If any of us knew how to write "the book," surely we would have written it. Honestly, though, the idea of "the book" sounds like fiction. Maybe the story you need to write is about this mythical novel of destiny. But I'm a little puzzled by why you think you're only qualified to write the book of all books.
When it comes to writing (not to mention sleeping with), I wasn't aware there were such things as "the wrong people." Oh, well. You learn something new every Thursday, I guess.
Spoiler: What's Right about Wrong I was born with the wrong sign In the wrong house With the wrong ascendancy I took the wrong road That led to the wrong tendencies I was in the wrong place at the wrong time For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme On the wrong day of the wrong week I used the wrong method with the wrong technique Wrong Wrong There's something wrong with me chemically Something wrong with me inherently The wrong mix in the wrong genes I reached the wrong ends by the wrong means It was the wrong plan In the wrong hands The wrong theory for the wrong man The wrong eyes on the wrong prize The wrong questions with the wrong replies Wrong Wrong I was marching to the wrong drum With the wrong scum Pissing out the wrong energy Using all the wrong lines And the wrong signs With the wrong intensity I was on the wrong page of the wrong book With the wrong rendition of the wrong look With the wrong moon, every wrong night With the wrong tune playing till it sounded right yeah Wrong Wrong (Too long) Wrong (Too long) I was born with the wrong sign In the wrong house With the wrong ascendancy I took the wrong road That led to the wrong tendencies I was in the wrong place at the wrong time For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme On the wrong day of the wrong week I used the wrong method with the wrong technique Wrong by Depeche Mode Didn't want to flood the thread with what ought to be holed up, nay the crowning glory, in the lyrics area. But sure you'll like the above. I'd actually vote for it being 'Video of the Century'
Unless my way of telling you was by asking you... My current ambition includes writing not just a standard basic book, but a tome of wonders and worth. But before I can get there, I must be willing to do what it takes. People will call me a goofball, a fool, an insane person and/or whatever, but in order to reach the river of wit, you must first go through insanity. And insanity is mildly putting it, for insanity is the largest part in the book.
Okay, here's a question in return. What was the book of the last century? In your opinion? Written between 1915 and 2015?
You realize the word "century" means 100 years, right? That's the same thing as the time period @jannert gave - namely, one century.
Yes, thank you for pointing that out. Not a book of a century, then. The limitless book, shall we it?
I think so...I'm trying to determine whether you mean "limitless" in terms of something that will stand up throughout time - a classic that people will be reading 500 years from now - or whether you just mean the book itself will move beyond all limitations of thought or format or subject matter to achieve some kind of transcendent literary work. Or both.
I don't know if you can plan for that, or adopt an approach designed to lead to that result. I doubt Shakespeare knew that people would be reading his plays 400+ years later. All you can do is write the best book you possibly can and release it into the wild.
To write a book of the century, you would need to be a genius. 'Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.' (Arthur Schopenhauer) So to be a genius, you first need to see the target no one else can see. What is it that one else can see? What is the elephant in the room that everyone is so willing to overlook? What's staring you in the face but you only catch a gimps of from the corner of your eye?
I think it's dependent on your perspective. This year, I will have been reading books by 3 of my favorite authors for 10 years. 10 years, I have supported these authors as a reader. That is a little over 1/7 of my life (if you look at it from the average) and I look forward to many more books by these authors, as well as new authors whose work I connect with. So for me it isn't so much as the "Book of the Century" but the "Author(s) of the Century". I only have one life you know and the fact that the authors have inspired 10 years of loyalty as a reader from me and many others? I would think that that is the way to go. Food for thought.
Not in the faintest. And, yes, pretension. Selfish or noble pretension, though...? I can't tell the difference, but I will write this book. I'm just a youth, but you'll all see.