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]

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!