Can We Collaboratively Write a Story?

[Moonbear]

to locate the..." *hack hack* (darn furballs) "..golden mouse."

Valerie, puzzled, asked, "What kind of mouse, the one for a computer, or that cat's eat?"

 

[tribdog]

In response the hairball said, "This message will self-destruct in five seconds."
Hmm Valerie thought. I'd better

 

[Moonbear]

buy a litterbox if this cat is going to keep hanging around here. Golden mouse indeed! Silly cat. Valerie grabbed her coat and keys, and...

 

[franznietzsche]

pocket knife, and wrench, and super glue, and lube, and ran out the door only to...

 

[tribdog]

run smack into the back of the closet. She turned and walked carefully towards the exit...

 

[Mk]

..."Then asked to herself, what happened to the five-word limit?" and continued on out. She took the bus to Greenland, where she decided to touch...

 

[JasonRox]

..."Then asked to herself, what happened to the five-word limit?" and continued on out. She took the bus to Greenland, where she decided to touch...

...the fresh beautiful field of grean grass, but was disappointed when she found out...

 

[Gokul43201]

that capitalism had turned this place - once a haven for westbound crazies - into a giant skating rink. Returning home, she found a note on the floor

 

[mattmns]

that said, "Your first clue: The "Golden Mouse" is an artifact that is located in a museum 10 miles south of Moscow. You will...

 

[Gokul43201]

identify this artifact by its yellow, metallic luster and its resemblance to a small rodent. Now solve the following paradox : What's the smargest number ?"

 

[poolwin2001]

By now she had caught up with this story.She decided to google smarg.As she took out her Laptop

 

[Moonbear]

the cat pounced on the keyboard, as cats usually do. She wound up googling "sniohop" instead. "Oh s**t! That's the password for the self-destruct sequence!"

 

[mattmns]

edit... wow way too slow...

continued from Moonbear...


She now had 30 seconds to over ride the self destruction sequence or else it would self destruct. The first step

 

[motai]

... she slipped on a banana peel, which caused her to land on a cantilever which propelled the cat onto ...

 

[Clausius2]

the basket as the cat motion equation yields, but the air room conditions made impossible such a flight and the cat took off just inside the even. After 10 minutes at 500ºC, she opened the even's door and found...

 

[Moonbear]

that darn cat still alive and well, though furious as it flew out of the oven. *Bang!* "Note to self: no self-destruct mode on next computer."

 

[Gokul43201]

Having found no answer from Google, she sent out a plea on the Worl Wide Help, asking all brave and brilliant souls to resolve this paradox. In Skokie, Illinois...

 

[Moonbear]

Dragana Tribdogovitch was scanning the WWH, and saw that her fiendish plan was coming together. She began to furiously type a reply to Valerie. "Dear...

 

[Mk]

Valerie, I'm going to need you to send me large amounts of Carbonic acid and a pump. No, don't ask why, it's a surprise! oh, and could you get William to bring that stain cleaning kit again?"

 

[franznietzsche]

But just then, the brave hero entered the room, only to find that.,...

 

[tribdog]

Dragana Tribdogovitch was not scanning the WWH in Skogie, Illinois ? wow, it truly was a paradox.

(see, gokul. I'm paying attention)

 

[tribdog]

I think we can just about conclude that the multi-author system, while entertaining, is not conducive to great literature. I have come up with a solution however. I'll write a story and send each of you your next improvisational line. You can simply cut and paste it where and when appropriate. I'll provide a list of exact times for you to be "improving."

 

[motai]

When this story first started, I thought this would parallel some of Anton Chekhov's works (thus the allusion). Then it got messed up somehow and then it turned into a "Wacky comedy meets formal physics textbooks" which makes it seem like it belongs in some sort of Physics-gone-wrong book.

 

[tribdog]

I think the problem is caused by ego. Every entry has a punchline, there is no set up. Nobody is willing to sacrifice their turn for the good of story, take one for the team, and become filler for the areas in between my posts. Selfish bastards. Who's wearing the pink ribbon around here?

 

[tribdog]

lol, wouldn't it be funny if I really was like that?
Dammit Gokul! Is that pink ribbon under your name? Didn't think so. Moonbear do you spell funny b-i-o-l-o-g-y? Know your place.

 

[Mk]

I think the problem is caused by ego. Every entry has a punchline, there is no set up. Nobody is willing to sacrifice their turn for the good of story, take one for the team, and become filler for the areas in between my posts. Selfish bastards. Who's wearing the pink ribbon around here?

Yes, this is the fault of all story topics.

 

[Moonbear]

lol, wouldn't it be funny if I really was like that?
Dammit Gokul! Is that pink ribbon under your name? Didn't think so. Moonbear do you spell funny b-i-o-l-o-g-y? Know your place.

How did you know that? Yep, right here in the dictionary I'm writing, it says so. I tried, I really did. I thought a self-destruct sequence would be good for several replies worth of disarming, but somehow instead of keeping her head and disarming the laptop, Valerie wound up getting hysterical, slipping on a banana peel and sending the cat flying into an oven! No hope there, so it seems the laptop was destined to self-destruct. I've seen very funny stories come out of attempts like this, but then again, it was with a group that included more writers than scientists. Maybe there's a reason we're all in science and not out writing bestselling novels?

 

[franznietzsche]

Maybe there's a reason we're all in science and not out writing bestselling novels?

Because the literature establishment is into promoting the status quo, stifling creativity, and trying to keep my ideas from the masses! I will prevail!

[/crackpot adaptation]

 

[plover]

From time to time, I did attempt to introduce structure in the first storyoid (appropriate transitions, actual recurring characters, etc), but, well, obviously you've seen how much luck I had... (not to mention that making more than a minimal pointer is impossible in 5 words)

 

[mahesh_2961]

entered into a parallel universe,where ...

 

[Gokul43201]

Moonbear, you destroyed my 'Skokie, Illinois' set-up. When I created the perfect platform for launching the brave and briliiant, paradox destroying, maiden saving hero, you chuck in the villain instead. Who's ever heard of a Dragana Tribdogovitch of Skokie, IL ? . She belongs somewhere in Russia or Siberia, conveniently positioned to kidnap the maiden, while the super-hero must cross the oceans in his quest for her. Bah !

 

[Artman]

entered into a parallel universe,where ...

Where the storyline gods fought to rule the destiny of the poor confused characters. Dragana Tribdogovitch saw this as an oppurtunity. Her lips curled in a sadistic lear. She could turn this to her advantage -- she knew she could -- but she could not do it alone. She needed...

 

[fomenkoa]

Where the storyline gods fought to rule the destiny of the poor confused characters. Dragana Tribdogovitch saw this as an oppurtunity. Her lips curled in a sadistic lear. She could turn this to her advantage -- she knew she could -- but she could not do it alone. She needed...

...a shape-shifting machine to be able to morph into the cat, that so often visited Valerie. With it, she could..

 

[Moonbear]

Moonbear, you destroyed my 'Skokie, Illinois' set-up. When I created the perfect platform for launching the brave and briliiant, paradox destroying, maiden saving hero, you chuck in the villain instead. Who's ever heard of a Dragana Tribdogovitch of Skokie, IL ? . She belongs somewhere in Russia or Siberia, conveniently positioned to kidnap the maiden, while the super-hero must cross the oceans in his quest for her. Bah !

Aww, shucks, I thought it was a good place for Dragana. Russia would be too obvious. She could have been sitting in a motel, on her way to wherever Valerie was.

 

[omicron]

Wow, I come back from my holiday after a week and I see the number of post go from 100 to 200. Thats exciting . But not so after you find out that your story was ended and a new one was started. Humph On the other hand, I was actually wondering when it would end before I left because it was kinda long. So I'm not pissed after all I think the new one was a great idea but as tribdog said "I think the problem is caused by ego. Every entry has a punchline, there is no set up. Nobody is willing to sacrifice their turn for the good of story, take one for the team, and become filler for the areas in between my posts."