tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24290085279269211972024-03-14T02:46:23.599-07:00novelaboratea collaborative creative writing project that aims to compile a novel - but with more than just one author. (and also some random personal interjections for your pleasure...)novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-70233161347297204872008-12-20T23:55:00.000-08:002008-12-20T23:59:13.935-08:00so, yeah... the status of novelaborate.Yes, I actually am being serious about Novelaborate. I know posts have been infrequent but here's why: I'm marinating on some ideas and questions I have about things, before this meeting I described last post, with Emil Kang, and before things really get rolling.<br /><br />A few people, via Twitter and other blogs and e-mail, have shown interest in being involved, and after a little more time spent on getting people together, we'll talk for the first time about the actual story - the writing style, the way we go about co-authoring, etc. - and start the actual project going.<br /><br />So for a bit longer, sit tight. I'll try to entertain with other things, but feel free to contact me or have your friends contact me at bennett.e.campbell@gmail.com if you or anyone you know is interested.<br /><br />And happy winter solstice, everyone.novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-74124908770304096972008-12-15T01:07:00.000-08:002008-12-15T01:13:14.598-08:00A meeting with the master awaitsSo I decided I needed more help with getting the word about the Novelaborate project out.<br /><br />Again, for the uninitiated, check out the first few blog posts to see how I want to get people together collaborating on one work of creative writing.<br /><br />I realized a few days ago, however, that I was not taking advantage of a crucial source of advice right in my own backyard of Chapel Hill. I have contacted Emil Kang, UNC-Chapel Hill Executive Director for the Arts and head of Carolina Performing Arts. Emil is the go-to guy for most any arts related queries one might have in Chapel Hill, and an extensively knowledgeable, authoritative source for me when I worked as arts editor at the Daily Tar Heel.<br /><br />So at some point in January I will be meeting with him to seek his advice on getting the word out, as well as, I hope, some advice on the project itself, be that contact information for people who would be willing to be involved or get people involved, or anything else.<br /><br />I will obviously update on this afterward, and it is not for a little while longer, so sit tight, but this might be one of the best opportunities yet to get this all going together stronger and faster.<br /><br />---<br /><br />And on a side note, please check out the Web site for PoetryAssignment, located at <a href="http://www.poetryassignment.com">www.poetryassignment.com</a>! Contribute your poetry today! It is already becoming a great community of poets who are sharing some wonderful work!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-5443495496492259362008-12-12T11:08:00.000-08:002008-12-12T14:25:18.842-08:00Some word games before I make word gains (I hope)So the other day, a buddy of mine and I were talking on AIM about word games. We are both obsessed with them, they’re super time killers, etc.<br /><br />So if you’re alone in your car on the drive home from work today, or you’re in church, or at a really lame concert (actually, no. Wow - that really <span style="font-style: italic;">would</span> have to be one <span style="font-style: italic;">hell</span> of a lame concert), you can try some of the ones we discussed. Some require other people (you have friends, right? Isn’t that what Facebook and Twitter and blogging are for?)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">a.) </span>Try to make a sentence (or several - go as long as you can!) by having one person say a word. Whatever letter that word ends with, the next word that the other person then adds must start with the same letter.<br /><br />Example that makes little sense: (You can go quickly and make it ridiculous or slower and try and make a super long sentence. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Person a</span> in bold, <span style="font-style: italic;">person b</span> in italics, person 3 regular):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blogging</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">gets</span> so <span style="font-weight: bold;">overrated </span><span style="font-style: italic;">daily! </span>You <span style="font-weight: bold;">understand </span><span style="font-style: italic;">dudes </span>seldom <span style="font-weight: bold;">make </span><span style="font-style: italic;">even</span> nickels <span style="font-weight: bold;">starting</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">grassroots</span> sites, <span style="font-weight: bold;">so</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">orate</span> elsewhere!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">b.) </span>Try this weird rhyme scheme. It is a good bit more difficult game. Start with a two syllable word. That is your first line. Then follow with four more syllables on the next line, where every other syllable matches the corresponding syllable of the first word, repeat repeat repeat. But you have to make a coherent rhyme. See how far you can go!<br /><br />Another silly almost nonsensical but good enough to get the point across example: (corresponding syllables divided by / for emphasis on structure)<br /><br />Mu /sic<br />Can you / dance, Dick?<br />All men / who do / wear pants / and kick<br /><br />Clear? Mu rhymes with Can you, Sic rhymes with Dance, Dick<br />Can rhymes with all men, you rhymes with who do, dance rhymes with wear pants, and Dick rhymes with the last two words, and kick.<br /><br />It can take a while, but we actually did make a really good one. Just be prepared to not end up at all how you started!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-50383254345401266862008-12-09T19:39:00.000-08:002008-12-09T19:43:15.467-08:00Sprucing things upI changed a few things around on the header, in hopes that pretty pictures draw more people in. More general design/layout improvement will come tomorrow, once I get a faster internet connection. (On a crappy computer at home in Raleigh right now - surfing the internet is pretty much a waste of time.)<br /><br />More importantly, though, when I get back to Chapel Hill tomorrow, I'll finally be able to meet up with a few friends and get input and advice on the entire idea. And in the coming days, as I mentioned earlier, all-out publicity will begin. Like I also mentioned before, I want to be able to hit the ground running (and running hard) within a couple weeks after students get back from winter break, and that will require lots of planning in the coming days... so stay tuned, as always, keep spreading the word, and thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your patronage...novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-2879564604236325052008-12-09T17:10:00.000-08:002008-12-09T17:35:06.228-08:00City or State?Here's some randomness for you, while I work on Novelaborate stuff...<br /><br />After watching an intense Monday Night Football game last night (go Panthers!) I was thinking about where all the NFL teams are from. Why are some of the 32 teams representative of just a city, while others are representative of an entire state? I kind of explained it to myself this way (Keep in mind this is just the NFL... I can do other sports leagues, too, but for now, football...) :<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some states have more than one team.</span><br />So,<br /><br />NY: Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, New York Giants... You're okay.<br />PA: Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers... You're cool, too.<br />TX: Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys... Fair enough.<br />FL: Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers... Gotcha.<br />OH: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns... Yup.<br />CA: Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers... Mmhmm.<br />MO: Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams... Sure. (But your state sucks this year. Sorry!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some teams represent major cities with large populations, so that makes sense.<br /></span>So,<br /><br />Seattle Seahawks<br />New Orleans Saints<br />Atlanta Falcons<br />Washington Redskins<br />Chicago Bears<br />Detroit Lions<br />Baltimore Ravens<br />Indianapolis Colts<br />Denver Broncos...<br /><br />all OK, I guess. Some are more obvious than others, though.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lastly, some states represented have relatively small populations, or at least their major metro areas aren't as large or as well known, so one football team per state, I suppose, makes sense.</span><br />So,<br /><br />Tennessee Titans<br />Arizona Cardinals<br />Minnesota Vikings...<br /><br />That's okay with me I guess. Minnesota might be iffy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">That leaves three (in my opinion) oddballs:</span><br /><br />Carolina<br />Green Bay<br />New England<br /><br />And why are they oddballs?<br /><br />Green Bay Packers- the only team I'd say that is supposedly representative of one city, a city which is truly small-market and doesn't, at least initially, make sense. Green Bay? Is that even the capital of Wisconsin? I didn't think it was... Or am I wrong? If so, apologies. But what's so wrong with Wisconsin Packers?<br /><br />Carolina Panthers/New England Patriots- the only two teams whose supposed area of representation covers more than one state. While the Panthers play in N.C., this isn't reflected in the name. Did they think "North Carolina Panthers" would sound too weird? I guess it is a bit odd... Who knows. And then New England... well I just don't know what to make of that. They play in Massachusetts. I guess "Foxboro Patriots" just didn't have the ring they were looking for.<br /><br />Anyway, perhaps this post isn't even of much value. I was just curious. And now it's official... I only have a problem with three NFL team names. Not bad, I suppose.<br /><br />Maybe I'll examine the NHL next. I am a big fan after all...novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-80340841542667454192008-12-08T16:32:00.000-08:002008-12-08T16:34:39.802-08:00#poetryassignment has a home!Check out this <a href="http://www.poetryassignment.com">sweet</a> new Web site, courtesy of @jeffreyoyler, for #poetryassignments. I'll continue to encourage anyone who's interested to start posting their poems! We'd love to have more friends join us!<br /><br />Again, each assignment, one of us picks one word, and you write a poem that has that word in it. Easy as that! So check it out!<br /><br />And... more Novelaborate info to come in a few days. Keep telling friends, please!!!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-29054433624797739852008-12-06T14:14:00.000-08:002008-12-06T14:18:05.584-08:00Somewhat unfortunate timing. Somewhat.I'll be getting back to Chapel Hill on Wednesday and talking with a couple folks about doing non-electronic publicity for Novelaborate (fliers, word-of-mouth, etc.). Unfortunately, it's smack dab in the middle of exam time for UNC students, after which they'll all be headed home for break. Though I am aware of the fact that there are tons of creative minds in Chapel Hill that aren't enrolled at UNC.<br /><br />But after round 1, we'll wait for students to get back and do another round of publicity. I'm also trying to get English dept. professors to send out e-mails to their listservs so students can check out the blog and wiki over the winter break. I'm hoping they'll be receptive to the idea.<br /><br />If anyone has any flier/poster concepts, I'd love to hear about that. I'm coming up with a few on my own. Will post pictures after they're completed.<br /><br />Cheers!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-17045501636655011902008-12-05T15:38:00.000-08:002008-12-06T11:09:29.835-08:00Wiki update and #poetry assignmentSo since I'm not on my own computer (haven't been for the past week because I'm at my aunt's house in Virginia); I can't download files for MediaWiki, which I've been advised is superior to other wikis and more popular. But I might switch over when I'm back in Chapel Hill. Update when possible... probably will be back home on Tuesday.<br /><br />Today's #poetryassignment word is phone book:<br /><br />i saw you by chance today<br />sipping a latte on the patio<br />of a tiny cafe<br />at 18th and main<br />looking as cute as i remembered you<br />the same red shoes i recall from before<br />matching your scarlet jacket<br />the one i got you two christmases ago<br />the sparkle in your eye said you liked it<br />when we passed by the store window that day<br />you sat alone<br />"the stranger" by camus in your hand<br />your expertly polished nails<br />flipping the pages between sips<br />your lipstick staining the lid<br />swiftly i made my way home<br />flurries in the air<br />made the landscape look<br />like a pristine renoir<br />i looked you up in the phone book<br />after i got to my humble apartment<br />and draped my green sweater<br />across the back of the couch<br />to see if by chance you were listed<br />i found you<br />i wish i had the nerve to call...<br /><br />i hope that's not too cheesy?<br /><br />oh and <a href="http://gobblersknob.livejournal.com/201629.html">here</a>'s @coderster 's<br />Heather's poem <a href="http://heather-harris.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-phone-book.html">here</a><br />Phil's <a href="http://accidental-lit.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-phone-book.html">here</a>novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-77788675179941801302008-12-04T16:45:00.000-08:002008-12-04T16:48:46.948-08:00Wiki = up and running!Hey everyone (I feel like I can assume more than one person has dropped by? I hope? :-D),<br /><br />As promised, I looked into some wiki sites today, and found ZohoWiki - a seemingly user-friendly, reasonable one to use for Novelaborate's purposes.<br /><br />Check it out <a href="http://novelaborate.wiki.zoho.com/">here</a>! I have a test page up if anyone wants to just mess around or say hello or whatnot.<br /><br />Obviously, this is where most of the creative process will happen. And once that starts, this blog will be more of a home base for discussion; a headquarters if you will. And I'll try and keep my personal stuff to somewhat of a minimum at first, to stay organized, but as you can see, I like to post some writings like #poetryassignment stuff.<br /><br />So, yeah, go wild! And start to recruit people (or start, if you're just coming by for the first time)!<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Bennettnovelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-47188496852187739622008-12-04T09:33:00.000-08:002008-12-04T16:24:16.160-08:00Cathedral#poetryassignment - Again, today's word is cathedral. see if you can figure out what I'm referring to before you get to the last two lines.<br /><br />inside the air is cold<br />where once the prayers of many rose<br />now silence, sacred silence<br />where once the holy beads of water purified<br />now dry and dusty, unforgiving<br />the smoke plumes all around<br />the shriek of jets, the thud of bombs<br />no longer piercing the air<br />but still piercing the memories<br />the city surrounding still ablaze<br />but the cathedral<br />the steeple, still standing upright<br />for all teary eyes to pay homage to<br />still rising above the ashes<br />and soon the citizens<br />steadfast and hopeful, prayerful still<br />the flock, they will return<br />st. paul will guide them<br />as he always has<br /><br />(Still not sure? Perhaps this famous <a href="http://www.essential-architecture.com/LO/026-StPaulsCathedral.jpg">photo</a> will jog your memory!)<br /><br />Check out Melissa's poem <a href="http://melissaoh.com/2008/12/free-pre-marital-counseling-at-the-cathedral/">here</a>!<br /><a href="http://gobblersknob.livejournal.com/">here</a>'s @coderster 's poem (what's your real name?! :D)<br />Phil's is <a href="http://accidental-lit.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-cathedral.html">here</a><br />Heather's is <a href="http://heather-harris.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-cathedral.html">here</a><br /><br />Oh, and re: Novelaborate - as promised, more news on a wiki will be posted this evening. Stay tuned.novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-35849014788621893642008-12-03T15:02:00.000-08:002008-12-03T15:07:48.257-08:00Wiki? Wiki. Wiki!Many thanks for Mr. Jensen/Buckley for the comment on the first post. I saw a tweet of his earlier (you can follow him - @firemeboy) and realized that a wiki would be of utmost importance for this collaborative process.<br /><br />I'm extremely occupied with a short story of my own at the moment (I had fits and fits of inspiration today - three cheers for sleeping in and resting the ol' noggin!), but I'll discuss the wiki idea more tomorrow. Many thanks for the concept.<br /><br />And if you happen to stop by here, again, please note things are still in the publicity/recruitment status for the most part, but if you have more general ideas (again, see Mr. Jensen/Buckley's comment on the first post re: a dinner/murder story) I'd love to hear them. For the record, I'm quite intrigued by that thought.<br /><br />So, like I said, more to come soon.<br /><br />Oh, and the word for tomorrow's #poetryassignment is "cathedral." - Looking forward to some poems!<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></strong> That's something else to get more people in on, for sure!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-73730645499864274462008-12-02T21:09:00.000-08:002008-12-03T21:14:46.225-08:00In the mean time...So to pass some time before I start getting more attention, my new Twitter buddy Melissa (melissaoh.com) told me about a series of poetry assignments that some folks are getting involved in. You base your poem off one assigned word. Today's word is <span style="font-weight: bold;">salsa</span>. So here's my attempt:<br /><br />I'd never set foot on a dance floor<br />those shiny black shoes gliding magestically<br />across a landscape of puffy gowns and flashy suits...<br />So naturally I practiced all month long<br />once you invited me to your stylish soiree<br />and told me to bring my finest salsa...<br />I didn't realize you meant you were bringing chips.<br /><br />:-p<br /><br />here are salsa poems by: (updated)<br /><a href="http://accidental-lit.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-salsa.html">@muttmutt</a> (Phil)<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/melissaoh.com">@melissaoyler </a>(Melissa)<br /><a href="http://writerbenjamin.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-salsa.html">@writerbenjamin</a> (Benjamin)<br /><a href="http://heather-harris.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-salsa.html">@baronessheather</a> (Heather)<br /><br />check out some other examples: the previous assignment was "baseball:"<br />@melissaoyler 's baseball <a href="http://melissaoh.com/2008/12/learning-baseball-from-an-experienced-player/">poem</a><br />and <a href="http://heather-harris.blogspot.com/2008/12/poetry-assignment-baseball.html">her friend's</a>: @baronessheathernovelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-12037591705581631432008-12-02T19:32:00.001-08:002008-12-02T19:33:56.179-08:00Getting the word out...I've spent a good portion of the past day alerting folks to this project's existence on Twitter, Tribe.net, Facebook, MySpace, etc. If anyone knows of other social networking sites or other types of sites that might be advantageous to look into, let me know. And spread the word on those sites yourselves!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-69491928476545315932008-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:002008-12-02T10:32:48.053-08:00Oh yeah... so who am I? (And a couple other odds and ends)I'm a bit forgetful, so you'll have to forgive me. I haven't even really introduced myself. I'll take just a minute to do that really quick so you can know you you're gettin' involved with here.<br /><br />My name is Bennett Campbell. I would be a senior at UNC this year, but I'm taking the year off for, let's say, some perspective. I've always loved writing of all kinds - I've kept an (almost) daily journal since I was 10 years old. I wrote for my high school paper and until recently was the arts editor for UNC's The Daily Tar Heel.<br /><br />I also am extremely intrigued with where people get their inspiration and, additionally, how they interact with other people. Obviously, this project is an experiment in both areas.<br /><br />I currently still live in Chapel Hill, N.C., where there is an abundance of creative minds, many of whom - without even knowing it - were the inspiration for me to start this project.<br /><br />Aside from reading and writing, I enjoy sports (mostly soccer and hockey), going to see movies, an excellent cup of coffee or a good beer, and myriad other things.<br /><br />But that's enough about me. I just, as I said, kind of wanted to officially introduce myself as not to appear to be some far-off, inaccessible guy with an unrealistic dream. My hope is that if I can start getting to know more people and continue to interact with the people I do know already, I can get more and more people involved in this process.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A couple more odds and ends:<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />*If you're interested in getting the word out in large quantities, please e-mail me (bennett.e.campbell@gmail.com) with any ideas, and we can start working out a more concrete, larger-scale method. Whether it's using listservs of various types, putting up fliers, word-of-mouth campaigns, or more unorthodox ways of publicity, I'll need all the help I can get.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">*</span></span></span></span></span></span>As far as a timeline: Slow and steady wins the race. I'm committed to spending several weeks (or longer if necessary, but honestly I hope its at least <span style="font-style: italic;">started</span> to pick up by that time) getting the word out before getting too involved in the writing process. I want this to get to as many people as possible first so that everyone has input from the beginning. I've put enough thought into this project that I'm not going to be discouraged if it takes a little while to start getting feedback. Perserverance is the name of the game.novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-80313598320527481792008-12-01T22:38:00.000-08:002008-12-01T22:43:53.876-08:00I would be remiss to leave out these detailsA few bits of information that I realized I should probably share before I go to bed and set the wheels in motion for good:<br /><br />I had thoughts about how to foster the growth of this project once people start noticing it:<br />-<span style="font-weight: bold;">Online chats/forums to discuss things</span> - Once I get people involved, I will set up a Web site to discuss every last little aspect of the story, so everyone can easily contribute. But for now, leave comments, e-mail me, MySpace or Facebook me, etc.<br />-<span style="font-weight: bold;">Networking between contributors</span> - once we get our army of writers/contributors, those who would like to have a method of contact to be publicized or shared will be listened to. I'll set up a list of some sort for those people so contributors can collaborate together to more easily share ideas.<br />-<span style="font-weight: bold;">Storyboard</span> - I'd also like to set up a thematic, well-organized place to put down ideas that people come up with. A list of ideal characters, settings, plot elements, etc. This will be forthcoming.<br />-<span style="font-weight: bold;">Other ideas</span> - I also think it would be cool to have a place for all contributors to share their other work - writings, published works, Web sites, blogs, etc. Inspiration can come from those places, too - it doesn't have to all be completely new ideas. I'm sure there's already loads of great stuff out there that can be taken into consideration.novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-56567482862918231802008-12-01T21:45:00.000-08:002008-12-01T21:53:10.689-08:00Seeking Inspiration<span style="font-style: italic;">Where will this start?</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span>If you, or a friend, or a brother, or an in-law, or a boss, or a philosophy professor, or a former gynecologist - anyone - has ever wanted to write a story, or has ever started to and not finished... it can all start again here.<br /><br />I'm purposefully leaving this beginning as vague as possible.<br /><br />Will this story start with a college kid forging his identity as a singer in a modern urban area? Or will it start in the impoverished city streets of 18th century France? Or perhaps it'll take a more comical tone? That is up to everyone to decide.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Where do you <span style="font-weight: bold;">want</span> it to start?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span></span><br />So for now, I'm going to stop typing. It might take a couple days to get the word out, to get contributions. It might take a few weeks. But I want to make it work.<br /><br />So get the word out! Contribute yourself! See what kind of collaboration we can bring about!<br /><br />Post this blog on MySpace and Facebook! Tweet it! Email your friends! Write the URL on a bathroom stall! Text your friends! Do what you can!<br /><br />And as far as leaving contributions:<br />-Comment on this blog!<br />-E-mail me at bennett.e.campbell@gmail.com<br />-Find me on Facebook (Raleigh/Durham, NC network) or MySpace (www.myspace.com/2ns2ts)<br /><br />Let's see where this starts!novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429008527926921197.post-70691509049134581802008-12-01T21:30:00.000-08:002008-12-01T21:45:16.441-08:00The Preface<span style="font-style: italic;">So what exactly is going on here?</span><br /><br />Well, an amazing story is about to be written. But not just by one person. Not just by me. By you. By your friends. By anyone else who stumbles upon this place here. This is an idea I've been hatching in secret for quite some time now. I was never in a position to carry it out... until now.<br /><br />I won't claim to be the first to try this. I honestly don't know if it's been done before. But that doesn't really matter. What matters is that it's going to happen here.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> We're going to write a book together.</span> Well, I suppose I'll be writing it, but it's going to be a collaborative effort. (Hence the name - Novelaborate.) And this is how I envision it working:<br /><br />For the time being, until I get some publicity (we are kind of starting from the ground up here, after all), this will, I think, progress somewhat slowly. But that's where you come in. It's up to you, and to me as well, to spread the word. I'm going to be looking for inspiration. Looking for:<br /><br />-Characters<br />-Settings<br />-Plot Keywords<br />-Any other idea I can solicit<br /><br />You might have some questions right about now, and I'll do my best to answer a few of what might end up being frequently asked questions:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Why are you doing this? Will it work?</span> - I'm doing this because every writer draws their inspiration from outside sources in some manner. I'm simply making that connection - the connection between the inspirational sources and the one technically doing the writing - much more explicit. It will work as much as people allow it to and encourage it to.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How long will it take?</span> - I'm not sure. Like I said earlier, it will be slow starting probably. But once the word spreads and the inspiration comes in faster and stronger, things will inevitably pick up.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How much are you leaving up to your contributors?</span> - Well, just about everything. Like I said, I'll be looking for character ideas, settings, plot ideas, and everything of that nature. Obviously I'll kind of be stringing everything together, but by and large this will be the product of many authors and sources of inspiration.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What will be the format?</span> - This is still being fleshed out, and it will depend a lot on feedback. But my thought was that after getting a significant enough base of material, I'll write a "chapter" or a segment and post it on this blog. Then, based on what I post, people can continue to guide the story. Twists and turns and the progression of the story will come as time goes on. And if a lot of people think what I post is crap, then I'll ask them how I should change it, to a certain degree. I must confess therefore that I'll have a slightly larger amount of artistic control than any one future contributor, but not by much.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What is your goal?</span> - To furnish a story that is inspiring and inspired, thoughtful and thought-provoking. And fun, of course! This will be fun and creative and something to behold. The goal is not to publish anything. The goal is not to have x number of pages by a certain date. The goal, quite simply, is to bring together as many creative sources as possible and see what comes of it.novelaboratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151940585919852834noreply@blogger.com3