The Official Yammering Thread - Page 6 - OG Myth-Weavers

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The Official Yammering Thread

 
The starter module project has attracted some people...to that thread. Does anyone have ideas for getting the butts to stay in the seats, so to speak? It doesn't look like people are really interested in collaborations so much right now, and the challenge I put up bombed horribly.

I am aware that school is just starting, so it makes sense that interest is low, but any ideas for stuff to put out there would be appreciated.

There is a game a friend and I started a while back, and I thought it would be fun to suggest it here, if this is even the right place for it. I would love to try this out with more than one person, because it really allows for deep and alive characters that have qualities seen through different eyes. My friend and I discussed our piece once we brought it to a conclusion and we found that the way I wrote the character (I started) was completely different than he would have ever thought of portraying him until he read my piece; we both really enjoyed it.

The rules are fairly simple:
  • A topic has to be decided on (for example, a purple door)
  • Choose a posting sequence
  • Set a time limit for post responses (we used 2 weeks per response as an average)
  • All posts have to be the same length (usually around 400 words)
  • The pieces all have to end on punctuation
  • One person starts the story following the above rules
  • The next person posts, continuing the story and follows the above rules

Some notes on the reasoning behind the rules:
  • The topics can be anything and are only really there to have a set idea/object that the story can revolve around, lest it go on forever.
  • Conclusions can come at any time, if the current writer of the piece feels that the story can conclude at that point without being out of the blue; basically, no 'and then they all died from a plague. The End."
  • The reason to have a time limit is to allow the next person in line to continue the story if someone is unable to for any reason, allowing the story to actually be completed.
  • 400 words may seem short, but it is purposely that way to prevent personality separation, entice newer writers (like myself) to join, and to incite a merging of everyone's unique styles of writing.

What would you think about starting something like this here?

It sounds generally like a collaborative writing project with ground rules. You are free to begin such a project here, if you wish to. If you want only specific people to participate, or want to have a small, stable group of participants, you may want to consider (but are not required to) using a game forum and inviting those you want to write with.

I wouldn't say it's necessary to limit it to a certain amount of people, but there would need to be a way to avoid multi-posting after a single response.
A large group is no less desirable as a small group; any amount of people could get involved, really.

Would you have any ideas on what could be changed to allow for anyone to respond but to avoid double responses? I think it would be most interesting that way, but I am still not but a babe when it comes to forums.

While it is not specifically against site rules to double post, it is strongly discouraged by pretty much everyone. You can certainly put in the first post of your thread that you specifically do not want double posting, along with all the other rules you wish to have, and if anyone ignores that request, you can ask me (the moderator of this section of the site) to deal with it. It is against site rules to arbitrarily delete another user's post, so please don't do it yourself.

In our previous collaborative writing efforts, we've found that it works best to use the fieldset tag for the actual writing, so people can otherwise post questions or clarify things pre-emptively. Thus:

It was a dark and stormy knightThis is where you put writing for the story itself

This is where you can put questions or comments.


Complete non sequitur time!

I remember that a long time ago (perhaps a year, even?) there was a thread with all the freeformers in it. Does anyone still have a link to that thread, or (even better!) an opening in a freeform game? I really have the urge to write something continuous but don't really have the time/energy to create something for myself. (i.e., I'm lazy)

What I meant by double posting is when two people post a story from the same prior post.

For example, if I were to post a section, and then two people post around the same time a continuation from my post, leading to a split in the storyline.





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