Tag: Philip Dodson

Stop following the formula

Posted on by philipdodson

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Someone said to me the other day ‘I have written a book, but it’s not long enough, they said a book has to be at least 30,000’.

Well, who are ‘they’? ‘They’ are the creators of the formulas we have to follow.

Ignore the formulas. Some of the best books I have read have been a lot less than 30,000 words and some have been a whole lot more.

It is the content of the book and whether by publishing it the author made a difference, created something worth exchanging our time to read it, not how many words it was.

Formulas are created by people trying to sell certainty, trying to create a jelly mould to churn out money-making certainties. Average safe formulaic stuff, sold on mass to average people.

If you want to write a book that means something to you and enriches the life of others who read it, then follow your own formula.

If you want to paint a picture that is unique and will add something to the world, then don’t paint by numbers.

If you want to create a product or service that will stand out, don’t use someone else’s template and stick your own label on it.

Ditch the ‘formula’ of certainty and take a risk.

Beyond digital

Posted on by philipdodson

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For maybe two decades or less, the human race has marvelled, become addicted to, all consumed by, worshipped a digital virtual world.
We are and will realise that a digital world can never replace the true magic of the real thing, a real life, in the moment, with real people.

Sure an ebook is more efficient, but feeling the pages of a real book is something hard to replace. Getting everything delivered in an instant means we consume more and appreciate nothing. Going shopping in real shops, touching real things, socialising, spending time with our families, even the odd disagreement is much more of an experience than clicking ‘buy’ on Amazon.

Meeting up with and talking to a few real friends has been lost into a vortex of massive virtual ‘friendships’ via the 2 inches by 4 inches glass touch screen of our handheld device of disconnection from humanity and loneliness.

We can fill our days with more, but sadly do and achieve less of any real meaningfulness.

We have sacrificed real experiences and replaced them with soulless efficiency, mass consumption, instant everything and attention to nothing.

We miss boredom, it was a time to reflect, daydream, appreciate more the moments of excitement. We had to imagine more, we had to create more, now it can all be done for us. Where is the magic and pleasure in easy?

The human race will move on from the digital world, when? who knows? But it will happen and perhaps sooner than we realise.

What will we do beyond digital?