Kurt Vonnegut wrote fourteen novels
Two in the fifties
Four in the sixties
Three in the seventies
Three in the eighties
Then two in the nineties
Martin Amis wrote fifteen
Three in the seventies
Three in the eighties
Three in the nineties
Three in the early aughts
Which includes one in 2010
Then three between 2012-2020 marking his last
Roberto Bolano wrote probably eight consecutively between 1993-2003
But then there’s like four to five that were written between 1980-1989
So like thirteen total
I made this document to track the span of these careers to show myself how a high school career translates to the span of a novelists like when they say a debut is a musical artists freshman release
Making the second their sophomore
So on
And so forth to say how that translates over to someone who puts out a number of over four major works
Which is highly debatable
But I would say if the first four releases can be likened to a high school career then an additional twelve to sixteen has to be broken down in the same way
But into intervals of four
So then if you’re in it for the long haul such as these novelists were then your first four releases mean nothing if that’s only within your freshman period
Which is what I’m suggesting here by the trajectories of these bibliographies
So then the goal in this if this is the case for you as it was for them would be to make it through your senior period
Which I would say Bolano didn’t then as he barely made it into his senior period while the same can be said for Vonnegut
And Amis who only got through half
And a third of the way through if you can remember Vonnegut had fourteen while Amis was one away w one more release than his
And their best periods were probably within like between their freshman
And junior
Which I think I may look into next if I’m as bored as I am now
Happy Labor Day