We need to discuss collaborative fiction. Please read.

Collaboration on a story in the way you describe is possible either through U2U's or getting together in chat to work out the different characters in the plot.

If there were, say, 4 people who wanted to put together a story, it could bring about some interesting results. Working a story within the thread itself is also possible...each would contribute their vision of a particular scene and it could be added or declined, depending on the group reaction. In the end, the story would then be written up in complete form. The 'quote' function would be needed for that, so it would have to be worked on in the 'Short Story' subforum.

If I'm misreading the way you envision it, let me know...we should follow up on this idea.

Now i'm gonna read your (MUON) story

Good luck in the contest

I think the collaborative fiction forum definately has a reason for being, but I think it may need to reinvent that.

Generally speaking, it's hard to write with others. Characters have minds of their own; a good story is written as much by the characters as by the author. If you don't know the characters the way the writer does, you can't really add much. If you are the writer, you probably don't want other people's concepts of the character driving him schizophrenic.
Collaborative fiction is a strange and sometimes scarry animal.

In my humble opinion, this forum's real future might be in serving as a workshop of sorts for the most serious participants in the short stories section who want to really develop their writing techniques.

I've started taking a workshop at school and it's been incredibly helpful. I think that would be an excellent role for this forum.

Also, if we want to actually write together, we really need to organize the process. Writing Chapter 1 and asking somebody else to write Chapter 2 changes things. Also, writing according to a planned plot can be a big problem for creative writing.

We should have a process whereby all writers get together on the ground floor, co-create the characters and go through a few excercises to gain a shared concept of who the characters are, what their environment is like, etc, THEN start writing. This will be workable because as I said, good characters (and settings) create their own stories- this diminishes the ability of writers to accidentally harm plots and damage collaborative efforts.

I'll be off of school for the week after next, and during that time I would love to try an experiment of that sort with anyone else who has time.

MrWupy, if you're not too busy oppressing... um I mean Moderating... it would be great to have you in on the project. We might be able to build a truly successful story.
I'll start a thread up this afternoon and we can recruit a few writers, then start brainstorming characters, setting, etc.

Some advice, Vag...you're right on a lot of counts. I did a collaborative project with a friend offsite, plus on the ATS story with Thedemonhunter. You need communication, for usre, adn agreements beforehand. it helps if you share the same vision for the characters. My other half offsite was insufferably cheerful and fluffy, so we had some trouble. Just my two cents.

DE

well, here's what wiki has to say about it:

en.wikipedia.org...

I'd have to agree with the need for guidelines and communication between writers... without those things stories tend to degenerate rather quickly...

query: has anyone here ever read any books/stories by multiple authors? What did you notice about them that made them different from books/stories written by a single author?

Personally, I think an anthology would be the easiest thing for people to work on.

A common environment is created that we all work in (for example, the Star Trek universe, or Earth circa World War II, something well defined and well understood by all parties)

Individual writers would have a lot of freedom and control within the short stories they write, yet collectively, those stories would create a well rounded world, seen from a variety of view points.

As more stories are generated, writers could start playing off of other peoples plots and characters...

eventually, we'll have a best selling series of novels with movie offers and we will be able to quit our day jobs *dreamy*


twj

In Short stories, you would have the ability to quote each other, which you do not have in Collaborative Fiction.

So...to help with the 'rounding out', I suggest you start a thread in the Short Stories Subforum. In that thread the final story could be put together via (ie) 'notepad' from the varied segments and then reposted as a complete final draft.

Masqua:

I’m not sure how having the ability to quote other peoples posts would facilitate the story telling process… care to elaborate?

Also, I just posted a proposal in the Collaborative Fiction forum, perhaps you should/could check that out… I’m becoming convinced that an anthology is the way to go…

rock on
twj

That's easy...you notice that you wrote a question in your last post here, and I'd like to answer just the question, but not the entire post. Not being able to edit the quote makes it difficult with the simplest post.

Now, consider there are 5 people trying to perfect a character through his use of language. The first proposes a series of dialogue and the others then are able to take the quoted dialogue and each make suggested changes within the quoted portions. After a bit of exchange, it can then be agreed upon which is the best for the finished story.

Within Collaborative Fiction, you have the ability to read what has been posted within the first page by scrolling down as you formulate your reply.

In Short Stories, you are able to 'pull' a quote anywhere out of multiple pages.

note: I am not telling anyone what to do here...I'm merely making suggestions out of my own experience.

edit to add...looking back at your post after I'd finished, I should mention that your idea of an anthology is a good one. Now, If I could have just quoted your post in replying, I would not have to edit to include this remark
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[edit on 3-4-2006 by masqua]

hmmm... I do see your point... sorta. But it kind of it boils down to surfing style and (not to be rude or anything) brains.

I've Never used the quote function here... or smiley faces or any of the other bells and whisltes... partly because I'm just not big on bells and whistles, and partly because not every board functions the same and I'm simply Too Lazy to learn the protocols for every place I've visited....

I tend to go for the low tech approach, it may take a few extra keystrokes, but it seems to work Everywhere All the time.

For example, whenever I want to quote someone, I simply highlight their text, right click, copy it, and past it into my post... like this:

Masqua wrote:

"In Short Stories, you are able to 'pull' a quote anywhere out of multiple pages."

My proceedure allows me to pull a quote out of any thread anywhere... it does NOT put that groovy little box around it though *shrugs* However it Does work here, and also at SDC, TTR, and a whole slough of other forums/chat rooms that I've been in over the years.

I'm also big on opening pages in a new window... I don't click on the Post Reply button because that takes me away from the thread I'm working in and I only have a memory span of about two seconds... enstead I right click on it and 'open link in new window', which calls up This page (where we type our posts) in a new browser window, while still leaving the page I'm working on open in another browser window... so I can go back and snag another quote like::

Masqua wrote:

"note: I am not telling anyone what to do here...I'm merely making suggestions out of my own experience."

same here comrade, this is just how I surf the net, and I don't expect anybody anywhere to follow my archaic lead...

Honestly though... if folks can't figure out how to quote somebody without the use of a Powers That Be supplied quote button... well, I feel a little sorry for 'em, ya know?

Sure, it takes a few extra keystrokes and few extra mouse clicks *shrugs* so what? Are we really That Lazy?

And if I decided that I just Really Had To Have the groovy little box around my quotes (and it IS a groovy little box) then I'm pretty sure I'd just take the extra second or two to manually type out the quote tags...

hmmm... do they even work in this thread or is there just no button for it?...

*sighs*

once again I've been ignoring my daughter for more than three minutes while I pound on this oh so fascinating keyboard, and I'm being told in no uncertain words that simply will not do...

soooo

I gotta go
twj