A multiple user story thread? ie: Different authors write an ongoing story.

[Neil]

This has been discussed/proposed in another thread on this forum... The idea is, authors would take it in turns writing a section to an ongoing story, and then see what builds out of it. Brer has contributed an opening chapter to a story to form the basis of this, but I'd like to:- a) Get a show of hands to ensure a least a few people are interested in taking part. b) Get some thoughts on how it would work? Re (b), I'd suggest a thread for the story itself to which on the currently assigned author can add the next chapter/section of story, and then another dedicated thread for open discussion about the contribution, and also to work out who the next author is etc etc. I'd suggest for the moment it takes place in this ('Fiction') forum, but if it proves popular I'd be happy to open up a new dedicated forum, with the possibility of a number of threads/stories being progressed at a time?

[brer]

I'm in. I would like to see a thread with a clean work, and another with discussion and proposed chapters awaiting approval. I am not sure how it would work placing an unfinished work that is constantly being updated into the fiction section. I remove my previous request in the other thread that authors have to have submitted stories before if each chapter/section of the story has to be approved by others. What do we want as a plot? I submitted a proposed chapter one that was very generic. I propose that the story is written third person with multiple subplots that interact at points. Any subplots that become unworkable/abandoned will of course have the protagonists eaten in a very gruesome but relevant manner. You can't have a good story without feeding the zeds. I also propose, as this site is dedicated to the Romero films, we use the Romero rules. What else? Fast zombies or slow? Stupid zombies or a few with very limited intelligence? Location or locations?

[JDFP]

You can't have a good story without feeding the zeds. Yes you can. In fact, I'd argue you could have a great zombie novel without even having actual zombies in it, but that's beside the point. I'm actually interested in this as well, but there would have to be some very clear cut rules. I.E. -- you can't kill off character "X" just to have the character resurrected in the next chapter and/or you can't have character "Y" to wake up and realize it was all just a terrible dream to completely re-change the setting. j.p.

[Neil]

Yes you can. In fact, I'd argue you could have a great zombie novel without even having actual zombies in it, but that's beside the point. I'm actually interested in this as well, but there would have to be some very clear cut rules. I.E. -- you can't kill off character "X" just to have the character resurrected in the next chapter and/or you can't have character "Y" to wake up and realize it was all just a terrible dream to completely re-change the setting. j.p. I guess that's where the supporting discussion thread could possibly come in, to discuss overall story arcs etc...

[brer]

I would like the start of the outbreak to be featured as part of the story. A question to the other writers would be whether the dead rise all over at once, or in one place and then spread from there. I want to see civilization crash and burn with mass panic and mobs in the street. Does it come apart overnight? Does it come apart over the course of a few weeks? What happens to the general populace when the food trucks stop coming and the lights go out? This is why we need to get writers onboard to figure out the scope and magnitude of the story. A few writers, we can write a decent short story. Several writers that are interacting well and we can think on much grander terms.

[Neil]

I would like the start of the outbreak to be featured as part of the story. A question to the other writers would be whether the dead rise all over at once, or in one place and then spread from there. I want to see civilization crash and burn with mass panic and mobs in the street. Does it come apart overnight? Does it come apart over the course of a few weeks? What happens to the general populace when the food trucks stop coming and the lights go out? This is why we need to get writers onboard to figure out the scope and magnitude of the story. A few writers, we can write a decent short story. Several writers that are interacting well and we can think on much grander terms. As I said, if people enjoy this sort of thing, a number of threads, each with a different story, might be of interest...

[AngryNeighbour]

I'm still sticking with what I said about "judges" who approve each chapter. And yes, Romero rules sounds good, and I'd say slow zombies. I'm fine with whatever plot in all honesty, but I'm thinking it could be easier if we start somewhere in the middle of the outbreak...instead of having an outbreak novel, we have a long lasting actual apocolypse novel. But in other words I'm in ahaha

[brer]

I'm still sticking with what I said about "judges" who approve each chapter Thats what I was meaning with having a clean thread for the finished chapters/sections and a discussion thread for proposed chapters. By clean, I mean only finished parts of the work. No comments or anything else. All writing has to be approved before it is posted there. A discussion thread would be for posting a proposed chapter to allow comments and judging otherwise it would have to be handled through PMs or Emails. I would like actual appointed judges or a vote by the writers instead of mob rule.

[Neil]

Thats what I was meaning with having a clean thread for the finished chapters/sections and a discussion thread for proposed chapters. By clean, I mean only finished parts of the work. No comments or anything else. All writing has to be approved before it is posted there. A discussion thread would be for posting a proposed chapter to allow comments and judging otherwise it would have to be handled through PMs or Emails. I would like actual appointed judges or a vote by the writers instead of mob rule. I think this risks getting too complicated. Two threads:- a) The actual story - The designated author can contribute the next section of the story. That's it! Once a section has been contributed, it can of course be amended (slightly) on the outcome of post contribution discussion in (b). b) Story discussion - Any/all discussion about the story thread. Who will be the author of the next section, and talk of its content, or overall story arcs etc. Let's at least keep it simple of the first attempt? We can always - if this works - introduce multiple story threads, even with different contribution rules. But for the moment I recommend quick and dirty...?

[AngryNeighbour]

I think this risks getting too complicated. Two threads:- a) The actual story - The designated author can contribute the next section of the story. That's it! Once a section has been contributed, it can of course be amended (slightly) on the outcome of post contribution discussion in (b). b) Story discussion - Any/all discussion about the story thread. Who will be the author of the next section, and talk of its content, or overall story arcs etc. Let's at least keep it simple of the first attempt? We can always - if this works - introduce multiple story threads, even with different contribution rules. But for the moment I recommend quick and dirty...? makes sense. We learn from mistakes right? but brer's idea is pretty much the same thing I think, cause I'll bet that people will post a lot of their unfinished work in the discussion thread anyways to get opinions.

[brer]

And yes, Romero rules sounds good, and I'd say slow zombies. The only problem I have with slow zombies is that they would never become numerous enough to knock out society considering how many people in the US own firearms. I do not expect the whole story to be set in the US. But odds are quite a few of the writers will set their portions of the story here just out of familiarity. A good compromise could be both. A person dies and then resurrects into a fast zombie. After several hours, the fast zombie experiences rigor mortis and comes out of it as a slow zombie. This creates a zombie that is very dangerous starting out to knock out society, but one that can be fought in small numbers.

[Neil]

OK, I'll start the two threads tonight, with the first chapter (from Brer) as the starting point We can refine/restart as necessary... ---------- Post added at 07:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:52 PM ---------- Tis up!