… will grant you the ability to write one good book. Any genre, any subject, any length.
You may or may not be able to sell it. That’s up to you.
You may or may not be able to parlay it into a career. That’s up to you, too.
Would you go for fame? Infamy? Money? Reputation? Social impact? The Great YourCountryHere Novel?
Money, fame, and social impact, in that order. I’ll shamelessly settle for hacking out stuff like Alan Dean Foster or Stephen King if it means easy money.
What I would most like to write is a book that causes a whole section of people who walk around saying “I don’t read fiction” to change their mind and realize they LOVE to read.
Kind of like Harry potter got a bunch of kids to read books.
I’d like to write the book from that movie “In the Mouth of Madness” - the one that drives people insane, causes their eyes to bleed while reading it, and unleashes the Great Old Ones from their otherworldly prison to rule the earth. Cause man, that’s talent.
I want to write an epic sci-fi fantasy that blows all the others out of the water. I just want to ‘get it out’. Money, fame, rep, social impact, all bonuses. But the main thing is to ‘get it out of my system’.
I’d write a totally kick ass hard SF (none of that wishy-washy sci-fi technobabble) that got no technical detail wrong, yet still appealed to a large audience and even made them more interested in science.
But monkeys would have to fly out of my butt before that’ll happen.
I’d have to go for an epic length science fiction novel of indeterminate subject matter that spans generations and dozens of worlds. If at all possible, I’d love for it to supplant Herbert, Asimov, Tolkien, Roddenberry, Lucas, et al and have it be the new measuring stick by which all sci-fi is judged.
I’d probably go for an epic, series-lengthfantasy spectacular that changed the face of fiction forever. More intricate and intrigue-filled than Martin, more complex and magical than Jordan, more revered than Tolkein, more popular than Rowling.
And then I’d like a pony and an unlimited supply of coffee ice cream.
To be perfectly honest, I’d do it for the money. Fame, social impact, and all the rest are nice and everything, but paying the rent for the rest of my life is nicer.
I would like to write a book that people like me enjoy and have a little pleasant career without any sci-fi/trekkie/furry groupies.
And if it were sci-fi it would be funny sci-fi. as I don’t care for sci fi
None of this reg-tag rebel group saving the universe from the Evil Overlord Oppressor of Fun That Goes On For #27 Books and All the Characters Have Two Apostrophe’s per Name - Stuff. And everyone is skinny and wears lycra body suits.
I’d write a Literary novel, maybe around 200 pages. It won’t sell well, because not many people read Literary novels, but it would get respect in the circles that I care about, and it’ll be taught in American lit classes, perhaps as the first important book of the 21st century. Some kids will hate it, as apparently, some kids hate everything, but others will love it and it’ll speak to them. Maybe a few people will take up a correspondence with me, and I’ll continue writing. Of course, I’ll be frustrated as well because my books will always be compared to my first book and found lacking, and it won’t be until I die that people realize my entire catalogue is worth a look.
Actually, I’d rather not write a book, if that’s OK with you. I’d like to write a play (well, musical, but then the writing genie would also need to give me the ability to write music…or at least find someone else who can write music.)
I’ve written a couple plays before, and even had one performed (but just in high school, I’ll admit the play wasn’t that good. Funny, yes, but that’s it. No plot, or any of that important stuff.)
Anyways, I’ve got this great idea in my head about a musical involving a superhero. I would love for me to be able to write it and get someone to do some music for it (I can write lyrics, just not the actual notes.) All I would want is for it to be performed in some kind of large-ish venue. (I.e., not a college or HS play.) It doesn’t have to be Broadway, off-Broadway is fine, but I just want at least a thousand people to see it over the course of it’s run. I wouldn’t need to make money off of it, but just break even (though I really can’t forsee that many expenses involved inwriting a musical.)
I’d go for social impact. A sociological book that would ween people off of religion and into realms of moral and rational living. I shall call it “Scientology”.