A website is set up with sections for different genres. Under each genre, a novel is written by users voting (i.e. submitting their suggestion) for the next word. The text is updated every (say) 10 seconds. The end result - a novel which pleases most of the people, most of the time!
-- Harry Mudd, Oct 16 2003

(?) Cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse) http://www.cadavre-...cueil.php?domaineng
dada democracy: 'A cheap child shakes the deflated virgins' [alligator_al, Oct 04 2004]

Halfbakery: The Greatest Story Ever Told The_20Greatest_20Story_20Ever_20Told
The "here somewhere" po referred to. [jutta, Apr 30 2006]

The Story Tree The_20Story_20Tree
Shameless self-promotion [moomintroll, Apr 30 2006]

Tattoo Story http://ineradicablestain.com
A story tattooed word by word onto volunteers [imaginality, May 01 2006]

there was a website linked to here somewhere; everyone visiting the site, added a word. I think futurebird put up the link.
-- po, Oct 16 2003


and in X years they produce a shakespearean play?
-- aquamarine, Oct 21 2003


If one understood how to make this work, a lot of problems in collaboration would be solved.

Some thoughts about why doesn't it work:
- Participants don't have a stake in the overall outcome. They're not going to stick around until the story is finished!
- If you had a stake in the overall outcome, and someone screwed up, there'd be no way for you to fix it.
- As an individual contributor, it is more interesting - calls more attention to you, is funnier - to break a pattern than to complete it.

In contrast, real storytelling is a collective process that does work, and that does tend to promote and construct most memorable stories from swarms of so-so ones; to wit, urban legends and religious myths.
-- jutta, Apr 30 2006


Memes?
-- normzone, Apr 30 2006


A sort-of inverse of this idea Shelley Jackson's Ineradicable Stain project: "A story published on the skin of 2095 volunteers." One word on each volunteer.
-- imaginality, May 01 2006



random, halfbakery