“There are a thousand steps…” It’s my favorite line from my favorite movie. It’s a malleable multipurpose phrase, great for teenagers prepping for SATs and works well with husbands asked to purge garages filled with 15 years of junk. Excuse me, valuable odds and ends, for which a purpose may be imminent.

The thousand step theory also applies to book writing and publishing—two very different undertakings. Although the thousand steps of book writing can feel more like a game of Chutes and Ladders. Climb to step 598 and you may slide back to step 212. Of course, step 212 looks remarkably similar to step 887, which mirrors step 413. Translation: revision, revision, revision. You get to claim 1000 when you send your manuscript off to your agent or editor, and if you’re lucky the counter only resets to step 712.