This blog is dedicated to the fine art of collaborative storytelling. I call this “litprov”; it’s the oldest form of storytelling, dating back to when our ancestors huddles around embers and told tales of great perils, great loves, and great deeds.
My own “path to the fire” has been fraught with the all of the usual angst of the aspiring writer. I have wrestled with my own Muse, produced a few stories and even a screenplay here and there, and yet have continually found myself not equal to the challenge of building something bigger out of my writing. I’ve sold some stories (you can even read a couple of them at http://www.authorsden.com/melissacross), but my fundamental ability to sit at the keyboard and channel the Great American Novel has never matched my fantasy of a life on the bestseller list.
And then, one fine day, like Dick Cheney in a quail patch, it hit me! I’m just not the kind of writer who thrives alone late at night with a pen or keyboard. I’ve been happily writing for years, just not on paper. The writer in me sneaks out in my relationships, friendships, and everyday life, in my conversations and interactions with the people I love (and hate), work with (and play with), and marvel at every day. And I just know there are more writers out there like me.
If you are the kind of blogger who enjoys the art of building on other peoples’ words and ideas, then this forum is for you. If you’ve ever found yourself playing “Once upon a time…” with your girlfriends or boyfriends, family and friends, then come play it with me. If “Balderdash” is a game you enjoy, I suspect you will have fun here. I invite you to pull up a seat around the fire of our collective creativity, read, contribute… or just toast a marshmallow. All participation is welcome, as long as you follow a few basic rules:
1. This blog is strictly for works of fiction. Please refrain from including any biographical details that other readers might construe as anything more than coincidental. You know the statement that appears at the beginning of many books and at the end of most movies to stipulate that “Any similarities to blah blah blah is strictly coincidence”? Yeah, that one. Be sure to apply it to your contributions here.
2. Posts should build on a current story thread, incorporate and expand existing plots and details, and move the story forward. Please do not use this forum for posting your own private work, unless you are offering it as a building block for the community’s creativity.
3. Please keep your posts centered on the progress of the story and discussion about story elements. Please refrain from making radical departures in a running narrative just because you have different interests. For example, if we’re working on a old Western yarn, don’t throw the heroine in a time machine just so you can have more fun putting her in a 23rd century biker bar (as much as I'd love to read what that might look like). Remember, the key word is “collaborative”. Also, critiquing is discouraged. (I really wish the image on this WordPress template wasn’t a red pen… alas.) If you are a poster seeking feedback on your own work, please contact other contributors “offblog”.
4. What gets shared here, needs to stay here. While you are welcome to invite hordes of visitors to this site to enjoy our work, and to share your own posts as widely as you like, please refrain from copying and/or distributing the contributions of others.
5. If you are easily offended by any foibles in the human condition and find your hackles rising over any particular post, remember: these are just stories. Please keep breathing. There is simply too much creative fodder in the spectrum of human experience to work with and I insist that any and all subjects be available for wordplay. If you find you can’t separate your beliefs and opinions from your ability to work with others, then please reconsider whether this is the right forum for you.
6. To join in, just write your installment as a comment and submit it below the main post. Each new installment will be added as a full post in order of submission, with credit to the author. Check back in to see where the story goes from here! I plan to award a small prize each month to the most popular contribution, so contribute early and contribute often. Voting guidelines will follow.
7. Have fun! Let’s craft some legends!
Yours in musing,
Mel
