As I begin to put pen to paper (or letters to a screen), I am struggling with working from the theme to the chapters, essentially the outline.
I am using this blog to help me sort through the ideas and chaos that clog my brain, in an effort to begin the organizational process that will hopefully conceive this book.
Everyone has fallen victim to circumstances…you have no control over who you were born to or where, your initial socioeconomic status, the color of your skin-hair-eyes. Whether you were born into a life of privilege or neglect, you were born and that’s when your life began…how much control do you have from that point? Some will say your life is built from decisions, as I look back on my life I believe your life has a pre-determined direction and while I may have made the same decisions you have…we experienced very different outcomes-results.
Life isn’t fair? Damn right it’s not, and because of that, my goal is to show people just how different their life could be by comparing events and situations MANY of us can relate to. Perhaps you have judged people for their mistakes, poked fun at someone for their appearance, or less fortune. I want to share stories, mine-yours-your neighbor, in an effort to cause reflection and compassion. Are we all really that different? I don’t think so. I feel blessed. I feel guilty. I feel confused. These emotions have cursed me my entire life. I find myself bearing the burden of others around me constantly, all of which is self-imposed.
As a little girl I played with Barbies. I gave these dolls a "life," with a house, a husband and a car. I had them go to the mall, kiss, fight and make-up. At an early age I began to wonder, am I someones Barbie? Is there someone- something that knows every move I am going to make, every decision I am faced with, the directions my life will take?
I did not grow-up in a particularly religious atmosphere. We were able to make our own religious decisions without much influence from my parents. I attended church with the neighbors, and an occasional friend, but never really understood the conformity of "social" religion. My beliefs are my own, and I believe myself to be a deeply spiritual person. Which creates even more confusion and determination to further explore the theme of this book.
For anyone who reads these blogs, bear with me...I am working through the details.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Welcome to my journey!
You see, what I have discovered in my 30 short years of life, is that on MANY occasions my life could-perhaps should- have turned out VERY differently. I have found that many people are faced with the same choices, make the same decisions, with incredibly different outcomes. I need to tell this story, and I am using the various social networking communities to access experiences we've all shared. This is "our" book and I am going to need help writing it!
Each chapter begins with a different "what if..." and this is where the social networking comes in. I would send out a request to the networking communities for people to post and/or email me their stories relating to the specific chapter title. I believe this will also assist in creating a PR outlet for me, an otherwise unknown aspiring author, while building a fan base of people who would potentially buy the book.
Chapter Examples:
What if you had a little too much to drink at dinner and... made it home safe, caused a fatal accident, DUI, etc...
What if you spent every dime you had on a business idea... turned into a 100 million dollar company, failed miserably, caused a divorce, etc....
What if you ran away from home as a teenager... I did, and I could be in a totally different place right now in every aspect
What if you married your high school sweetheart....
What if you had cancer...
I want to tell the story from several perspectives, people who have made similar choices with vastly different outcomes. From heart-wrenching to inspiring. Engaging stories that will hopefully make people think before they judge. Are you really that much different from the homeless man who lives in the alley? Warren Buffet? A convicted felon? Obviously some people just make stupid decisions, and by no means am I glorifying those people...there is a fine line. Ideally people will really think about their "What If..." moments, and maybe they will come to realize a little compassion is necessary in understanding those less fortunate, those more fortunate, as well as appreciating their own life.
Each chapter begins with a different "what if..." and this is where the social networking comes in. I would send out a request to the networking communities for people to post and/or email me their stories relating to the specific chapter title. I believe this will also assist in creating a PR outlet for me, an otherwise unknown aspiring author, while building a fan base of people who would potentially buy the book.
Chapter Examples:
What if you had a little too much to drink at dinner and... made it home safe, caused a fatal accident, DUI, etc...
What if you spent every dime you had on a business idea... turned into a 100 million dollar company, failed miserably, caused a divorce, etc....
What if you ran away from home as a teenager... I did, and I could be in a totally different place right now in every aspect
What if you married your high school sweetheart....
What if you had cancer...
I want to tell the story from several perspectives, people who have made similar choices with vastly different outcomes. From heart-wrenching to inspiring. Engaging stories that will hopefully make people think before they judge. Are you really that much different from the homeless man who lives in the alley? Warren Buffet? A convicted felon? Obviously some people just make stupid decisions, and by no means am I glorifying those people...there is a fine line. Ideally people will really think about their "What If..." moments, and maybe they will come to realize a little compassion is necessary in understanding those less fortunate, those more fortunate, as well as appreciating their own life.
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