Book Seed: Not Knowing What to Write

On first glance it might seem absurd.  On a second take it probably sounds unoriginal.  But if nothing else I can at least point to precedents which show it is feasable.

One of my all-time favourite books is on a topic closely related to what I have in mind.  Drylands (Thea Astley), subtitled 'A Book for the World's Last Reader' (or something like it).  Astley's approach is far from unoriginal, and while concern about declines in reading practices might have been done and redone, the way she has treated it is engaging - if not inspiring.

So my idea is starting with the pretty bland premise - my strongest thoughts about writing a book.  The premise is that I don't know what to write.  'What to write', however, is not a simple proposition.

I want to write something that people want to read, but I don't know what this is.  Who are 'people', and how much do they really want to read it? What I feel myself struggling with most of all on this point is not knowing how others read.  I put some words onto a page, and I of necessity approach those vastly differently than how any other reader will - readers who of course don't agree on readings themselves.  This is the main problem that I have had throughout my writing at university (essays, primarily; don't you dare try to tell me they aren't 'creative').  For whatever reason I think I am unusually susceptible to being blinded to reception.

Here I am struggling within a vector field of perspectives.  But it is only one part of a complex space including objectives and intentions. Never mind my incapacity for divining the field. Readability is far from the only critereon, the only parameter. Throwing lazy glances at Zen, I want to write something of value.

Value to whom? - to me!

To me?

'Value' to me might include of course a sense of creating value for others (or pour l'art), but fundamentally, it is about me.

Right?

So, I am writing a book about not knowing how to write something that I want, and still have people read it.  And not knowing how they will read it, or what they would want to read if I did.

Bugger me.