# Writer's playground idea **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798 "2003-03-24T16:28:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/1 "2003-03-24T16:28:43Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![mozart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mozart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozart)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/2 "2003-03-25T01:05:18Z")
I would give it a try. Sounds like fun. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/3 "2003-03-25T04:13:04Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/4 "2003-03-25T06:30:04Z")
Speaking as a guy who likes his porn fairly mainstream, I’m having trouble visualizing basing a story around a “fist line.” 😉 Seriously, it sounds like fun. Haven’t we had stuff like that around here before? (A communal story type thing, at least?) ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/5 "2003-03-25T12:40:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LifeOnWry \* > \*\*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? \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/6 "2003-03-25T12:42:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \* > \*\*Seriously, it sounds like fun. Haven’t we had stuff like that around here before? (A communal story type thing, at least?) \*\* Yes, but I was thinking of actually creating a new message board where this could be going on continuously, given the interest of course. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/7 "2003-03-25T13:05:44Z")
Has possibilities. (Of course, one of those possibilities is that we’d unwittingly expose to daylight some of the worst writing in the world.) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/8 "2003-03-25T20:29:29Z")
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…) ---
**Author:** ![Bishamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3e96dc/32.png) [@Bishamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bishamon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/9 "2003-03-25T20:52:16Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/10 "2003-03-25T21:06:14Z")
Sounds like fun. From what I’ve seen it might be that some of it is being done at the Unaboard ([www.unaboard.com](http://www.unaboard.com)) and at **Elfkin477** ’s page (check her [Interactive story board](http://pub45.ezboard.com/binteractivestories18786)). There may be more; those are the only ones I’m aware of. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/11 "2003-03-27T05:49:28Z")
Well, I’m up for this if you get something going! ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/12 "2003-03-27T12:48:08Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/13 "2003-03-27T13:29:01Z")
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](http://www.critters.org)). Other than that, cool idea. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/14 "2003-03-27T13:38:38Z")
I’m in. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-playground-idea/163798/15 "2003-03-27T15:39:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Degrance \* > \*\*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? \*\* Sounds like fun to me, I’m _always_ up for a writing challenge 🙂 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](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](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.