A cooperative novel? (Writing game for any number of participants)

by Emilie van Damm
1st September 2016

The default setting in Q&As is "Recent". However, by clicking on "Popular", I came across this (the most popular thread ever on this forum, with 88 replies):

https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/question/view/192

It seems to have fizzled out some years ago, but I thought that I might revive the idea for a new generation of users on this forum.

NEW RULE: To prevent total hijacking, each entry may be a MAXIMUM of THREE (3) sentences!

Even when this thread disappears from the most recent page(s), please keep it in mind and return to it again and again. Let's see if we can write a novel-length work of beauty and originality! At least set a new record for thread length.

Obviously, styles will change. Genres may also do so. I will try my best to keep it from sliding into a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter OR Twilight clone. (THAT's a gauntlet thrown down for some of you fanatics! This could be fun!)

p.s. If it's interesting, I'll ask others at La Gr@not@ if we can publish it. Prepare your CVs!!!

I'll begin:

*************************************

Aisha wiped the mud out of her eyes before plunging her head in the almost-freezing mountain stream.

"That Jon!" she muttered (filling her mouth with water, the rash girl), "He'll pay for this!"

Shaking her head caused myriad waterdrops to fly out from her long, red hair.

(to be continued...?)

Replies

“Morelia amethistina is a non-venomous species of snake, known as the amethystine, scrub python or Sanca permata locally, and is found not only in Australia, but also in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea,” explained Professor Wombat, chair of Reptile Studies at Wangaratta University (Wangaratta, Victoria), and who had been awakened by the sound of slithering.

“One of the six largest snakes in the world, as measured either by length or weight (and the largest native snake in Australia), it is a constrictor, crushing it’s prey by its powerful muscles. This specimen is obviously a female as the males are much smaller, and you will have noticed the milky iridescent sheen on its scales, which gives it an amethyst-like color.. and therefore its specific name, amethistina.”

Profile picture for user jimmy@ji_34235
Jimmy
Hollis i Dickson
1920 points
Ready to publish
Film, Music, Theatre, TV and Radio
Poetry
Short stories
Fiction
Autobiography, Biography and Memoir
Middle Grade (Children's)
Picture Books (Children's)
Comic
Media and Journalism
Business, Management and Education
Popular science, Social science, Medical Science
Practical and Self-Help
Jimmy Hollis i Dickson
05/09/2016

[ edit: "Morelia amethystina amethystina"??? Some scientist (or wikipedia) didn't study their Latin, did they? The letter y did not exist in Latin, so we'll change that to "Morelia amethistina amethstina"]

Profile picture for user emilie@l_41018
Emilie
van Damm
330 points
Developing your craft
Poetry
Short stories
Fiction
Autobiography, Biography and Memoir
Middle Grade (Children's)
Picture Books (Children's)
Comic
Business, Management and Education
Popular science, Social science, Medical Science
Practical and Self-Help
Romance
Speculative Fiction
Adventure
Emilie van Damm
05/09/2016

“Don’t you ‘Aisha, dearest’ me… after slinging mud in my eyes!” she spat at him.

The scrub python (Morelia amethystina amethystina), rebuffed in such an UNFLATTERING way, had taken severe umbrage (after all, was not she [bloody hell! – now she’s got ME doing it!] particularly popular among reptile enthusiasts, noted for her coloration and size?), and decided to teach this upstart human a lesson she would not soon forget.

Ignoring the prostrate, whimpering Jon, the 7-metre-long snake (far above average for her species, but shorter - by 20 cm - than the title holder officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records [a fact that did nothing to improve her temper]) began to slither up Aisha’s legs.

Profile picture for user emilie@l_41018
Emilie
van Damm
330 points
Developing your craft
Poetry
Short stories
Fiction
Autobiography, Biography and Memoir
Middle Grade (Children's)
Picture Books (Children's)
Comic
Business, Management and Education
Popular science, Social science, Medical Science
Practical and Self-Help
Romance
Speculative Fiction
Adventure
Emilie van Damm
05/09/2016