[Two] Million Monkeys

October 29, 2009 2:05 PM

I hereby propose a second Metafilter Writers Collaboration.

The first Metafilter Writers Collaboration went very well, resulting in a well received free book for the community called Visitor's Day.

In the thread announcing the finished book, many writers involved in the first project said they'd be up for a second project and many who weren't involved said they'd be keen to do so as well. With this in mind, and the fact that I'm married now so have more free time to manage this project, I think it's time for us to get together and write a new book.

Just like last time, the way this will work is as follows.

In this thread a group of six to twelve (max) MeFites who are interested in writing fiction for this project will express their interest and be chosen. Then we'll work out a story hook for us to write about. It could be about anything. Aliens, hookers, the Wild West or a combination of them all. The sky is the limit.

Then we would assign chapters. Someone would volunteer to write the first chapter, and depending on how many writers are involved, he or she would have between one and two months to finish their part of the story. Then the writer would forward their chapter on to the next writer, and so on and so forth, with each writer building upon the story that had been written so far. Given this, please keep in mind when volunteering to write that this can potentially be a year-long commitment for you, depending on which chapter you're assigned to write.

The final stages of the process will see us putting out a call for editors and an artist. Ultimately the final book would hopefully be finished by December 25th, 2010, to be presented as a Christmas present to our fellow MeFites.

Like last time, there's no maximum word limit however it's preferable to see a minimum of three pages be written at the very least, to ensure what we write is something our readers can really get their teeth into, and to ensure that the writer who follows you has something worthwhile to follow.

And obviously, I'll put my hand up for the project straight away, leaving us 5 to 11 open spots.

So now it's over to you. Who wants in? What should we write about? A sequel to Visitor's Day or something entirely new? And for those who just want to read what we write but don't want to get involved themselves, how about offering up some suggestions about what we should write about?

posted by Effigy2000 to MetaFilter-related at 2:05 PM (112 comments total)

I am totally in.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:09 PM on October 29

Yo.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:10 PM on October 29

Also: I vote for an entirely new premise, since a sequel is less interesting to those like myself who weren't a part of the first project.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:11 PM on October 29

*goes to the back of the line*
posted by Eideteker at 2:16 PM on October 29

I'd like to volunteer for this one, either as a writer or an editor.
posted by Caduceus at 2:19 PM on October 29

Oh man oh man oh man! I'd love to be part of this.
posted by barrett caulk at 2:28 PM on October 29

Also, new project!
posted by barrett caulk at 2:29 PM on October 29

Yes please! I would like to be involved.
posted by lholladay at 2:38 PM on October 29

I'd love to participate.
posted by applemeat at 2:39 PM on October 29

I want to do the cover.
posted by The Whelk at 2:41 PM on October 29

Yes. I will keep my eyes on this!
posted by Askiba at 2:59 PM on October 29

This sounds interesting. Sign me up?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 3:02 PM on October 29

Man, I hate when I double post, but I forgot to mention.

If I do get in as a writer, let me put in some input in terms of story. Although I don't have anything in particular in mind, I wouldn't want to do a sequel to Visitor's Day. Just putting that out there. A fresh idea seems like the best way to go.

Also, other thoughts: a collaborative MeFi comic book. I'd hate to derail the thread but that would be so insane and awesome, I'd get right on that project. And ride it into the sunset.
posted by Askiba at 3:03 PM on October 29

I agree that something original would be better than a sequel (plus, I haven't read the first but I'm checking it out now).

I also like the idea of a comic book. Maybe a second team could sign up to create a graphic novel adaptation of the results of this project? Each chapter would be in a different artistic style, which would be rad.

As for story starter ideas, I propose this:
Romance in the shadow of the Large Hadron Collider
(it can mean whatever you want it to mean)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 3:09 PM on October 29

*raises hand* I'm in.

Some story ideas: Zombies. Sort-of-long-distance relationships. Intertwined plot lines. Post-apocalyptic anything (my favorite). G.W. Bush monarchy. Dolphin attacks.
posted by craven_morhead at 3:10 PM on October 29

I wanna be the artist, please please please pick me!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:19 PM on October 29

I'd love to be part of this.
posted by Taft at 3:20 PM on October 29

Oh, there should probably be a book designer too, to give the final product a more polished look. I did it last time and could probably do it again, but really, someone else should be offered the opportunity first.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:21 PM on October 29

When the proposal for another Metafilter Writer's Collaboration was first
handed to me, I'm afraid I knew right away that I could not approve it,
yet.

Notions like this, though admirable, often detract from our more important
obligations to the community, and as such I can see reason for me
to sign the attached proposal at this time.
posted by shmegegge at 3:28 PM on October 29 [3 favorites]

I can't believe I fucked up that comment. I forgot the "see NO reason." god damn this stupid brain and these too-quick fingers of mine. god damn them straight to hell. I am the golf of comments. Where golf is a good walk spoiled, I am a good comment spoiled.
posted by shmegegge at 3:34 PM on October 29

Count me in.
posted by smoke at 3:37 PM on October 29

In this sort of project, shmegegge, proofreading for such obvious errors is crucial.

Leaving out entire words from your prose is not merely amateurish, it is downright
offensive. I cannot see how anyone could tolerate such careless, flippant behavior in
light of the seriousness of our collaborative writing project. I'm going to suggest that,
even if your intentions were good, you should be barred from the writing panel. It
does not reflect well on MetaFilter to permit such hasty slapdashery.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 3:46 PM on October 29

I would love to be in for the second round, but it looks like the roster is already full...which is great! Would love to see what the other talented writers of MeFi produce.
posted by never used baby shoes at 3:55 PM on October 29

I made a lot of typos in my earlier responses volunteering to be the sub-editor for this project.

Hopefully the mods have deleted them.

OK thanks.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 4:00 PM on October 29

Artist/illustrator - I can totally do that! With so many volunteers, chapter illustrations, maybe?
posted by faineant at 4:04 PM on October 29

Aw, why'd I have to wander in too late? Well, if anyone drops out, I'd love to participate, and would also be glad to do editing or ebook layout or illustrations or the like.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:14 PM on October 29

With so many volunteers, chapter illustrations, maybe?

Thunderdome.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:37 PM on October 29

I'd love to take part.
posted by jbickers at 4:41 PM on October 29

OK, looks like we have a full roster of twelve writers, folks. They are, in no particular order;

1. Effigy2000
2. ocherdraco
3. EmpressCallipygos
4. Caduceus
5. barrett caulk
6. lholladay
7. applemeat
8. The Winsome Parker Lewis
9. Taft
10. smoke
11. craven_morhead
12. PhoBWanKenobi

If you're one of those listed above and you're 100% ready to commit to a twelve month (or more) project and ready to meet deadlines and contribute to the second Metafilter collaborative project, send me a MeMail and I'll count you as in.

Once we have a final list, I'll update this thread. Then I'll assign chapters, deadlines etc. Then all we need is to agree on a story idea!
posted by Effigy2000 at 4:43 PM on October 29

Thunderdome.
posted by Brandon Blatcher

That's easy. Pick a fight.

*reaches for the sling and a tin of gouache*
posted by faineant at 4:59 PM on October 29

Oh, I was gonna volunteer. Next year I guess!
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:36 PM on October 29

"Oh, I was gonna volunteer. Next year I guess!"
posted by turgid dahlia at 11:36 AM on October 30

Not so fast! The writers listed in the roster above have until the end of the day to get back to me and say they're committed to the project. It's 10:30am where I am so that's just over 13 hours left. If they don't MeMail me or decide that they can't actually commit their time to the project, spots will reopen.

So keep saying you'd like to be considered, because if spots open up, I'll be looking for people to fill them.
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:40 PM on October 29

Pencil me in in that case my good fellow.
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:46 PM on October 29

I'll join the backup list.
posted by burnmp3s at 5:51 PM on October 29

Can we do something where there is conflict, and people learn life lessons?
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:53 PM on October 29

When it is finished, could it be made available via a POD service like Lulu so we can buy real wood copies?
posted by niccolo at 5:54 PM on October 29

I'd also like to be on the backup list.
posted by Iridic at 6:05 PM on October 29

I propose that when the chapters are done there are interstitial quotations inserted, sort of like Frank Herbert did in Dune.

If such an idea sounds cool, then I would like to do it.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:06 PM on October 29

Excellent. I did this last year and it was fun. I look forward to reading the completed work!

The whip marks that Effigy2000 left have almost faded!

Kidding! ow
posted by rtha at 6:14 PM on October 29

If you're one of those listed above and you're 100% ready to commit to a twelve month (or more) project and ready to meet deadlines and contribute to the second Metafilter collaborative project, send me a MeMail and I'll count you as in.

Once we have a final list, I'll update this thread. Then I'll assign chapters, deadlines etc. Then all we need is to agree on a story idea!

Whatthefuckoverrover? You posted this at 5:05 p.m. my time and are choosing the participants before 8:00 p.m. the same day?

It was not a dark and stormy night. The night was clear, but it was a night of mighty weights, screaming and dragging over the Earth. Spotlights cast an eerie glow against the midnight sky. He looked up at the cliff, and...

Okay. I'll get in line. I'm in NaNoWriMo anyway, but I'd still like to be in this if you'd like me. Do I need to lick a toad?
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 6:15 PM on October 29

You know, I don't see why anyone that would like to do this need be excluded. Maybe I don't get it, and I didn't see the first project, but what's to stop everyone from getting a shot?

If you end up with 24 people, then spin them into two groups, let one of those people step up as team captain for that group, and they can decided their own plots.

This not make sense?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:23 PM on October 29

If you end up with 24 people, then spin them into two groups, let one of those people step up as team captain for that group, and they can decided their own plots.

If that ends up happening, it might be a good idea to come up with two concepts for what to write about first and then split people up based on their preference.
posted by burnmp3s at 6:32 PM on October 29

cjorgensen, I limit the size of the group because I want each writer to have sufficent time to write their chapter while still going about the business of their everyday lives AND meet the chapters deadline. If we can get twelve chapters done in just over 12 months, my experience with the first project is that that would be great. Then you need a couple of extra months for proofreading, editing and so forth.

There's nothing stopping a second group of writers starting up a second book (and I'd be all for it, frankly), but to relate it or tie it into the plot of the book the first group is trying to write would be very difficult, I think.
posted by Effigy2000 at 6:35 PM on October 29

well count me in as a third or fourth string possibility, but I won't hold my breath. Best of luck
posted by Think_Long at 6:38 PM on October 29

Happy to pinch hit again if needed!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:39 PM on October 29

Ah, looks like I'm too late, but add me to the alternates list :)

Maybe we should start a parallel MeFi Writer's Collaboration?
posted by Salvor Hardin at 7:42 PM on October 29

Some ideas I have:

- An adventure road trip between a group of strangers.
- A woven thread of separate events that intertwine. Think Pulp Fiction or Spoon River Anthology.
- A gritty, modern vigilante story.
- A comedic cat-and-mouse chase between a criminal and law enforcement.
posted by Taft at 7:50 PM on October 29

I enjoyed editing last time, but no need to hog all the fun. :) Y'all have fun, I sure did!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 8:43 PM on October 29

No thunderdome.

I will do the cover.

Poof: Jleavitt.net

DOUBLE PROOF:

http://thewhelk.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/why-does-this-not-exist/

TRIPLE PROOF:

I wanna make it look like a Penquin Classics cover.
posted by The Whelk at 9:11 PM on October 29

Possibly no zOMGbies? I'm not averse to any challenge, but I dunno . . .
posted by barrett caulk at 10:02 PM on October 29 [1 favorite]

I think a good spy story, and the spy is on a mission to steal some kind of...device...but the spy accidentally activates the device, and gets thrown into an alternate universe of dragons and possibly some underground labyrinths, whatever you might call those, and must use his/her spy skills to overcome adversity and return to reality, but the kicker is there's a killer robot from the future of the alternate universe that has come back because it wants a device because it doesn't want to take over just one planet, but all of everything.
posted by turgid dahlia at 10:23 PM on October 29

I want to be on the backup backup backup backup list of people who no one on Metafilter has any idea who they are because they don't post enough.

Also, I want to be on turgid dahlia's team. But there should be zombies involved somehow.
posted by lwb at 11:50 PM on October 29

I'm down for the back-up list, as a writer or editor.
posted by Nattie at 1:25 AM on October 30

I will do the cover.

You can do a cover.

Jleavitt.net

VERY nice stuff there.

I wanna make it look like a Penquin Classics cover.

Maybe the story should be written before you shoehorn the cover into a pre-existing design synonymous with well known line of books.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:11 AM on October 30

Crap that sounds awful.

Apologies to you, The Whelk, that was unnecessarily combative and sarcastic.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:48 AM on October 30

I too am throwing my hat in for the back-up list, as a writer.

Idea: If we have enough writers / editors to do two teams, what about doing Writers Collaborations 2 and 3 in tandem with each other? I can't step up to drive a third effort here as Effigy did for this second one, but it certainly seems as though there's enough interest.

Its just that the idea of waiting a whole year and then showing up 12 hours too late to get my hat in the ring for the next one AGAIN would suck pretty hard.
posted by allkindsoftime at 3:48 AM on October 30

riiight - read the whole thread first next time (ok I was in a rush to get in line). sorry.

never used baby shoes
jbickers
turgid dahlia
burnmp3s
iridic
Marie Mon Dieu
Think_Long
robocop is bleeding
Salvor Hardin
lwb
Nattie
allkindsoftime

There's 12 writers right there - we just need someone to step up as Effigy Jr. to drive it. I can write, but I can not fill the organizer shoes. Also, we'll need editors and illustrators but it seems we have enough of everything for Team 3.
posted by allkindsoftime at 4:00 AM on October 30

I wanted to write too, sorry if my comment upthread wasn't clear -- can I get on the writing list too?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:06 AM on October 30

12. PhoBWanKenobi

YES!!!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:11 AM on October 30

Damn, the two day stretch I go without checking MeFi and MeTa and I miss all kinds of great shit I want to comment on/collaborate with. Monkey butter.
posted by absalom at 5:25 AM on October 30

I wanted to write too, sorry if my comment upthread wasn't clear -- can I get on the writing list too?

You are #3 on Effigy2000's list if I'm not mistaken.
posted by allkindsoftime at 5:35 AM on October 30

You are #3 on Effigy2000's list if I'm not mistaken.

I wasn't on your list, though -- is your list about something else?

Have also emailed Effigy to confirm my interest.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:47 AM on October 30

is your list about something else?

Yes. My list was the next 12 people to get in line after the first 12 Effigy2000 listed. I was the 12th. We are looking to potentially start a second, in-tandem 3rd collaboration to be done in the same time frame. I am hoping someone on my list is willing to take the organizer-reigns.
posted by allkindsoftime at 5:57 AM on October 30

Ahhhhh, sorry. (blush)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:03 AM on October 30

Apologies to you, The Whelk, that was unnecessarily combative and sarcastic.

Aw shucks, if I had to apologize every time I was unnecessarily combative and sarcastic, I'd never get around to sayin' anything.
posted by The Whelk at 7:38 AM on October 30

I am hoping someone on my list is willing to take the organizer-reigns.

Yeah, notice I didn't step forward for that? I'm more of an idea man. Ha!

I think this sounds cool, and if I had more time and less project, would probably want to be involved. It just seemed that there wasn't really a good reason to preclude as many people as wanted to from doing this as long as each group could come up with an organizer.

I figured they would have to be independent projects, since it would be way too hard to coordinate cross plots, etc. Though I did like the Thieves World books when I was 14.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:43 AM on October 30

I'm late here, but add me to the list of possible writers.
posted by ShooBoo at 8:45 AM on October 30

I'm down for this mysterious "third collaboration" thing but since I am very unqualified to step up as coordinator, I wont. Also, I feel a little bad about hijacking this thread - but I guess Effigy's already got their collaborators so they won't be needing this real-estate anymore.
posted by Think_Long at 9:27 AM on October 30

There's 12 writers right there - we just need someone to step up as Effigy Jr. to drive it.

I guess I'll step up and organize the B-Team, considering I've got nothing better to do for the next year or so. I'm not sure what all kinds of cat herding Effigy2000 had to do with the first collaboration to make it happen but hopefully I can live up to the Effigy Jr. title.

Anyway to anyone who wants to participate in the second project (writing, editing, art, etc.), MeMail me with your email address and what you want to contribute. That goes to anyone, not just the ones allkindsoftime mentioned above. Once everyone has signed up we can decide on the details via email to avoid further hijacking this thread.
posted by burnmp3s at 12:16 PM on October 30

I'd like to participate in the editing phase, if there's room, thanks.
posted by thinkpiece at 1:20 PM on October 30

All but one of the twelve writers that I listed earlier have contacted me via MeMail to confirm their interest in participating. If you were listed, check your MeMail as I've contacted you.

I've chosen one of the backup writers and contacted him asking if he'll contribute a chapter to the project. Once I have a yes, we'll start our collaboration.

One last thing; best of luck to the other collaborative writing projects that have started up in this thread. Whoever becomes 'Effigy Jr.' to those projects, feel free to MeMail me if you need any advice on how to make the project work. I can confirm there was a whole lot of herding cats on the first project I did, and I learned some things that will come in handy as the second project starts, and I'm happy to share that advice if needed.

After all, the more MeFiMetaFiction, the better!
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:36 PM on October 30

OK, we have a full roster. The final roster is as follows.

Chapter One: The Winsome Parker Lewis
Chapter Two: Smoke
Chapter Three: Barret Caulk
Chapter Four: Effigy2000
Chapter Five: PhoBWanKenobi
Chapter Six: Robocop is bleeding
Chapter Seven: Taft
Chapter Eight: ocherado
Chapter Nine: applemeat
Chapter Ten: Empress Callipygos
Chapter Eleven: craven_morhead
Chapter Twelve: Caduceus

Those listed above should check their e-mails, because I've sent out a group e-mail discussing the project.

Now we need to work out a topic. I like Taft's idea of a road trip adventure... I think that could suit the style of this novel perfectly. I also think a murder mystery set in an old English manor could be great fodder for a collaboartive novel. But I'm open to suggestions from the rest of the group.
posted by Effigy2000 at 7:56 PM on October 30

Murder mystery in a historical house that's being moved by truck.
posted by The Whelk at 8:24 PM on October 30

A murder mystery requires a lot of plot planning and timing, something that we admittedly lack (as Effigy2000 said, each writer holds control over his/her chapter). The reason I like the travel tale is because it can be all over the place (literally!) and still maintain an overall theme/premise.
posted by Taft at 8:35 PM on October 30

My suggestion: each chapter should be from the point of view of a secondary character in the chapter before.

My reasoning: this way, the chapters are linked, but our individual writing styles support the concept. There should still be a narrative that threads through the whole thing, but it would be kind of like a Robert Altman film, dipping in and out of the experiences of different people.
posted by ocherdraco at 8:47 PM on October 30 [1 favorite]

My suggestion: each chapter should be from the point of view of a secondary character in the chapter before.


I like this, it has a very The Norman Conquests feel about it.
posted by The Whelk at 8:59 PM on October 30

The "secondary character in the previous chapter" idea also would lend itself well to a road trip. ....Or something like the movie Twenty Bucks, where the throughline of the plot follows an object of some sort through various encounters.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:55 PM on October 30

Or something like the movie Twenty Bucks (EmpressCallipygos)

...same as in town?
posted by ocherdraco at 9:59 PM on October 30

So should we just agree on 'Someone Takes A Road Trip' as the topic?
posted by Effigy2000 at 10:04 PM on October 30

+1 for ocherdraco's idea. Multiple characters that all have separate back stories, experiences, and insight, would explain very nicely the change in voice for every chapter.
posted by Taft at 10:50 PM on October 30

Speaking of past experience, the chapters in Visitor's Day tended to switch perspective anyways, so making it 'official' as it were wouldn't be too much of a problem. The Road Trip theme is fine with me - that gives plenty of influences to play with and plenty of freedom to do so.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:15 AM on October 31

Ooh! Just figured out how to combine "road trip" with "following an object/secondary character" --

Hang the story around a RENTAL CAR, and each of the chapters is about a different person renting the car.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:48 AM on October 31

Or, perhaps, a regular old car, but one that, through mishap, misdeed, and circumstance, keeps being lost, found, stolen, abandoned, recovered, lent, borrowed, wrecked, repaired, gifted, received, and finally breaks down for good. (That's twelve, isn't it?)
posted by ocherdraco at 7:16 AM on October 31

I like the idea of intertwining plot lines; it seems like a clear choice for this sort of collaboration. The secondary character idea works well to, as a sort of insurance of inter-relatedness, but I don't think it needs to be so formulasitc as always taking a secondary character from the chapter before. If chapter 1 has a few secondary characters, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing one of them fleshed out in ch. 2 and one fleshed out in ch. 6.

I'm not real stoked about following the life and times of a car, since it seems too much like the Love Bug. I'm fine with being outvoted on this though.

So far it sounds like everyone is assuming that the story is going to take place in our present day time/universe. We should make a choice like that from the outset, since it's not really the sort of thing that we can change down the line. The first chapter or so needs to set up the ground rules about the world in which our characters inhabit. As I said upthread, I like post-apocalyptic worlds of all sorts, but I wouldn't mind doing something set in present day. I'm not a big fan of setting it, say, 30 years ago, if only due to the fact that I wasn't alive then, and would have to do a good deal of extra research.

Finally, once we have the general idea established, I vote that our conversations about the project take place in one forum, be it a private bullitin board or via email. Google wave would actually be pretty perfect for this, but my guess is that not everybody has an invite. It just makes it a little easier if we all have one inbox and aren't trying to reconcile threads on email to those on metatalk or wherever else.
posted by craven_morhead at 7:49 AM on October 31

I'm not real stoked about following the life and times of a car, since it seems too much like the Love Bug. (craven_morhead)

My point about an object that changes hands in myriad ways can be applied to anything; it's just a device to tie the disparate chapters together.
posted by ocherdraco at 8:33 AM on October 31

So far it sounds like everyone is assuming that the story is going to take place in our present day time/universe. We should make a choice like that from the outset, since it's not really the sort of thing that we can change down the line.

Not if it's a band of disgraced squirrel ninjas, cursed to travel between dimensions.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:09 AM on October 31 [1 favorite]

Not if it's a band of disgraced squirrel ninjas, cursed to travel between dimensions.

Brandon Blatcher, I know there was a reason why I spoused you.

Seriously, I sort-of think dimension hopping would be a really interesting premise, but that might be just because I'm a sci-fi geek. I know Visitor's Day was also sciffy, so I understand if you guys want to keep it more grounded.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:15 AM on October 31

At the risk of being outvoted, I'd prefer to follow one or several characters through the entire story. I'm a big fan of character development and I feel that if we're constantly switching to other points of view, we won't be able to do much of that. It would also be really cool if, instead of having all these "disparate chapters," they all fit together cohesively, building off each previous one instead of starting relatively fresh every time. More novel, less anthology of related short stories.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 9:42 AM on October 31

Here's an idea: A road trip between God, Buddha and few other deities, maybe with a human or two thrown in, just cruising. Maybe they're trying to help God find Jesus (who has GOT to have daddy issues galore).

Each writer could tell about what happened in their corner of the world when the deities visited, so it's not limited to particular country.

Damn, now I want to write about that.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:48 AM on October 31

Also, I love sci-fi and think dimension hopping or time travel would be cool. When I suggested "romance in the shadow of the Large Hadron Collider" upthread, I was thinking that idea could go in one of several directions:

1. Typical love story between scientists
2. Interdimensonal romp courtesy of the Higgs boson
3. Gritty survival story after the LHC apocalypse
4. Anything else, really, only as sci-fi as you dare to go

posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 9:48 AM on October 31

Another way to look at this travel story idea:

Instead of a new character being introduced every single chapter, we could have a group of strangers that travel together, with every chapter from another characters point of view. If we were going to adopt this idea, we would need to flesh out everyone's character before the first chapter, which seems daunting.

The Winsome Parker, I think sci-fi is the most difficult genre to write and wouldn't trust myself to do it right. Awesome story ideas about the LHC, I would want them done right.
posted by Taft at 10:15 AM on October 31

What about a combo of 1 and 2? Scientists in love are thrown into different dimensions as a result of the LHC. Each goes on an interdimensional "road trip" to find the other (or, one is thrown into another dimension and the other follows to find him/her). This would give us each a lot of latitude in terms of how far out/sci-fi ish each dimension is (or is not), would give us the opportunity to switch perspectives to people in the other dimensions, but would still have a pretty unified theme/story line.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:15 AM on October 31

The Winsome Parker, I think sci-fi is the most difficult genre to write and wouldn't trust myself to do it right. Awesome story ideas about the LHC, I would want them done right.

Keep in mind that the bulk of the sciencey development would rest on the shoulders of those writing the first few chapters--you could write something almost entirely non-fantastic in your chapter.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:16 AM on October 31

Seconding the "no sci-fi, please" request. I don't dislike it, I just seriously, seriously dislike WRITING it because I know I suck at it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:23 PM on October 31

Sci-fi doesn't necessarily need to be hard. We could do anything from soft sci-fi to science-fantasy to straight up fantasy (meaning we have less and less techno-babble to handwave away anything that's not possible). I like the dimension hopping thing, because each writer could use one or both scientists as a view point character, or use anyone they meet in another dimension as one. Kind of how most of the time in Doctor Who the viewpoint character is the companion, but sometimes it's some random passerby who encounters the Doctor.

Of course, as the one responsible for the last chapter, I'd need to get those crazy kids back together, probably.

Do we want to have some sort of central antagonist, or just a "we're fucking lost" sort of plot? I've always been a big fan of "stopping the apocalypse" sort of stories, so I'd love a dimension-hopping plot where they're trying to stop some villain from destroying the earth/universe/multiverse, but I'm not picky. Of course, that's tougher on the people who don't feel comfortable with sci-fi, so I guess maybe not.
posted by Caduceus at 2:09 PM on October 31

I definitely vote for using our modern world as a setting. It's a world I know very well, and not a lot of research needs to be done to get it right.
posted by Taft at 3:07 PM on October 31

I second Taft; the modern world is quite fantastic and flexible enough to allow any individual writer to insert many different flavours they feel comfortable with, without having the perceived burden of a genre or research requirement. The modern world could be quite fantastic.

I love the idea of a road trip, something a little picaresque. I don't think we need to establish a rule about focussing on particular characters, or a particular device, necessarily. I'm happy to let The Very Winsome Parker Lewis take up the reins and drive this cart in any direction he sees fit, and then let subsequent writers with no doubt excellent instincts continue from there.

Look at me, I'm quite the free-love anarchist! But this all said, I'm a collaborative writing virgin, and I would be interested to hear your thoughts E2K, about how many "rules" you think would be beneficial to the project in light of your previous experience.
posted by smoke at 5:05 PM on October 31

I am very much in support of the road trip idea. It lends a sort of momentum right off the bat. Which, I'm told, is generally good for novels. I like ochredraco's idea of imposing some sort of structure for cohesion. But I don't know if it needs to be as strict as the secondary character idea. It seems like something so strictly formulaic could be pretty easily figured out by the reader, in like the fourth or fifth chapter or so. Might diminish their sense of anticipation as they read on? Finally, I am not a fan of sci-fi in any way, so I am predisposed against that. But, I will gladly take on the challenge if that is what most people are excited about. There. Is that two cents?
posted by barrett caulk at 6:32 PM on October 31

It seems like I'm being outvoted on making it any sort of sci-fi, but would we open to Caduceus' emailed suggestion of fantasy elements? They could be slight--what the kids are calling magic realism these days--but making things strictly realist strikes me as, frankly, a bit less fun. (And I'd disagree that realistic fiction takes less research--much harder to get existing details about real things right than it is to stick to a mythology or world we've invented)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:53 PM on October 31

PhoBWanKenobi, I think that unexplained events that could possibly be explained naturally is best. Leaving the reader with questions, keeping them slightly in the dark. That's what I would want to see for fantasy elements.
posted by Taft at 8:07 PM on October 31

I confess, I have a hard time not incorporating elements of the fantastic into things I write, but I'm perfectly comfortable with magical realism and what-not. Of course, mostly I'll just be working on wrapping up what everyone else has written, so I ought to not have too hard a time doing my job.
posted by Caduceus at 8:19 PM on October 31

Oh, I've just had a thought vis writing and taking up chapters. To avoid ret-conning, and issues about respecting others' work etc. I think it would be quite useful to adopt a impro rule about no "blocking".

No blocking in this kind of context would mean no, "it was all dream" nonsense (unless it actually is a dream, but that's something the original writer would decide), no "zoom out and it's a movie set"; no "they're all mind-controlled"/have no agency, etc. effectively no rejection of previously established elements.

This is not to say we can't introduce new elements, or take a sidestep in our chapters (it is a road trip, I think, after all), but I do feel a good-faith agreement not to reject or effectively undo the work of a prior writer could produce good results for both the story and all the writers in this project.

My experience with using this in prior situations is that it almost invariably results in a better, stronger and more creative story, as opposed to wildly varying tones and time wasted in narrative and character contortions to make someone's idea of how it should have gone become active. The story being a river you can only step into once and all that.

How would people feel about this? Am I being unnecessary or overthinking?
posted by smoke at 10:16 PM on October 31

I didn't know it was called blocking, thanks for the info. Yeah, I support this rue that we have basic respect for the other writers in this project. It would improve the quality of the story as well as the skill of the writers.

So it seems like most of us are set on the road trip idea. Maybe a vote would be in order at this point.
posted by Taft at 10:37 PM on October 31

Okay, since I'm the first writer, let me just sum up the current consensus so I know I'm on the right track:

• It's a road trip story with a variety of characters traveling together.
• It takes place in the modern, real world.
• It may or may not contain "realistic" fantasy elements (TBD).

I'm going to lock in the first two as decided and wait to see how the third is resolved. I'm fine with or without the fantasy element, personally. Is my list missing any other "decided" points?

I have a couple organizational-type questions:

Are we talking here, email, or somewhere else? Somebody suggested Google Wave, which I haven't used (no invitation) but it sounds like it could be great for us. I've heard it's pretty easy to find invitations if you want one badly enough; supposedly there are sites for sharing them.

How much story planning should we do? Should late-chapter writers be discussing plot twist ideas with people before them, so the earlier folks can set things up and provide some foreshadowing? Should I, as the first writer, be telling anyone the direction I have in mind for the story I'm setting up? Or maybe we should consider silence on these matters part of the "game?"

Finally, should we have any stylistic constants between writers, so that every chapter is told consistently in, say, third-person past tense? Or do we want to allow this to vary?

Also adding that I agree with the no-blocking rule. :-)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 10:47 PM on October 31

"Are we talking here, email, or somewhere else?"

E-mail worked well on the first project. I advocate it for this one as well.

How much story planning should we do?

We didn't do any on Visitor's Day and that made the project a lot of fun, I think. The plan is to have an evolving story.... like that game where one person tells a part of the story, passes the baton and the next person adds to the story. As we get closer to the final chapter we may discuss over e-mail if there are any story threads that need closing but otherwise, let's just let the story evolve and see where it takes us.

"Should late-chapter writers be discussing plot twist ideas with people before them, so the earlier folks can set things up and provide some foreshadowing? Should I, as the first writer, be telling anyone the direction I have in mind for the story I'm setting up?"

You can if you want but I don't think it's necessary. I think it's also hard to foreshadow plot twists because a set-up you plan for a plot twist in chapter one, to pay-off in say chapter nine, might be contradicted by something someone writes in chapter five. Again, let's just let the story evolve and see where it takes us.

"Finally, should we have any stylistic constants between writers, so that every chapter is told consistently in, say, third-person past tense? Or do we want to allow this to vary?"

I think we'll take our cue from how you write the first chapter, but the project is kind of free form so again, let's see what happens as the story evolves and see what works.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:08 AM on November 1

PhoBWanKenobi, I think that unexplained events that could possibly be explained naturally is best. Leaving the reader with questions, keeping them slightly in the dark. That's what I would want to see for fantasy elements.

Ehhhh.

I understand how these sort of things can seem intimidating if you have no experience writing them, but these sort of requirements to keep everything more-or-less completely realistic (and in most magical realism, the phenomena is really pretty unexplained, though it usually happens in a modern, realistic context/setting) strikes me as a fairly prescriptivist requirement on those of us who were looking forward to (or are used to) writing stuff in that vein. To be honest, I find it disheartening--I was really looking forward to pushing my creativity with this in one way or another, and that's really the way my imagination often works.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:39 AM on November 1

I like adding some fantasy elements; Peace Like a River comes to mind; it adds a few really nice fantasy touches without having gremlins crawl out of the woodwork or something.

I agree with the points re: blocking, though I'll add that I don't feel like killing off characters or the like is blocking. Basically, keep the same ground rules about the world in mind that are established early on.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:14 AM on November 1

Regarding elements of the fantastic, and/or magical realism: given that we aren't starting with an SF premise, it should be pretty easy for writers who want to incorporate the fantastic to do so without forcing other writers to do so in their chapters. Likewise, it should be pretty easy for those who want to stick to straight realism to do so without forcing other writers to do so in their chapters.

Vonnegut said it best: "There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." Be kind to your fellow authors—try not to limit them, but rather give them lots of possibilities to play with.

Regarding our premise: okay, it's a road trip with a variety of characters. Shall we pin down a couple more things before we let Parker run with it? For example:

• Who the primary characters are
• Why they're on a road trip—what do they want? (characters—all characters—should want something)
• Where they're starting from

posted by ocherdraco at 11:45 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]

Why they're on a road trip—what do they want? (characters—all characters—should want something)

My original idea was that it was a group of strangers traveling in the same direction. Think The Breakfast Club. Why are they together? Perhaps they're all traveling a public inter-state bus and the driver dies or is somehow removed from the picture; in the end, the passengers have a bus to themselves and a destination. It's out there but I like the idea.

Location ideas:

-Southern US traveling north on the east coast.
-Western coast of Europe, from Spain to the Netherlands or something.
-South America (this would require some research from me at least).
posted by Taft at 1:29 PM on November 1

"Regarding our premise: okay, it's a road trip with a variety of characters. Shall we pin down a couple more things before we let Parker run with it?"

No, we shouldn't, because it may constrain his creativity. Let Parker create the characters, the setting and everything else. At the end of his chapter the story continues and evolves.
posted by Effigy2000 at 1:37 PM on November 1 [1 favorite]

I've already begun, so don't go changing things on me now! ;-)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:21 PM on November 1

Okay, great! I look forward to reading it. All right, I suppose we'll take our conversation about this to email now.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:29 PM on November 1