'Publishing a book is not just putting your thoughts on a blog post. It’s an event. It shows your best curated thoughts and it shows customers, clients, investors, friends and lovers what the most important things on your mind are right now.' - James Altucher 

That´s precisely our biggest chance and fear at the same time: the fact that we will depend on other people choosing us (our words). It happens to all of us every time we publish something in this network. There is something we are unable to predict: the reader´s response. 

Yesterday I´ve written another 10 pages and felt like a boss. The way how I got there might be kind of unconventional. That´s how my personal chaos theory about book writing evolved. 

Killing the magic 

Wherever you go, successful book writers - these million dollar bestseller brains - are celebrated like famous actors, designers or arquitects on the red carpets of this world. They have a mystic aura around them. 

I don´t know how you imagine a book writer. But I have always that romantic phantasy of a bearded wearer of glasses in his late 40´s, sitting on the terrace of his impressive but already a bit shabby property in the mountains of the Southern France, having a glass of red wine, re-inventing the universe.  

Maybe it´s one of these typical stereotypes which has been created by the media, especially the movies. Artistic talent is something seldom and that makes it desirous, thus admirable. We look up to creative people who are able to do something with their hands we cannot do. 

Maybe the fact that we all constantly use the writer´s tool (words) - but don´t get the same results as they do - is what actually makes writing so mysterious. The difference lies in how we and they use these words. 

Scott Berkun (book author): 'Here’s the short honest truth: 20% of the people who ask me are hoping to hear this – Anyone can write a book. They want permission. The truth is you don’t need any. (...)  If you want to write, kill the magic: a book is just a bunch of writing. Anyone can write a book. It might suck or be incomprehensible, but so what: it’s still a book.' 

Anywone can write a book. That´s my key sentence. I feel relieved, since it seems that I don´t have to be a bearded, wine-drinking smoker to become one of them. 

I´ve probable a similar stereotyped phantasy image of book writers and book sellers in my mind. You may remember Martin (played by James Dreyfus), the book seller from the movie 'Notting Hill' (which is actually one of my favourite all time movies by the way). 

To me Martin is the embodiment of a book seller. 

I hope the book sellers amoung steemit´s community don´t feel offended. 

Just to be clear: I love the book seller´s stereotype. They have a really positive image: kind, lovely, smart, a bit confused and slightly chaotic. I´ve never really imagined a book seller to be perfectly organized. I´ve never thought about a book shop being a clean and structured space. 

I´ve actually always imagined these books - these mountains full of knowledge, experiences, journeys and emotions - covered all over by a fine layer of dust. 

Maybe creativy always needs a certain chaos to fully flower out. 

My chaos theory: Who said that book writing is linear? 

Chaos is the science of surprises, of the nonlinear and the unpredictable. It teaches us to expect the unexpected.

I´ve always been a huge fan of crime fiction, especially when stories are able to fully surprise me. I love it to be taken by the storyteller towards one direction and then after a while notice that he completely bluffed me. 

Do you know the mystery drama 'The Loft'? If not, you´ve missed a really good one. I´d highly recommend you to watch it.

If you´ve seen the movie, you will know what I am referring to. The story actually ends up like you would never imagine. 

What I´ve learned from all these movies and books and stories I´ve seen and read in my life is that: the more they surprise me - thus entertain me - the more I enjoy. Entertainment can take place in uncountable ways. Different audience means different perception, and my personal sense of amusement doesn´t necessarily have to fit with yours. 

Regardless, the human brain and its cognitive ability follows some universal pattern. 

That´s actually from what magicians make a living: distraction! While we believe being on the right track starring at his left hand, he already prepared something in the other hand we were completely fading out.  

How can we use this technique for writing? Well we take our readers by their hand and start going with them towards a destination. We make them feel safe, give them enough information to believe that everything is going to be exactly as they imagine. And then something different will happen. 

What if my main character almost died in the first chapter?

This is actually what the readers of my book will have to expect when holding it in their hands. The idea is that my main character will have a dramatic accident just in the very first chapter. I hope my compassionate readers will then be open to follow me on a wonderful journey, constantly asking themselves if she might survive or not. 

I know what´s going to happen because the very first chapter I wrote is going to be the last one of my book. Still following me? Good. :) 

So here is my chaos theory: who says that book writing has to be linear? The original idea that inspired me to write that book which is a true story that happend to a friend of mine some years ago, is actually going to be the end of my story. That´s the reason why I started writing the last chapter before I jumped back to the very beginning. 

After having written the end and the beginning of the story I then started to fill in the gaps in between. To give you another prove of chaos: I don´t fill in the gaps in a linear / chronological way - of course I don´t! :) I write them according to my personal state of mind. There are parts of the story I wouldn´t be able to write on a cloudy afternoon. Then others need me to be exactly in that cloudy, grey and cozy lying-on-the-sofa mode. 

Conclusion: Book writing is like the life itself - dynamic and unpredictable!

It´s a wonderful nonlinear and chaotic journey and nobody knows how it will end up. Not even the book writers themselves.  

Here is a screenshot from my book: the first chapter. It already looks like a real book. That´s breathtaking :)

To those who don´t speak German: I am afraid. The original version is going to be written in my native language. But since most of steemit´s members are English and I definitely want to give you some insights, there will be a translation in the near future. 

I love the idea that writers are able to make things up in their mind and then let them become real on a page for the pleasure or utility of someone else. I furthermore love the idea that books are able to transport us into another world, melting the present reality and the fictional journey into one new time zone. Sometimes they leave us in suspense, take us towards one direction not revealing the whole truth, to then fully surprise us with an unpredictable end. 

I have actually no idea if my approach will lead to a book anybody will ever read or even find somehow inspiring. Regardless, I am fully enjoying this new experience. You know what´s the weirdest things of all: while writing this blog post, I´ve suddenly felt like being part of a déjà vu. Maybe my book was already written long time ago...? :)

Thanks for your attention, I hope you enjoyed the read.
Marly - 

Picture sources:
Title image: https://pixabay.com/
Movie scene Notting Hill: http://d2ydh70d4b5xgv.cloudfront.net/
Chaos quote: http://emilysquotes.com/
Woman falling through window: http://img05.deviantart.net/