I know a lot of you are very much into writing fiction (or fanfiction). I'm working with a professor on a research project looking into how to use computers to help people make better art. We're starting with fiction writing, and I figured I'd ask you guys some questions because you guys actually have some experience with this.
The project I'm actually working onI'm working on a website that will allow people to write a story together online. The basic idea is that you have one author in charge of the overall story, but the author can section off parts of the story they want others to help them with. For example, the author might have written that "Johnny's house burned down. He swore revenge." and later written "Johnny stood with a bloody sword, questioning what he had done." But the author didn't know how to get from Johnny swearing revenge to Johnny holding a bloody sword, so they left the middle part blank. The author could ask the internet "What happens next?" and others could submit their ideas for how to write the middle part. Everyone would be able to view the story while it's being worked on, so it's different from just posting a question on a forum somewhere. At the same time, only certain parts of the story are editable by other people, so the author doesn't have to worry about others destroying their work.
Here's a picture of how I'm imagining it will look like. (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7hHCWR3wqzzOEJ3NW5OTXlrS1E/edit)
How you can help (if you want!)Here's a survey, and if you have the time to respond with as much or as little as you want I will be so thankful! Don't be afraid to be honest -- I promise I won't be offended, even if you write that you think the project is the worst idea ever. (It's really helpful for me to know that sort of thing!)
- Would you want to use something like the project I'm working on? Why or why not?
- If you're part of any fiction or fanfiction writing communities, do you think this is something they'd use to write together? Why or why not?
- Have you ever written a piece of fiction together with someone else (or have you heard of fiction being written by more than one person)? What was that like?
- What was a time when you wished you had someone to write with? (Either for getting help with the actual writing or just getting help with ideas.)
- Comments/suggestions/other feedback?
Thank you! (And Silv, if this is an inappropriate post for Secundi, let me know and I'll remove it right away.)