When have you done enough research? When have you listened enough (to the right people assuming you can decide who they are) and sifted through enough ideas? When have you looked at enough prototypes, checked enough responses and lost enough sleep? I think I can actually tell you.
It's when you sit in your chair (a chair you have learned to hate in the past few weeks) and another version of X comes across the ethernet ----- and you feel yourself sitting up a bit and saying "yes, this is it."
Not "yes this is perfect" or "yes, this can't go wrong" - just "yes, this is what I'm going with, this is the one I'm going to try."
If you have a project with a variable that needs sorting out I recommend waiting for that moment. But if you do, and it comes, there's still no guarantee that it is the right one. A bit daunting? You want to be sure? Me too. Too bad for us.
So let's say you buy into this idea. How can you tell when that moment comes? What do you look for? For me, I lose the "hmmm" doubtey feeling in my gut, and a sort of recognition sets in. I find myself thinking "time to go for it," but I also have to remind myself - this is how we learn, this is how we learn.
All if which is leading up to the fact that I have just chosen the new cover for The Witch of Leper Cove. It is not universally loved. I still get comments about the font for heaven's sake. It's not even the cover I'd have if I had unlimited resources, but it is a cover I think will work for the book. It will be a week or so before it's up (revamping the text as well) but we will see how it goes.
What's that bumper sticker say? "Life's a lab class." May your experiments bear good fruit.
It's when you sit in your chair (a chair you have learned to hate in the past few weeks) and another version of X comes across the ethernet ----- and you feel yourself sitting up a bit and saying "yes, this is it."
Not "yes this is perfect" or "yes, this can't go wrong" - just "yes, this is what I'm going with, this is the one I'm going to try."
If you have a project with a variable that needs sorting out I recommend waiting for that moment. But if you do, and it comes, there's still no guarantee that it is the right one. A bit daunting? You want to be sure? Me too. Too bad for us.
So let's say you buy into this idea. How can you tell when that moment comes? What do you look for? For me, I lose the "hmmm" doubtey feeling in my gut, and a sort of recognition sets in. I find myself thinking "time to go for it," but I also have to remind myself - this is how we learn, this is how we learn.
All if which is leading up to the fact that I have just chosen the new cover for The Witch of Leper Cove. It is not universally loved. I still get comments about the font for heaven's sake. It's not even the cover I'd have if I had unlimited resources, but it is a cover I think will work for the book. It will be a week or so before it's up (revamping the text as well) but we will see how it goes.
What's that bumper sticker say? "Life's a lab class." May your experiments bear good fruit.