Just listened to an episode of Writing Excuses on Collaboration and it got me thinking. I was reminded of an old mystery novel called The Floating Admiral written by several Golden Age mystery writers including Agatha Christie and G.K. Chesterton. I'm not sure of the merits of such an exercise, but it sounded kind of fun. Has anyone ever suggested doing something like this here at Hatrack, where participating writers each contribute a chapter to an agreed upon premise? I'm crazy for even suggesting such a thing. It's not like I don't enough projects going right now. Just wondering.
Posted by Bent Tree (Member # 7777) on :
It sounds like fun. I recall a year or so ago a group did something along those lines. I am not sure what ever became of them or the results they had. A brief search in "Groups" might yield some evidence.
I have often thought of teaming up with a writer to produce some stories. Writers with diligence to balance my inadequacies, to trudge through my half baked ideas and make them complete. Who knows we could be the next Niven-Pournelle!
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
Wow! Or better yet, Milli-Vanilli! Might be fun
Posted by billawaboy (Member # 8182) on :
I had this dream where I created a challenge where I posted the starting line to a story and everyone added one sentence thereafter. Thus each post the story would grow, one line at a time.
The rules would be: 1) each Hatracker can only add one sentence/post; after you add one, you have to wait until 3 different hatrackers have contributed before you add another one.
2) the one line you write has to connect with what's happening in the previous lines and the story overall in a logical way.
3) If the last line of the previous post forms a natural paragraph end, start a new paragraph, but write only one line of it and make it a natural continuation of the story.
4) if someone posted a line before you could - tough. Modify your post and either add the next line after him/her (if not violating rule #1) or make your post blank and wait until others have posted so you can add a line again.
Repeat until we have come to a natural conclusion to the story.
The idea is to focus on the actual written words others have posted and get a feel for the story and practice developing the natural next line to all the prose that came before - a sort of practice antidote to writer's block.
And We can publish it as by "Mr. Hat Rack"!
Worked really well in my dream - reality might be a little harsher...
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
Cool! But the royalty checks would really suck.
Posted by Dark Warrior (Member # 8822) on :
Would every writer of a chapter then be qualified for SFWA? Posted by billawaboy (Member # 8182) on :
royalty check!? we do it for the glory!
Of course we would, Dark, read the bylaws.
Section 1.8.5 of the SFWA Code: Membership solicitations: "He who so contributeth the merest comma to any published work shall be ableth to solicit membership of the SFWA at a cost proportional to the amount of characters contributed as to the total sum in the work, and be likewise grantedeth privileges exactly proportional to the cost as to cost of standard membership."
Duh.
Posted by Bent Tree (Member # 7777) on :
I admit...I had to do a double take on the SFWA excerpt.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
It's been done, and I'm trying to remember where such "story topics" have been posted.
If I remember, or manage to find one or more, I'll post a link here.
(It's probably about time someone started one again.)
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
Well, here's one, but it wasn't limited to one line per poster.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
And here's another one, but handled in a little differently.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
The above links are to topics in the Writing Class area, but such a topic could go in the Writing Challenges area, too.
Go for it.
Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :
That's funny, the other day I was thinking about this same situation. The chapter thing anyway. Past sentence things I've participated in didn't go to well. But I didn't want to bring it up because I didn't want to run it. But if more people want to do it I'll add a chapter, the exercise alone would be worth the price of admission.
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
Thanks Kathleen. Hey, by the way! When are we going to see some of your work on here?
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
Price of admission??? Well, that leaves me out. Unless someone springs for some cash...
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
That's kind of you to ask, andersonmcdonald, but I haven't put any of my work in the Fragments and Feedback areas because I fear I don't have time to really give even adequate feedback in return and if I did, how could I pick just a few to give feedback to and not everyone?
Posted by billawaboy (Member # 8182) on :
That's interesting KDW, I've also come to somewhat the same practice. I don't contribute any first 13s (not that i dont have any - sadly, i have at least 38 unfinished shorts and longer lengths in the forge for years now...) Not sure why I don't - not for the reason of being forced to critque everyone else. I didn't even know that rule...
However, I still read many first 13s mostly cuz I want learn for myself which openings really catch me - and analyzse why.
But for ones that don't work, I rarely post comments - only if I feel there is something valuable I can contribute - where i have a specific idea what went wrong and a suggestion of how to fix it. If the author implements it - I can see if the suggestion worked.
Also a lot of the opening 13, in my view (just being honest), are either terrible or don't make me want to read further - it's not that their opening might be bad, even famous published work have openings that are, to me, very dreadful - and I usually don't have much in the form of a supportive critique other than "it doesn't work for me- rework it." So I just keep silent and let more astute readers comment, rather than be another claw at the new writer's fairly thin tender skin.
Wait - what was this post about?
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
Cheese, billawaboy. It was about cheese.
Posted by billawaboy (Member # 8182) on :
Ya, Andy, I hear ya. Your brother Ronald still trying to get you to replace him in the family business? Mighty big shoes to fill, man...
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
My brother and I never speak to eachother, not since his little episode with the Fry Guys. Long story.
Posted by billawaboy (Member # 8182) on :
You know, I always thought there was something funny about him...
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
Wait -- what was this topic about?
And don't say cheese, please.
Posted by andersonmcdonald (Member # 8641) on :
What was I thinking? This thread is titled "Passing the Bacon."
I admit...I had to do a double take on the SFWA excerpt.
