Forum: Author Hangout

Suggestion- chain story

Eddie Davidson 🚫
Updated:

I've heard of people doing a chain story.

One author starts it, then the next adds to it and on and on it goes round robin.

This site doesn't really have that as a mechanism though does it? It would be awesome if there was a way we could have a public chain story that anyone could submit a chapter to, with the owner able to delete chapters that make no sense. It could also maybe work like Unvierses where its by invitation only to add chapters.

I've tried it for the first time by sending my chapter to another author. It's pretty cool and exciting. I wait patiently to see where they go next with the chapter - instead of going in the direction I think.

.

If we had the ability to submit a "Public Chain Story" - what if it followed the normal rules for Universes - they can be set to public or by invitation only.

Then more than one author can submit to it. First to submit is the one who gets the next chapter.

The owner of the story can request certain chapters be removed. If the owner leaves the site they can grant it to someone else. The author of the chapter can also request their chapter be removed.

Then in the comments of the story authors could discuss the general rules of the story world "Okay, talking trees exist in this world" and as long as you all agree that it does make sense then that fits that particular story.

Replies: awnlee jawking Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster) PotomacBob

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Eddie Davidson

Okay, talking trees exist in this world

Trees talk to each other in our world. It would be quite a surprise if they couldn't talk to each other in a fictional world. Is there a word for that - treeist? - discriminating against trees by imagining them as disabled?

AJ

Replies: Eddie Davidson

Eddie Davidson 🚫

@awnlee jawking

I was just trying to use an example that if in a fictional world you're trying to introduce magic and it's understood that yes this is a world where trees come alive and talk then that can seem believable

If on the other hand, in the story setting it's a simple mundane world we live in right now The trees becoming sentient would seem absurd. I was just suggesting that the comments would be the perfect place for Authors to discuss the general parameters for the story

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Eddie Davidson

Trees can talk in this world. For example, they can warn their neighbours that a plague of caterpillars is on its way so the neighbours can start producing chemicals to make their leaves taste unpleasant before the caterpillars reach them.

But that's a minor nit.

I've participated in many round-robin stories. IMO they work well in face-to-face writing groups if they're not taken too seriously. However, I'm not familiar with any instances where a successful novel has been written round-robin style by more than two authors. Nicci French is a successful two author alternating chapter husband and wife combination, for example.

AJ

Replies: Remus2

Remus2 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Trees can talk in this world.

Depends on the person's idea of communication, but yes, in my opinion they do talk.
https://www.wired.com/2013/12/secret-language-of-plants/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4497361/

As for a chain story, forums like this one would be one way to do it. Creating a specific function for something like that sounds like a waste of time and effort in light of that.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Eddie Davidson

This site doesn't really have that as a mechanism though does it?

No. And probably never will.

At the request of couple of authors I added support for interactive stories (multiple story lines) and it took quite a bit of work to make it work and the result was that only one author submitted one story. That's it.

You're the first (probably only one) to ask for such thing and I'm very sure that it won't be useful for the site.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

You're the first (probably only one) to ask for such thing and I'm very sure that it won't be useful for the site.

I believe others have done it under the covers - Bebop3 and Cheryl Terra, and a mother/son combo I can't remember.

The posting isn't an issue if done by the person with editorial control. I guess it gets complicated if authors want individual credit for their contributions.

AJ

richardshagrin 🚫

The chain story might work for a Swarm Cycle story. There already is a group of authors who write in the Universe Thinking Horndog started. After all, cycles have chains, they help keep the wheels spinning.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@richardshagrin

Cycles belong in rings. And they end up back where they started.

PotomacBob 🚫

@Eddie Davidson

Naked Came the Stranger. Dead-tree.

awnlee jawking 🚫

chain story.

Brings up images of someone receiving a document with the instruction to add the next chapter and forward it to a friend or someone in their family will die. ;-)

AJ

Replies: joyR

joyR 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

Wouldn't it be better to post a chain story to 'Linkedin dot com' ??

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@joyR

Puns aside, is that actually possible nowadays?

I was on Linkedin for an extremely short time, but that was long before it regressed into YetAnotherSocialMediaSite.

AJ

Replies: Eddie Davidson

Eddie Davidson 🚫

@awnlee jawking

I appreciate the puns, and I understand it can't be a feature. It was wishful thinking.

I am open to partnering with anyone who has read my stories and wants to do a back and forth for an experiment story where one author takes turns writing. I tried it with manny's pills and I really like it.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Eddie Davidson

I am open to partnering with anyone who has read my stories and wants to do a back and forth for an experiment story where one author takes turns writing.

Good luck.

It's not something I'm interested in at the moment. I'm beavering away on a novel while doing some proofreading for a friend.

AJ

Darkniciad 🚫

Just have someone take the initiative to coordinate the project, and establish a place such as a thread here to have discussions with other authors in the chain. Then create a universe for the story restricted to the people involved in the chain as Danielle did for Laresa's World

https://storiesonline.net/universe/204/laresas-world

( Here. Red was actually the head of the chain project on the original site. Danielle was just more familiar with how things worked here.)

You just have to do the work of planning and vetting authors ahead of time, instead of having administrative control over the chain. It's perfectly viable within the existing site struture.

qqqq 🚫

why not start with ..scout by warlord..had fine finish by fantacylover...however he left it open for additional chapters... go for it...….

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Forum: Author Hangout

Suggestion- chain story

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