The story of why I dedicated two and a half years learning
to write a thriller and rewriting The Big
Disrupter three times until it was ‘right,’ is as much a story of why I
stopped being an entrepreneur and business guy.
Why did a Formula One race car racer, like Niki Lauda in Rush, stop racing and start loving?
Why did actors decide to become politicians, from Ronald
Reagan to Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Why did Bill Gates become a generous active philanthropist
and leave tech behind?
One of the reasons is the joy in the challenge of something
entirely new. In my case, having started and built several businesses, even a
completely new market, product, service or category is . . . a lot like the
last business. Writing a thriller, however, where the narrative is entirely
from your own imagination, is completely different. So, the thrill of being
terrified, lost, and then finding oneself is part of the reason.
Another reason behind The
Big Disrupter is the simple artistic gratification of creating something
that brings enduring enjoyment. The reality is many business products or services
are tools or assets that are consumed deep in the machinery of survival. Sure,
we’re glad we have them. Yet the high tech products and services I was part of
are distant dots on a Moore’s Law curve even just a few years later. However I
still pull out books my Mom wrote thirty years ago and hear her voice, learn,
and laugh.
Fundamentally, throughout my life I have been stunned by the
beauty, creativity, audacity, genius, arrogance, sexiness, kindness, ruthlessness
and insanity of so many people. I’m drawn to unusual people. I’m shocked by
usual people–marveling at their contentedness and lack of conflict in a happy,
steady life. Building a story allows me to share some of these wonderful
characters, whether I met them in mountain towns, over boardroom tables, in
bars, or churches.
In the end, however, there is a dream along with the
entertainment. My goal for The Big
Disrupter is that some brave and wealthy philanthropists are motivated by
the story and decide to fund their own billion-dollar prize for social
entrepreneurs. In the end I think all of us want to make a difference, and
there are a surprising number of uber wealthy who could put their imprint on
something meaningful, if it suits their style and sensibility. I hope they
create their own Big Disrupter.
Connect with Paul Markun:
Website: http://www.paulmarkun.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.markun
Facebook (Fan Page): https://www.facebook.com/thebigdisrupter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmarkun
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8304205.Paul_Markun
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