Writer's playground idea

Cafe Society
1

I am considering creating a web site for authors to play around with concepts.

Here is what I am thinking of:

A message board of sorts where anyone can propose a new “starter” for a story. This could be a quote, a premise, a fist line, etc.

Users could then reply to the post with their own short fiction based on the starter. These posts could in turn be replied to.

It would have to be monitored obviously.

So for the writer:

Does this sound like something you might enjoy playing with?

Do you see any problems with the concept?

2

I would give it a try. Sounds like fun.

3

I’m having a little trouble seeing the details here. Would writers be cross-posting their bits and pieces as they go, or is the idea for each participant to present a completed story based on the “starter”? What’s the purpose of the replies - critique? What would the writers’ motivation be - to test-drive stories, to improve their abilities with give and take from their peers, to publish?

4

Speaking as a guy who likes his porn fairly mainstream, I’m having trouble visualizing basing a story around a “fist line.” :wink:

Seriously, it sounds like fun. Haven’t we had stuff like that around here before? (A communal story type thing, at least?)

5

Step 1:

Somebody puts up an idea for other to use as a starting point.

Step 2:

Others post their creations based on the idea as replies.

Step 3:

Everyone else can then reply to the writings and offer feedback or “attaboys” or whatever.

That way all of the replies and feedback for one “starter” are in one thread.

That was my idea anyway. If anyone has a better idea I would be glad to hear it.

6

Yes, but I was thinking of actually creating a new message board where this could be going on continuously, given the interest of course.

7

Has possibilities. (Of course, one of those possibilities is that we’d unwittingly expose to daylight some of the worst writing in the world.)

8

Why don’t we start right here?
Or make a separate “Post your story ideas” thread?
Or make a “Post your story ideas and add to others’ stories” thread?

digs
(who’s got some great three-sentence books, or fragments of books I should say, written…)

9

I think this would be a total hoot. I would try to contribute. Unfortunately, often all I get is that first line. But they’re doozies.

While it would be fun to have a post here at at the SDMB, I think the hamsters don’t need any more stress upon them.

10

Sounds like fun. From what I’ve seen it might be that some of it is being done at the Unaboard (www.unaboard.com) and at Elfkin477’s page (check her Interactive story board). There may be more; those are the only ones I’m aware of.

11

Well, I’m up for this if you get something going!

12

I’m looking into the idea.

As long as I can find somewhere to host it and the time to keep it up it is a distinct possibility.

13

The only slight, possible hassle is the issue of rights. If you publish something on the web, “first electronic publication rights” can no longer be offered for sale - if you’re writing for sale, that could make things a touch difficult. The way around this is to make the site members only, and make it clear that it’s strictly for the purposes of writing exercises and critique, similar to what Critters does (www.critters.org).

Other than that, cool idea.

14

I’m in. Cool.

15

Sounds like fun to me, I’m always up for a writing challenge :slight_smile:
On another board (not this one or my story board) one of the challenges that went well was the challenge starter gave each person a single word, and the writers then wrote a 500 word story that had to include the word. You might want to consider writing games as well, like the ones I’ve started in mpsims:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=165014&perpage=50&pagenumber=1 <–still active

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=78541&highlight=worse+Mary ← long finished
If you do do it on the SD boards, you might want to check with the mods as to which forum it belongs in, since a lot of round-robin type stories (like the surreal continuing story) end up in mpsims instead of here for reasons I can’t quite explain.