Although I am thoroughly enjoying writing about video games and my experiences with them, I am going to take a short break and instead talk about collaborative writing. I've been thinking on the concept for a few weeks now, and there are some things I'd like to flesh out regarding the matter. Don't worry - this is partly to myself - I will continue on video games and the positive outcomes soon.
I've always been a storyteller, although perhaps not openly; I think we all have an ability to create and tell stories - just think of little kids with their toys... do they just sit there and move them around, or do they come up with some imaginary tale explaining the movements? For me, it's been more than that. I started to really create stories while playing barbies - yes, barbies - with my best friends. It was fantastic, and I could visualize the story as it took place. I'm embarrased to admit that I "played" with my barbies far longer than I thought was normal (I'm not positive on the age at which I stopped, but it was around 11 to 13); however, only a year or two into barbies, I'd changed my focus in the play.
Barbies became my outlet for creating and telling stories - also done with animals and mega bloks dragons which used to be so much cooler than they are now - usually to music because that made it more theatrical (I get this from my father who makes movies, see http://ourdangerouselife.blogspot.com/2012/09/to-future.html) Ever since that time - and yes, I did leave the toys behind as they just became too cumbersome because I had to actually MOVE them (: - I've had at least three stories going in my head at once. No, they never get mixed up or twisted together, but they are all separate and distinct stories to which I can turn at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, I've developed this fear of sharing those stories.
What is so fantastic about the idea of collaborative fiction is that stories like mine from all over can become part of something bigger. It is no longer about how silly your story is - in any stage - but about how others can help to make it a better, stronger story. Now, give me a situation and I'll create a story, but ask me to share one of my own patented stories, and I'll cringe. With collaboration, there's a chance to share with other authors who may feel the same way or who just want to reach out. What better opportunity could there be?
"Great minds think alike," and if those great minds can each contribute to one work - combining their interests and talents - that work could be fantastic. Just imagine how many more people it could reach. You have more than one perspective, more than one focus, but a plethora. Each mind brings with it a group of people with similar interests and values, thus increasing the reader population. Could this concept tie in with the long tail, in that a group publishing a work together instead of through a publication firm could amass more revenue by selling not at regular book rates, but at minimal cost? Could a profit be made? For the group or each individual? So many questions, so few answers.
I guess we'll need to discover that ourselves.
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