftly approach, it's a tradition to indulge in a bit of retrospection, introspection, and repurpose old content under the guise of “best ofs”. It's an easy way to churn out a new article while giving older ones another turn in the spotlight.
This December also marks nine months of me writing this newsletter. When I started this journey, I wasn't sure where it would go. It has since turned into a foundry where I take my half-baked ideas and attempt to frame them in writing as a way to test their validity. It's a way to try on the implications of an idea and examine how it relates to ideas from other times.
But the important thing was to start.
A few years ago, I came across a piece of advice that would profoundly shift my perspective on launching new projects. In his article “Get Numb Before You Get Good,” Cedric Chen of the Common Cog offers a vital insight - early feedback is not particularly helpful when you're just starting out.
When you first set out to create something new, there is an immense amount to figure out. You’re exploring uncharted territory, forging your own path. You just have to get started.
This isn't new advice. Author Anne Lamott has long exhorted writers to simply produce those “shitty first drafts,” while iconoclast Steven Pressfield urges creatives to “cover the canvas” with work rather than agonizing over perfection from the start. In the startup world, an approach called "Worse is Better" encapsulates this idea.
As we turn the calendar to the new year, I'm ready for the feedback. I'm curious to get your perspectives as readers - what have you enjoyed so far? What could be improved? Please take this quick survey to share your thoughts. And stay tuned for what's next as I continue this journey in 2024.
And as promised, here are a few articles from the back catalog you might have missed!
