Writers: apply within

[devi]

(As seen on writerly and verlaine's journal... I'm going for maximum coverage here)

Many of the classic novels of Victorian times were published in instalments in weekly papers (and beautiful sprawling things they were too, full of improbable coincidences, outrageous cliffhangers, mysterious Australian benefactors and such). It's not really done much these days, though. So verlaine and I have started up a project to do something similar, over at pennydreadfuls (with a view to moving to a dedicated website once things are running well). Anyone fancy joining in?

Here's the rules:

"All participating authors commit to writing a complete novel, at the rate of one chapter per week. Chapters should be self-contained with proper beginnings and endings, and of between 1000 and 2000 words in length. Episodes should probably contain hooks into future episodes, and continue or resolve threads from previous episodes. They must be submitted to strict deadlines, so that they can be posted up in a timely fashion for the perusal of a shadowy cabal known only as "the readers"... Novels will be staggered evenly over the course of the week."

Part of the idea behind it is to have a Nano-ish deadline system that *makes people write*, but is less likely to take over their entire lives and make their brains leak out their ears. We're starting the project on March 1st. You're welcome to write - or indeed just come along and read.

Comments

Re:

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

I'd imagine so, what with holy cows and such, but you can always drop in and read :)

(I posted this before but Livejournal thought I was Matt.)

Re:

[http://users.livejournal.com/_kent/]

I posted this before but Livejournal thought I was Matt.
It's an easy mistake to make. Is it Dee? Or is it Matt standing a long way away?

Re:

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

"Let's try this again, Dougal. These sheep are small. The ones out there are far away. Understand?"

"No, Ted, I don't."

[crystal-claire.livejournal.com]

What does "novels will be staggered evenly over the course of the week" mean?

Just that people's deadlines will be on different days? or... something else?

Re:

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

The former, basically - so that there'll be new stuff coming up on the site throughout the week, and also to spread the work for the moderators :)

[thecesspit.livejournal.com]

If it was once a month I'd think about it... any chance?

Re:

[carbonunit.livejournal.com]

Yep, once a month sounds far more reasonable, especially if we have to emulate Victorian english, that stuff's tiring. Though it does pad out the word count...

Re:

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

There's no requirement to emulate the writing style - though we have a couple of people interested in doing Gothic novels. It's mostly the experience of doing a serial novel to deadlines that we're after, and probably also the resulting suspense and audience-pandering :)

But there seem to be several potential part-a-monthers. Hmm. Might be something we should cater for.

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[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

I could cope with that. I don't think I could manage more often. Although, come to think of it, the reason that much of Dickens reads like complete drivel, as though he wrote down what he happened to be thinking at the time, is that he wrote down what he was thinking at the time, and that it was complete drivel. So if I wrote down what I was thinking at the time, we'd get the Victorian effect - and probably complete drivel.

But hey, let's give it a go.

Re:

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Eeeeexcellent.

So if I wrote down what I was thinking at the time, we'd get the Victorian effect - and probably complete drivel.

It's bound to be better than the worst excesses of NaNo, though, since the requirements are so much less demanding. As several_bees put it in November: "He opened the door. It was a tall door, and made of wood. There was a door handle in it, and as he touched the door handle he looked at the door, which was tall and made of wood and had a door handle in it. The thing he was touching the door handle with was his hand. His hand was not tall, unlike the door, and nor was it made of wood, also unlike the door, but it did, at the moment, have a door handle in it, which was not unlike the door but rather like the door, which was tall and made of wood and had a door handle in it. The door handle was in his hand. He turned it."

Re:

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

The concept of restarting Starflung surfaces again, for the third time this week. I'll take the hint, I think. Stay tuned to gothwalk for further details!

Re:

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Oh, and as for writing down what you happen to be thinking, Dickens was pretty bad but Victor Hugo makes him look focused and concise. He's also a sadist bastard. He puts his main character (and the little girl he's just rescued) dangling from a convent wall with the police prowling below, then goes 'hmmm... convent', and writes 200 pages on the strictures of the Benedictine Order. Coincidentally, his sister had just become a nun ;)

[fabulousfrock.livejournal.com]

That's a wonderful idea, I'm sure I could never stick to the deadline... I'm really bad at commiting myself to any one thing in particular, and if I was going to commit myself to writing a novel, it'll have to stay off the web so it can eventually go to agents if I ever get off my arse about THAT...but I'll be interested to see what you turn out.

[vilebody.livejournal.com]

If it was part a month I'd do it - I'd love to write a kind of wilkie colkins type gothic/non-gothic thing, but I'm still working on 2003 nano novel so i couldn't manage a part a week (unless I gave up sleep and most other human functions entirely, but I'm not sure thats quite possible... or nice)
polly

Re:

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

There seems to be enough call for monthly serials that I reckon we should cater for it!

Monthly submitters can be the Dreadful Street Irregulars or something. Despite, um, not being irregular.

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

What a cool idea.

I'm getting into the rewrite of my 2003 NaNo novel, so I'm not coming on board right now. I will watch it with interest, and may see if you'll let me in at a later date.

Now, I've got several books on psychology and quantum physics to read...

Oh, good luck with it!