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My idea for a book

Maybe it's the job of a grombler to see the negative side of everything, or at least to moan about it until you start to believe there really is a negative side. I'm starting to get fixated about the Facebook genie we've released from the bottle. See previous blog. My worry is that there are so many potential social networking dangers the planet is drifting towards, that they're all getting lost under the weight of everyone only seeing fun. So I asked myself what are the ways available to me at least to raise awareness of the potential issues and encourage some debate (where none appears to exists at present)? Well my last blog has been viewed 3 times with no comments. So that's not going to get the planet talking. The key to grabbing the attention of the masses is by making a film about it. Films not only rewrite history, they create awareness in dramatic ways about issues, and in ways that people can readily understand - albeit from a very one-sided viewpoint.... the one that will sell films.

So how do I get a film made about the dangers of Facebook? The short answer is that I can't. But what I can do is to write a book from which a film might be made. Oh boy. How incredibly naive and arrogant. I can't even achieve more than 3 views for my blog. How on earth, assuming I have the skill and patience to write it, do I get a book published? Well I suppose I will never find out if I don't try.

So what's the book going to be about? Naturally I don't want to give the plot away in this blog (even though I'm only doodling to myself here), but the basic idea I'm toying with is to work half a dozen positive stories of ordinary people's lives, through to their individual realisation that something is wrong, their coincidental collaboration (which you do by starting from a point in their collaboration and working backwards), and finally their plot to do something outrageous which essentially ends the networked world as we know it. Pity I couldn't come up with a more challenging idea. Hmm.

How do you write a book? Well I've got plenty of time on my hands. So reduction of boredom is a massive incentive. I am also reasonably literate (judge for yourself). I have never done it before, but I can probably work out a schematic for the storyline. I heard JK Rowling once describe how she planned a Potter book by covering an A1 sheet of paper with a hand-written mindmap. So that's what I'm going to do.

The one thing that scares me is not the enormous effort I'll be letting myself in for, its the possibility that after all of it I discover I can't write books. Yet another depressing gromble awaits. I also need to do this entirely on my own. All my previous occupations have been communal. But I am a hopeless completer/finisher and have historically always left those boring bits to others better suited to them. My book has to be accomplished from beginning to end, by me alone.

Wish me luck, or just continue ignoring my blogs - why don't you.

By the way. Clearly this is my copyright (dated 15/1/2011) - however, you are welcome to use this idea if you assign 20% of your royalties and any other revenues to Amnesty International.

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