collaboration

As a part of the Collaboration group, I've begun some research on previous work. Although it seems like a new concept, at least to me, it seems that there are multiple sites which facilitate collaborative writing. Some are an online for of a writing group, so authors can submit work and hear suggestions from others. These include webook.com and protagonize.com - both sites allow for professional help with drafts and publication advice.

We have taken a slightly more drastic approach in that we are not only sharing our own work, but also working off of one another. Our book will have no one author, but in the spirit of digital culture, we will all work together to create this work of fiction. We will attempt to reach out to multiple audiences, and use their interests and expertise to make a book that each group can enjoy, be they fans of fiction, romance, sci-fi, or crime-action.

Some sites have incorporated this philosophy: storymash.com is a legitimate site which facilitates the same kind of thing we are endeavoring for. The site says: "Authors and writers hone your creative writing skills. Collaborate on new fiction stories, or branch an existing fiction story in a different direction by writing the next chapter or even a chapter into its middle! Authors, earn money for every chapter you write and self-publish on StoryMash. StoryMash rewards your creative writing talents by sharing at least 50% of the advertisement revenue." - this site has created a lucrative way for collaboration to work.

Wikipedia has a page on collaborative fiction which discusses what it is and how it often works. It also talks about the legal disadvantages and shortcomings of collaborative fiction. For example, when one author wants to continue the story or when one does not want to, the rest of the group is at a disadvantage. The page also references past books/projects done as a collaborative work.

The Wikipedia article mentions that collaborative writing may speed up the process of writing the book, and that there are many ways to approach a collaborative novel; however, there are many difficulties that can arise. If one writer has a different writing style than the others, it can change the entire feel of the book and sometimes authors will block the ideas of others and make group work nearly impossible. It seems to me that the key is to flexible and open. There also needs to be a group commitment to the work so that all are allowed to move forward. I hope our work is a success, but in case it isn't, we are documenting it all along the way at http://collaborationfornovels.blogspot.com/ so our mistakes can be recorded...Yes, so that our mistakes can be recorded as well as our successes.

It's going to be a fun ride!