Choose Your Own Adventure By Committee!
July 4, 2012 10:20 AM Subscribe
Toiling away in the obscure backwaters of Google+, mefi's own Shakespeherian has been engaged in a compelling serial storytelling experiment: three THRILLING TALES of MYSTERY and ADVENTURE in a Choose Your Own Adventure By Committee format:
flat file story-text-only format for I
A spreadsheet put together to try to solve the mystery in III
- I: In which YOU determine the FATE of a man named BJORN! (begins here and continues here)
- II: In which YOU run away to JOIN THE CIRCUS...OR DO YOU?
- III: In which YOU are WRONGLY ACCUSED of MURDER and must detectivate to prove your innocence!
flat file story-text-only format for I
A spreadsheet put together to try to solve the mystery in III
Hooray shakes!
posted by griphus at 10:30 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by griphus at 10:30 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
+1
posted by ChuraChura at 10:56 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by ChuraChura at 10:56 AM on July 4, 2012
I was wrong about everything, I just want anyone reading the comments to know that now.
posted by carsonb at 11:14 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by carsonb at 11:14 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oh hey, I wonder if folks reading this post who didn't participate in the original storytelling could still comment (decide again!) on the stories and prompt shakespeherian to round out all the rest of the choices? I say give it a shot! The comments fields remain open for further discussion.
posted by carsonb at 11:19 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by carsonb at 11:19 AM on July 4, 2012
I'm on part 43 of the first one, and just have to say: This is so good it's not even reasonable.
posted by aubilenon at 2:17 PM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by aubilenon at 2:17 PM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I am too scatterbrained to participate regularly in these, but they're always great fun to read and one of the niftier things I've seen someone do on G+.
posted by jess at 2:25 PM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by jess at 2:25 PM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
The first story is SO good! And terrifying! And, like, seriously good.
Ugh, I may never sleep again.
posted by purpleclover at 7:53 PM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Ugh, I may never sleep again.
posted by purpleclover at 7:53 PM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I felt really bad that I was so absent in the third round of this. It was a fascinating story and I knew we were never going to find the murderer, but it's always cool to see how we miss the mark.
Also regular readers from CYOA to CYOA will notice spillover from the first to all other efforts.
posted by immlass at 8:48 PM on July 4, 2012
Also regular readers from CYOA to CYOA will notice spillover from the first to all other efforts.
posted by immlass at 8:48 PM on July 4, 2012
Careful readers will note on the spreadsheet that the 'Secretly Bjorn' column pre-dates the Bjorn character's row. I blame the distractions associated with his lanky wave on the bow for our missed mark in fingering the murderer.
posted by carsonb at 10:47 PM on July 4, 2012
posted by carsonb at 10:47 PM on July 4, 2012
Also, FWIW, I've been secretly hunting around for other online sources of CYOA stuff and there's a bunch out there. However not one single whit of it (save perhaps this) can hold a candle to the storytelling prowess of shakespeherian, and the fact that he was churning out these bits of story every day each week should increase our marvel at how well they're told. For the past two stories he's done 1000 words per weekday. For months on end!
posted by carsonb at 10:50 PM on July 4, 2012
posted by carsonb at 10:50 PM on July 4, 2012
the fact that he was churning out these bits of story every day each week should increase our marvel at how well they're told. For the past two stories he's done 1000 words per weekday
Yeah, totally. The quality of the writing given the kind of schedule he was keeping up with is, as aubilenon so eloquently put it, "not even reasonable."
posted by juv3nal at 12:52 AM on July 5, 2012
Yeah, totally. The quality of the writing given the kind of schedule he was keeping up with is, as aubilenon so eloquently put it, "not even reasonable."
posted by juv3nal at 12:52 AM on July 5, 2012
Hey are you guys talking about me?
posted by shakespeherian at 5:38 AM on July 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by shakespeherian at 5:38 AM on July 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
Definite "yes", Tim, though you might want to skip the rest of this comment.
As of right now there are 30 favorites of this post. That's about 25 more people than participated in the most recent story. I believe the boat in that story was brought to dock prematurely, in part because writing 1000 words of quality, publishable prose per day for a regular participating audience of 5 or less is bad for the soul. As enthusiastic as I and juv3nal and immlass and a few others have been, it's not reasonable to expect a person to keep working so hard only to see dimishing readership.
Anyway, if even half of those who favorited this post pledged to participate, a potential 4th story would have triple the readership. Y'all have seen how good it can be now, but it's looking like there's no more coming since it's just not fair to expect the quality and frequency of the past to continue for such a small audience. Can I get a little encouragemennt up in here?
posted by carsonb at 8:10 AM on July 5, 2012
As of right now there are 30 favorites of this post. That's about 25 more people than participated in the most recent story. I believe the boat in that story was brought to dock prematurely, in part because writing 1000 words of quality, publishable prose per day for a regular participating audience of 5 or less is bad for the soul. As enthusiastic as I and juv3nal and immlass and a few others have been, it's not reasonable to expect a person to keep working so hard only to see dimishing readership.
Anyway, if even half of those who favorited this post pledged to participate, a potential 4th story would have triple the readership. Y'all have seen how good it can be now, but it's looking like there's no more coming since it's just not fair to expect the quality and frequency of the past to continue for such a small audience. Can I get a little encouragemennt up in here?
posted by carsonb at 8:10 AM on July 5, 2012
Anyway, if even half of those who favorited this post pledged to participate, a potential 4th story would have triple the readership. Y'all have seen how good it can be now, but it's looking like there's no more coming since it's just not fair to expect the quality and frequency of the past to continue for such a small audience. Can I get a little encouragemennt up in here?
You have revealed my seekrit agenda! I was trying to be sneaky and subtle about it (you can tell from all the exclamation marks and allcaps I used in the post).
posted by juv3nal at 10:24 AM on July 5, 2012
You have revealed my seekrit agenda! I was trying to be sneaky and subtle about it (you can tell from all the exclamation marks and allcaps I used in the post).
posted by juv3nal at 10:24 AM on July 5, 2012
Okay I've now read both of the first two. The story is absurdly fun and gripping and really well written (both at a high level in terms of how information is meted out, and at the low level of individual sentences), but also it's pretty great to read the comittee strategizing and trying to collect inventory items and trying to figure out what the hell's going on and OMG this is great.
I sure wish I hadn't missed that projects post that would have let me play along too!
posted by aubilenon at 11:34 PM on July 5, 2012
I sure wish I hadn't missed that projects post that would have let me play along too!
posted by aubilenon at 11:34 PM on July 5, 2012
I've been participating in this from the get-go and Tim, can I just say? This is always one of the highlights of my day. Thanks for all the work you put I to this.
posted by chatongriffes at 7:16 PM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by chatongriffes at 7:16 PM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
aubilenon and any others interested, there has been a whisper of hope for another CYOABC story. Go here and say "Yes!"
posted by carsonb at 7:57 AM on July 10, 2012
posted by carsonb at 7:57 AM on July 10, 2012
Now The Author says "Monday" and is demanding snack cakes. This is very exciting! I direct your attention again to the link above. We can *do* snack cakes, people!
posted by carsonb at 12:25 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by carsonb at 12:25 PM on July 13, 2012
He's probably angling for a Hostess sponsorship is what that is. Be ready for product placement in our CYOABC, carsonb.
posted by juv3nal at 1:33 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by juv3nal at 1:33 PM on July 13, 2012
TODAY IS THE DAY!
A new story begins. All that's needed is your participation! Choose wisely!
posted by carsonb at 11:05 AM on July 16, 2012
A new story begins. All that's needed is your participation! Choose wisely!
posted by carsonb at 11:05 AM on July 16, 2012
OMGOMGOMG SPOILARZ: The new one is directly connected to the first one!
posted by juv3nal at 11:18 AM on July 18, 2012
posted by juv3nal at 11:18 AM on July 18, 2012
I was speculating that from the first post!
Come join the awesomely surreal, people!
posted by immlass at 11:21 AM on July 18, 2012
Come join the awesomely surreal, people!
posted by immlass at 11:21 AM on July 18, 2012
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posted by The Whelk at 10:23 AM on July 4, 2012