Choose-Your-Own-Novel?
Posted under: I had a thought.
This is dangerous business, because let’s be honest – thoughts lead to ideas, and ideas lead to projects, and I do NOT have time for more projects right now.
So, naturally, I am inundated with them.
However, I can’t get this particular thought to die, no matter how resolutely I ignore it.
Thus, I turn to you, oh faithful readers, to evaluate the viability of this particular thought.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Remember those old choose your own adventure books? You’d read a short bit, then decide what action to take, and flip to the page to find out what path your choice led down? (Or, if you were me, you tried to follow every single available path to find out what might happen, because the suspense was killing you).
It is, in retrospect, a lot like solo role-playing with an absent GM.
Well, if you combine that with the webserial concept, you would arrive at the thought currently flapping madly at the closed window of my creativity, like a moth seeking light and warmth. Or, if you live in rural anywhere, like a bird stupidly trying to protect HIS territory from his own reflection.
I like the moth comparison better, but the bird one might be more apt.
The Idea
Let’s say I were to start a story.
And let’s further extrapolate that I would use the webserial model to publish bits and pieces at a time.
And then lets make one more leap of assumption, and say I was to ask, at the end of each segment, for the reading audience to choose one of a handful of possible events or paths for the next segment.
The Caveat
Unlike the Choose Your Own Adventure books, I would NOT allow my readers to kill off my characters in horrific ways, nor would I offer options that I felt would be out of character.
I would have editorial control over what options were presented, but I would NOT be allowed to go over the readers’ heads. Whatever they voted on would be the topic of the next segment.
I’m not sure I could have a vote at the end of every single segment – but I could easily see one segment per week or month being a vote.
The Question
So…what do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?
Would this be something you feel you might want to participate in? Assuming that the story itself would be interesting to you (I could see this working in pretty much any genre), would you like the audience participation?
I think it sounds quite interesting.
Also, I may be just a tad biased on this one. I had the entire “choose your own adventure” series at one point. Well, I had the first 25 or so books, there may be more since I quit collecting.
One vote for!
I didn’t like all of the choose your own adventure books, but I will admit that there are two very very treasured ones still living on my shelves. <3
I think it sounds like a great idea. It would give you instant feedback on what people found most interesting in your story line. The only downside I can really see is that the end result may wind up being a bit disjointed based on who voted each time. It would also probably stretch you a little bit when the audience goes a direction you might not have chosen otherwise.
That’s two.
I agree on the possible downsides, for sure. Especially since I have exceptionally limited experience with doing any kind of GM work, and coming up with storyline trails may be particularly challenging for me. I would have control over the options given, though, and I’d try to make sure that every option is one that I’d be okay with, even if I have a soft spot for one over the other.
Thanks so much for the comment!
Doooo eeeeeeet! You remember how I was telling you what should happen next after every chapter of Blue Moon you posted anyway? Just imagine that, but I would actually have POWER. Maybe this is more a warning than encouragement, I dunno <3
Either way, it would be a fun exercise. I imagine the most difficult part will be stretching yourself to accommodate wildly different possibilities. You may not end up with the story you wanted, unless you plan on writing out all possible outcomes anyway. Also, you may have fans that would want to see where it could have gone had their own choice been voted in. Sounds like a lot of work, lady! <3
*giggles* It was the memory of how much fun I had listening to your request/demands for Blue Moon’s story that prompted it.
Although reminding me of how much work it’ll be isn’t helping!!! *laughs* In truth, I think it’d be fun – the hard part for me would be coming up with alternative paths, I think. So often I have tunnel vision with regards to the stories I write, this would force me to be more open.
Courtney stole my line. :(
Four for, none against. It’s magnanimous. :p
Go for it!
I’d participate.
@Steve
Perhaps it’s even perspicacious?
@Ambrosyne
Woot! Looking good, looking good!
@Maebius
Oh, I can definitely relate to that! It seems I do build up very well, but if I haven’t laid out a plot in advance, I tend to fizzle a bit when it comes to the follow-through!
I hadn’t looked at this as a possible solution to that, but it’s a great idea.
[...] have a post up today asking for opinions on an idea that I may or may not implement, about doing a webserial (chunks of a story posted on [...]
With the little snippets of fanfiction I’ve tried, or general writing such as NaNoWriMo, I’ve always gotten stumped at some point halfway through my initial idea and the climax events. Such a “Reader-inspired” component would be an awesome thing to try out and help inspire your creative muses.
I vote, go for it! I’d definitely read it.
I’d be a little concerned about your story being written by committee. I can think of several web comics that probably would have been completely ruined if the writer had done what people really wanted him to do. Granted, you’re saying you’re going to control some of that and I think that’s wise. But I imagine it could potentially throw off the pace of your story or quickly change your character dynamic. I also imagine that it would either take quite a bit more time or come out a bit “canned” (much like the choose-your-own-adventure books that I remember). I mean, of the suggestions you got while writing Blue Moon from other folks, how many significantly changed things (maybe for the better, but still changed things)?
But what the heck do I know? The closest I’ve come to writting a work of fiction was a 20 page essay in philosophy. Maybe you shouldn’t listen to me…
It’d be an interesting experiment, either way. I code things using different techniques and technologies just to see how they turn out, sometimes. It wastes quite a bit of time, but I usually learn something worthwhile (even, if only, never do THAT again).
I always feel that if you have an idea, you should try it. Even if it doesn’t go exactly as planned, it has the possibility of being a great exercise. :)
Some valid concerns have been made, but I agree with you that having control over the options to choose from will allow you to only move the story in directions you’re comfortable with.
Unless of course you *want* to throw in an off-the-cuff option and see what happens. That could be fun… or maddening. ;)
@Brad
If I let the control of other people change characters or introduce bizarre plot twists, it’d be my own damn fault. *grins*
Still, it’s a valid concern. I would have to think about things like that when I made my options available to the readers.
@BadKitteh
I HAVE THE POWAH! *grins* You’re right, either way, it’d be a great exercise. <3
At the very least, it sounds like it would be fun to try from an author’s perspective, which is perhaps the best reason to go for it. Plus if the concept dies a horrible horrible death, you can include the character’s horrible horrible death as an option. Choose your own method of assassination is the best part of choose your own adventure!
I am upset that you have stolen my unannounced plan to do a “Choose your own” QotD?
Other than that, I think you should go for it. and I, alone apparently, don’t see any downside to it. (other than the competition for your creative juices with all the other projects you may be working on)
Assuming that you are doing this for fun, for the challenge and for your readers: Who cares if it ends up being cheesey or disjointed or whatever. The point isn’t to make a world class short story that you will publish tomorrow. It is to have fun with a silly idea and to see where it takes ALL of us.
so that’s a ‘yes’ vote for me!
@KristenSue
*laughs* I think you should do it anyway. You know I’m in!
The competition for the creative juices is one of the things I’m trying to bear in mind. I think I’ll need to put in a lot of caveats about how I don’t guarantee a set schedule, though I’ll do my level best to get two “episodes” out a month. I’d love to say I could do one a week or even one a day, but that doesn’t give much time for voting, and I can’t start writing until the votes are in.
And I may frame your reminder that it’s supposed to be silly and for fun so that I remember it when I inevitably try to get frustrated with it. *grins* This is why I need friends like you. Among other things. Like marshmallow fluff recipes and peepy chicken panoramas.
@Juzaba
oh, and now I’m almost looking forward to it bombing, so that I can have a mutliple-choice death option. *cackles*
I like this idea! I would totally participate, too.
@Seri
*grins* Woo, a participator!
I say go for it. Now I have to make sure to come back and vote >< lol.
I’m sure it will be great.
_Misa
If you want to see an example of a successful reader-submitted “what happens next” comic, you should hunt down MSPaintAdventures sometime. The link is the name plus dot com, but I don’t really feel like making a link in a comment, because I am weird.
There were 3 different versions, and the one that is working the best actually picks and chooses from the list, or makes up his own if he needs something specific to happen. It’s an interesting read, although the subject matter… varies, due to the internet.
That being said, I think it is an interesting idea that you should try, but that you need to go into it knowing that you will possibly need some sort of detachment of ownership.
I have no idea what I’m saying anymore. Do your thing!
@Misa
*laughs* You don’t have to. And it’ll be on a separate blog, so you won’t have to come back here to do it. =]
@Gauntlet
Thanks for the link, that’s interesting!
But I think I wasn’t clear on a point – I don’t plan on having reader-submitted anything. I will write the whole thing, I will simply periodically offer a choice – A or B, in poll format, which the reader will vote on their favorite and I will write that.
*grins* Just to clarify, mind you. I still intend to check out that link. =]
[...] Remember that choose-your-own-adventure type webserial I queried you guys about? [...]