Author Topic: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration  (Read 1840 times)

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Offline Nomad Frog

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Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« on: August 10, 2008, 11:27:07 AM »
Here we go!

First of my interactive fics, I figured I'd better at least get a sign-up sheet for this, even though it wasn't the most popular of the two - it still got votes, and I see it as a good experiment, while I come up with plots to choose from for the choose-your-own.

That said - this is the Collaboration Fic. 



PLEASE READ EVERYTHING IN THIS POST CAREFULLY IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE
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This is pretty much an advanced writing exercise.  In my poetry class senior year, we did group poems - one person writes the first line, passes it to the next person, that person has to then ADD TO the first line, and then passes it on to the next -- only, being poetry, it didn't have to make perfect sense.  This being a story, it will have to continue from where the person before you left off



How it works:
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  • Sign up by posting here with a little message about what you think we might want to do for the plot - in as much detail as you would write with (think of it like an audition, but I probably won't be that harsh, don't worry)
  • We will decide on a plot as a group, once everyone is in.
  • Posting order will be determined randomly once sign-up is over.
  • Each person, in their order, takes a turn and must stick to all the rules each turn, read the rules below.



RULES
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  • Each person participating will be responsible for: 1 full-length post (at least 1 paragraph per MAIN character), spell-checking your OWN post, writing EACH character in EACH post, following the basic plot (you can still throw things in, don't get me wrong, you just can't have them be in the belly of a taxxon one minute and on another planet all hunky-dory-okay talking like nothing's new the next, nothing ridiculous -- I shouldn't have to say this, even, but I am, to cover my butt), contributing/keeping up the FLOW of the fic (i.e. you can't just make one paragraph about their hair, you have to DO SOMETHING)
  • Follow the characters' personalities as closely as you can
  • If you start Mary-Sue-ing a character, you WILL be called on it -- likewise, if you SEE someone making a character a Sue or a Stu, please call them on it.
  • No posting out of turn
  • No harassment of other participants -- just because you don't like their particular writing style or what they choose to do doesn't mean you can go off on them.  Any harassment will be warned about, and if it persists, you will be asked to leave
  • If there are too many complaints against a person's writing style, you will be messaged and ask to start "keeping up" with the "standard" - if you make too many spelling/gramatical/plot-flow errors (or break the rules) - and if it continues you will be asked to leave the fic
  • If it's your turn and you can't post within two days, your turn will be skipped
  • If you wish to forfeit your post or don't know what to do, at any time, you may say "Skip Me" and the next person will take their turn - you must WAIT for your next turn, after everybody else has gone.
  • Any major plot adjustments must be discussed and voted on by the GROUP
  • NO LIST INTROS - I don't care if you're introducing a new character or not, don't do it.  Be creative and (as the popular term is) LITERATE enough not to do that!!  Put it in a paragraph!
  • this is for FUN.  If you're not having fun, drop out, but LET US KNOW WHEN YOU DROP OUT SO WE DON'T KEEP WAITING FOR YOU!!
  • Keep out-of-character/context (OOC) posts that do NOT pertain to plot to a MINIMUM.



That all said, if you read the above, agree to everything, and want to participate/feel capable of participating, post here according to the guidelines, and we're good to go.  Also, if you have anything to add that you feel I left out, just lemme know :)

Sign-Up is now OPEN
« Last Edit: August 10, 2008, 07:57:26 PM by FrogTobSieMist »
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Offline wotw2112

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2008, 05:34:12 PM »
This sounds intriguing but...I'm not 100% clear what some of the rules mean.

Basically I'm wondering:

When it is my turn to post would I have to write from different character P.O.V.s for each paragraph and progress the storyline like that? (Like: Bob's Paragraph, Steve's Paragraph, Claire's Paragraph, etc)  If so the character count should be kept down (actual animorphs or made up?).  ???

For me at least, an example of a post might be helpful so I know what I'd be getting myself into.   ;D
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Offline Nomad Frog

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2008, 05:40:03 PM »
Thank you for asking that, I think I forgot that the Animorphs books were originally written in first-person -- therefore, thinking third-person, I was imagining something along the lines of "Marco walked up to Jake, a curious expression on his face, before he punched him in the shoulder".  NOT "I walked up to Jake, purposely looking at him a few moments to distract him, get his attention somewhere else, before I socked him one" -- so in that sense, you could include everyone without having to switch P.O.V.'s. 

However, it could still work in first-person if we choose one main character, one main 'voice' for the entire thing.

I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to make it original or made-ups, or a combination of the two.  I had the basis of a plot for an old story I tried typing up, but it just didn't work out for me, I'm thinking of using that one, which would use both original Animorphs AND made-up characters that go with the new life...

This is sorta why I asked if anyone had any questions or suggestions to throw into the hat, heh.  :)

That help any?
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Offline wotw2112

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2008, 05:57:38 PM »
Ideas:

1.  Picking up where book 54 left off in the wake of ramming the ship.  We can then attempt to write the story of the war against "The One".

2. "Hi my name is __(name)____ and I think I'm losing my mind.  Ok, maybe I'm not really losing my mind but something strange is going on.  Maybe I should explain...
You see, last night I had this dream.  (Goes on to roughly detail some part of the original animorphs story - meeting Elfangor etc.).  It seemed so real.  It was almost like I could actually hear the dying Andalite's scream!

Weird, huh?  Well it gets worse.  You see, I eventually had to wake up and that's when things got even stranger.  I quickly tried to forget the odd dream as I began my day and headed out for school.  Most of the day passed normally but for some reason whenever I had a spare moment my thoughts would turn back to the haunting dream.  

After school I decided that I didn't want to go home to a quiet - my parents would both still be at work - where memories of the dream could sneak up on me again.  So i decided to go to the mall with my best __(name)_____ friend instead.  We spent a few hours at the arcade where we bumped into this other guy from school.  The three of us played Time Crisis 3 and shot bad guys until finally we ran out of quarters.  Mission accomplished, I had forgotten all about the dream.

Then the three of us decided to head for home.  When we stepped out of the arcade we practically ran into these two girls from school.  One was my cousin __________ and the other was her best friend ____________.  They were on their way out too and since all five of us live in the same part of the city so we all set out together.

We had two options.  We could take the long, safe, and lighted way home or we could cut through a stretch of undeveloped land that separated our neighborhood from the mall.  The land had once been used by the railroad but had long since been abandoned as better methods of transportation made trains obsolete.  Most of the tracks had been torn up but you could still tell where it had once run.  If you looked you could even find a few old rusted spikes that had been left behind.

For the five of us the choice was pretty obvious.  All the kids I knew took the shortcut.  So we headed off into the trees without a second thought.  It was only then that I began to realize how similar this was to a certain dream...except with me and my friends instead!


Ok...I'm tired of writing at this point and as this is just a suggestion it's not touched up either.

Food for thought though.
"Well, that idea might make a stupid idea feel better about itself."
"His goat killed you?"
"I love you shovel."
"Your conscience calls you on the telephone?"

Offline wotw2112

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2008, 06:00:10 PM »
both original Animorphs AND made-up characters that go with the new life...
That could be confusing.  But your answers were fairly helpful.  I'll keep an eye out for your forthcoming decisions.  And see above for my most recent word-vomit.
"Well, that idea might make a stupid idea feel better about itself."
"His goat killed you?"
"I love you shovel."
"Your conscience calls you on the telephone?"

Offline musicman88

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2008, 07:27:16 PM »
I'm not exactly sure how much we're expected to write but I would assume that it depended on the situation.  A paragraph for everyone would probably end up totaling 10 paragraphs or so which isn't undoable for me but I would prefer to write something a bit shorter.
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Offline Nomad Frog

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2008, 07:56:54 PM »
I'm not exactly sure how much we're expected to write but I would assume that it depended on the situation.  A paragraph for everyone would probably end up totaling 10 paragraphs or so which isn't undoable for me but I would prefer to write something a bit shorter.

I'm editing that -- a paragraph per MAIN character...which won't be anywhere near 10 or 12, lol.
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Offline Duff

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2008, 10:34:33 AM »
I still dont get what you mean by a parapraph per main character. Does that mean it always has to be 6 paragraphs or w/e and you always have to include all animorphs or you need a paraphraph focusing on one character at a time...

I'd def like to be a part of it though, what is the idea you had jen?

Offline Slushie Man

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Re: Interactive Fic #1: Collaboration
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2008, 03:57:06 PM »
I'm in, as long as it's NOT a continuation of Book 54, mainly cause while I'm re-reading the books now, I never got past book 25 my first time around when I was a kid, so I know very very little about anything past that point, so I wouldn't be much help.

But if it's some other form of original work or based off Animorphs without being a continuation, then I'm all for this.