I thought it might be interesting to do something like PuPP's "Storytime! Line by line" thread, except semi-serious. We take turns to each write... I guess 300-1000 words? Is that reasonable, or would more or less be better? And then the next person continues it, making an effort to reuse ideas that have already been introduced rather than constantly take the story off in different tangential directions.

Would that be interesting or boring?

WERE DOING IT

WERE MAKIN IT HAPPEN

http://zetachannel.com/index.php?topic=6264 is the story thread.

Posting order:

1) S*S (posted)
2) Colesla (posted)
3) Crystal (posted, bitches)
4) The P.u.P.P (posted)
5) rawrimapanda (posted)
6) The Revolution (posted, by dint of being so massive)
7) machiavelli33 (posted)
8) ---
9) ---
10) ---
11) ---

Contributors:

S*S
Colesla
Crystal
The P.u.P.P
rawrimapanda
The Revolution
machiavelli33

Expressed interest:

Tamsin
Arachne
EnsoMu
Dral

Rules (such as they are)

1) Resolve disputes and discuss the direction of the story in this thread, reserve the other thread for the story posts.

2) The turn order will be established on first-come, first-served basis initially, and then we'll cycle back through the list thereafter. This is only so people have a set spot where they're guaranteed a shot at writing, to avoid the story being written solely by the two people who can post most frequently. The intention is for this to be flexible, rather than a rigid, oft-repeated posting order. People can relinquish or trade their slots, if they're busy. If that leads to some people posting slightly more, that's okay; the overall intention is that no one who wants to contribute gets left behind, not that Poster X always posts third.

3) General theme is a Neil Gaiman style "fairytale", with the protagonist initially being a random, ordinary black bear.

4) Where possible, (later in the story), build on existing elements rather then introducing so many new ones that they can't all be addressed.

5) Strictly no Bearsex or chipmunks.

6) Tentative word limit per post is 1000 words, no minimum.

I love this idea.

Crystal pointed out the major hitch in this plan but its hardly an insurmountable one. If everyone goes into this understanding that they won't really be able to plan ahead and that the should keep their egos out of it, we can pull it off. I once participated in a similar project and I have a few suggestions of how to proceed.

1) Before it starts, participants should agree upon one person to be in charge of it. That person would be responsible for settling any disputes and ensuring that agreed upon rules are followed. It would be ideal if that person had mod powers so they could delete any disruptive posts even though I don't think any participants will be immature or douchey enough for it to be necessary.

2) Turns should be determined ahead instead of everyone posting wily-nily. That could be done either by setting an order that is repeated indefinitely or by having participants reserve turns. They can do this by posting placeholders in the thread (just type 'placeholder' or 'I reserve this spot' or 'I claim this post in the name of Pie and Bearsex' or whatever the hell you want to put in there.) We would probably limit it to two or three placeholders at a time and not allow anyone to post placeholders within three posts of their last post.

3) Participants should accept that they don't have full control of the direction of the story and should be respectful of the efforts of their fellow participants. If they introduce a character they like, they shouldn't expect everyone else to treat that character as they would. Your character could get humiliated, beat up, or even killed. Conversely, participants should not needlessly harm characters or objects they don't like. I'm not saying don't do it altogether. If killing a character improves or advances the story, do it, but be respectful of your fellow participants' creations in the process. Additionally, avoid adding too many characters. That will get confusing fast.

4) All rules and policies should be voted in by the participants. Preferably in a separate discussion thread.

5) Don't take it too seriously. I'm not talking about the tone of whatever story we tell. That will be determined by the participants. I mean don't get your feelings hurt about not getting your way and don't get into heated arguments about this.

6) These are all just suggestions based on my experiences with a vaguely similar idea on a different forum. The way it proceeds on this forum will likely be very different.

Sure, me too. Just let's not get too bogged down in rules and lose interest in the project.

I don't think we need someone "in charge", we can resolve disputes diplomatically. But I don't mind starting. In fact, I would like to!

As for turn order, it seems like having a set spot where you're guaranteed a shot at writing is indeed a fair way to do it, and will avoid the story being written solely by the two people who can post most frequently. But it could be very flexible, and not necessarily a rigid, oft-repeated posting order. People can relinquish or trade their slots, if they're busy. If that leads to some people posting slightly more, that's okay.

If I do start, the general theme will be a Neil Gaiman style "fairytale", with the initial protagonist being a random, ordinary black bear. The only other rules or guidelines I can think of would be (a) Try to build on existing elements rather then introduce so many new ones that they can't all be addressed, and (b) strictly no Bearsex.

Is everyone agreeable to that?

That's an interesting philosophical point.

Eeee!! I like this idea quite a lot.

Start it! Start it!! Also, I can't promise no bearsex.

Raccooon? *eyebrow waggle*

BARSECTS

Oh, I'm In as well. Add me to the list

(I DON'T WANT TO MAKE AN ASS OF MYSELF OKAY.)

That's your social anxiety talking.  Arachne when the time come I know you'll wow us. 

I believe in you.