Genii Weblog
More wits, more pens: "Albino Butterfly" starts today
Thu 20 Mar 2008, 10:29 AM
Tweetby Ben Langhinrichs
There were so many eager authors, we have started a second story unrelated to the first round robin story, Web of Deception. This one is going to be called "Albino Butterfly", and it has a slightly different set of rules and an almost completely different set of authors. The rules for this story are:
1) One person writes a chapter (short, long, whatever), possibly leaving the story with a cliff hanger, but not necessarily.
2) At the end of the chapter, he or she stops writing, and hands off the chapter to the next person. For this story, we know the initial order of the authors (as it appears below), although we can still add more if people are interested. (It would be courteous to let the next author know by phone or e-mail when their turn has come.) Once that second person writes a chapter, it is imperative that the first person makes a link to it so later people can follow the story.
3) Never take up a chapter unless you have been named. We don't want competing universes.
4) Generally, there are no other rules. At best, there are a few general guidelines:
4a) You probably should not kill off other people's characters unless the story compels it.
4b) Try to incorporate the story as it has developed rather than striking out completely on your own, but that doesn't mean you can't make it go a very different direction, or "reveal" facts that were previously ambiguous (or you choose to treat as ambiguous)
4c) It is considered perfectly acceptable to leave the next writer in a bind trying to resolve difficult to resolve situations.
4d) Bad puns may or may not be acceptable to the critics, but I can't resist them, so don't feel you must either. Likewise, geek humor and steamy scenes filled with innuendo. Write what you like - let the readers decide if it is appropriate for the office or not.
4e) The current writer may suggest a phrase (rather than a single word, as in the first story), such as the word "tiny tentacles of doom", which should appear in the next chapter
1) One person writes a chapter (short, long, whatever), possibly leaving the story with a cliff hanger, but not necessarily.
2) At the end of the chapter, he or she stops writing, and hands off the chapter to the next person. For this story, we know the initial order of the authors (as it appears below), although we can still add more if people are interested. (It would be courteous to let the next author know by phone or e-mail when their turn has come.) Once that second person writes a chapter, it is imperative that the first person makes a link to it so later people can follow the story.
3) Never take up a chapter unless you have been named. We don't want competing universes.
4) Generally, there are no other rules. At best, there are a few general guidelines:
4a) You probably should not kill off other people's characters unless the story compels it.
4b) Try to incorporate the story as it has developed rather than striking out completely on your own, but that doesn't mean you can't make it go a very different direction, or "reveal" facts that were previously ambiguous (or you choose to treat as ambiguous)
4c) It is considered perfectly acceptable to leave the next writer in a bind trying to resolve difficult to resolve situations.
4d) Bad puns may or may not be acceptable to the critics, but I can't resist them, so don't feel you must either. Likewise, geek humor and steamy scenes filled with innuendo. Write what you like - let the readers decide if it is appropriate for the office or not.
4e) The current writer may suggest a phrase (rather than a single word, as in the first story), such as the word "tiny tentacles of doom", which should appear in the next chapter
4f) Since more of the second group do not have their own blog, or the blog is not appropriate for this sort of thing, more of the chapters will appear on my blog, but with that author's name.
4g) Have fun.
4g) Have fun.
If you would like to participate, you can respond here or e-mail me. Don't be shy or worry about whether your writing is "as good" as anybody else's, but also don't volunteer if this is going to give you hives and make you miss your upcoming nuptials or ILUG or anything really important.
For the second chapter, I am on last rather than first. Graham Dodge is currently working on the first chapter. So far, the brave volunteers for this are:
2) Keith Brooks
3) Alan Bell
4) John Lance
5) Sean Burgess
6) Jim Casale
7) Jeremy Hodge
8) John "Greyhawk68" Roling
9) Graham Tucker
10) Ben Langhinrichs
Follow the whole story on the RSS feed graciously hosted by Julian Robichaux: http://www.andthentheboilerburst.com/AlbinoButterfly.rss
Feel free to volunteer. If you don't have a blog, ask me and I'll host your story.
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