Community writing project

[Sly]

Would anyone be interested in (though these boards) writing a short story/novella/novel/series/opus magnum as a community? The way I envisage it working is that we decide upon genre, setting etc, and then everyone writes pieces about prospective characters/loactions/plot elements and we vote for or against each bit. In the interest of getting off to a flying start:

Genre
I feel, given the nature of these boards, we should write something fantasy. Discuss whether it should be:
Classical Fantasy
High Fantasy
Gritty Fantasy
Fantasy - as only a setting for human drama
Wuxia
Steampunk
Other


Hope at least a handful of you are interested! :smallbiggrin:

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

Hmmm...It would seem such a project would be better served under Arts and Crafts. In this area, we tend to talk about miscellaneous stuff.

And while your writing project is an interesting one, we tend to be a silly lot, and you seem to want to make a serious go of this. Silly versions of your idea, I'm sure, can be found in the Silly Message Board Games (SMBG).

Ah, but you have brought back fond memories of "Dunder Klutz." My friends and I bought a composition notebook, (the kind with the "marble" covers, with the paged threaded in the binding). The rules for the writing were simply.

1. You must write clearly enough for others to read.
2. You are not permitted to go back and correct mistakes.
3. You cannot tear pages out.
4. The best entries are incomplete.

Thus, the tale of a superhero named Dunder Klutz began. Incredibly strong, nigh invulnerable, able to fly at supersonic speeds...and dumb as a stick. Oh, the silliness that ensued! For example:

One friend wrote: "Scabba the Immense walked"
I then wrote: "back and forth, to and fro, from his kitchen, to his kitchen, to his bathroom"
Now, I didn't realize I had repeated myself, so a third friend finished the line: "wondering all the while why he had two kitchens." :smallredface:

Then there was the missing chapter. My memory is hazy, but it may have been something to the effect of:

Chapter Four
Nothing important actually happens in this chapter. As such, this particular author has chosen to skip over it and get right to...
Chapter Five

Afterward, from time to time, we would make obscure references to chapter four, causing many people to giggle at G-d only knows what, as it was never really written. :smallbiggrin:

Odd ideas popped into the tale, as well. It just seemed all too silly that no matter where Klutz had to go, he went by way of the Grand Canyon. If he had to fly from Manhattan to Long Island, he went to the Grand Canyon first. Oh, and he landed by either crashing into things, or choosing poor places to set down...like a mailbox. :smallconfused:

One of our "authors" had a habit of mangling the language on a regular basis. To this day, no one knows what "superficious rice pudding" is. And when a group of heroes dedicated to stopping Klutz from accidentally destroying everything was to go their seperate ways, he had one character say...well, I think he meant "disband," but what he wrote was, "Dunder Force Five, dismember!" :smallbiggrin:

Hard to believe it was almso 20 years ago when we engaged in such silliness. I miss those days, and those friends. I can only hope they're well to this day.

And now that I've rambled nicely, I'll let you think on what little I've actually said. :smalltongue:

[rubakhin]

I'd love to do it. I write a lot on my own, all very serious, very depressing. About the sorrows of the artist in Soviet times or whatever. It would be nice to write something that isn't so heavy. Or, failing that, at least I'd get out of the literary house more.

Myself I'd prefer steampunk, that genre would play to my strengths. I write a lot of stuff that takes place in Bolshevik era, and I read mostly 19th century/early 20th century literature. I have a good feel for the time period. I think historical settings (or in this case a setting that feels historical) can allow for a wider range of emotions and characterizations, because you're not trying to create something that feels completely natural to the modern reader. Even in some fantasy/SF stories, you get characters who live in totally different worlds but talk, act, and think like modern Westerners. So they're judged on the standards of real, contemporary people. A feeling of foreignness to a character gives you more leeway.

[Sly]

Well given I'm reading The Prophet Armed at the moment that does appeal to me. Let's see what others suggest and if we get any other interest. I'm glad to have you on board though.