I’m winding down
the romance writing business
but my pen name
hasn’t told anyone.
The pen name
hasn’t told readers
or my editor
or fellow writers.
No one should know.
I’ve been receiving
semi-frantic requests
for minor character stories
from readers.
They somehow know.
Your customers pay
closer attention
to what you’re doing or feeling
than
you likely think.
Assume your ‘secrets’
won’t remain secrets
for very long.
Make decisions
and tailor your communications
to reflect that.
Two days ago,
a buddy told me
the high temperatures
for yesterday,
according to a certain
weather forecast site,
would be X degrees.
I told her
it would be X + Y degrees.
It WAS
X + Y degrees
and she asked me
how I knew that.
I knew that
because
that site’s
forecast model has been
Y degrees too low
for the past year.
Trendlines matter.
They matter
when hosting an outdoor activity,
when planning for a sales promotion,
when keeping our loved ones safe
from the multiple pandemics
happening right now.
Figure them out
BEFORE you truly need
to rely on them.
Pay attention to trendlines.