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[Emerald]

Every revolutionary needs rules to revolt against...

I mean, everything needs rules in order to work properly. If you can name one functional thing with absolutely no rules (other than Fight Club) I'll eat my Sunday hat...

[FSi++]

I mean, everything needs rules in order to work properly. If you can name one functional thing with absolutely no rules (other than Fight Club) I'll eat my Sunday hat...

Chaos is functioning.

[Stupot]

It always made me laugh on 'Grease' when they have the car race... and the guy says "the rules are there ain't no rules", and then proceeds to explain that their objective is to drive to the second bridge and back.

[TwinMoon]

If you can name one functional thing with absolutely no rules (other than Fight Club) I'll eat my Sunday hat...

The Naked Lunch by Bukowski Burroughs is considered a good novel. Oh wait, you said functional?
*thinking*
The weather system of planet earth is pretty chaotic, but it works. Unless you're living in London, you'd have to agree.

(And just for the record, I'm still against rules, for the reason of flinging the plot etc. what I said in my previous post)

[lo_res_man]

Weather is chaotic in the prediction sense. Even in weather there are rules, certain things that happen when other things happen. For example, when it is cloudless, it can not rain.

[Emerald]

when it is cloudless, it can not rain.

Sounds like a Chinese proverb...

Chaos is functioning.

Depends what you mean by 'chaos'. If you mean 'totally random in nature' then that's a very strict rule, isn't it? If you mean 'chaos' as in an antithesis to 'order', then both must logically exist to function, since you can't break rules if there aren't any, can you?


Point is, anyone can scribble something random down on a piece of paper and call it 'writing', but it takes a writer to be able to take a set of rules, and bend them to produce something unexpected.

In fact, you pick up any writing magazine, or read any writing blog, and that's exactly what they'll tell you to do - make up a rule (also known as a prompt) and write to it. It could be anything from "write the life story of a stranger you saw on the street" to "write a story which is centered around rotting fruit." It's all about learning how to be flexible - because you never know when you might write yourself into a corner, and need to come up with a creative solution. The more difficult and constrictive the rules are, the better (although for this exercise too constrictive rules might put people off, but the point stands)


Now, you don't have to listen to me, of course. Doesn't matter much to me... I'm just trying to help.

[Vince Twelve]

Rule #1: Read the story-so-far very carefully.
Rule #2: Write something that continues the story and is consistent to the best of your ability.
Rule #3: Your contribution must be under 200 words (or whatever limit Andail decides)
Rule #4: You have 24 hours to write and pass it on from the time it is passed to you.


No one is suggesting a game without rules.  There's just no reason to add any more. We don't need to establish a character because one will be established in the first 200 words.  We don't need to outline a plot beforehand because that would stifle the creativity and ruin the whole branching story idea.  We don't need to argue with Emerald because he'll just keep talking and talking regardless of whether or not he knows anything about the topic until you're arguing over the definitions of words.

Depends what you mean by 'chaos'.

Done!

[Emerald]

We don't need to argue with Emerald because he'll just keep talking and talking regardless of whether or not he knows anything about the topic until you're arguing over the definitions of words.

Lol... Touché.



But really, just because I said it doesn't automatically make it wrong. I'm just going off the cold hard facts:

Fact #1 - the previous story was not very coherent
Fact #2 - nothing has been done to address that issue

Based on the logic that 'when you do X, Y happens, so if you do X again, Y will happen again' I predict that... the current story will not be very coherent. Now, to me, that logic seems flawless, but maybe I'm just insane...

[FSi++]

Depends what you mean by 'chaos'. If you mean 'totally random in nature' then that's a very strict rule, isn't it? If you mean 'chaos' as in an antithesis to 'order', then both must logically exist to function, since you can't break rules if there aren't any, can you?

Ever heard of dialectics?

Chaos isn't the antithesis of order, as there is some higher order of order in chaos, if you look at it closely. On the other hand, in every (even simplest) system there always is some degree of chaos.

Basically, that's why I am True Neutral now.

[[Cameron]]

Just as a side note, Twin Moon, The Naked Lunch was written by Burroughs, not Bukowski.

[Vince Twelve]

Fact #1 - the previous story was not very coherent
Fact #2 - nothing has been done to address that issue

Fact #3 - Fact #2 is not actually a fact.

We've all discussed what went wrong with the first attempt.  And luckily for us, aside from, perhaps, the American government, most people are able to learn from their mistakes.

Based on the logic that 'when you do X, Y happens, so if you do X again, Y will happen again'

No use practicing anything then, since no matter how many times you do it, you'll never improve.

Plus, we are doing things quite differently this time.  I'm not sure exactly how Andail is going to organize it, but if the story branches into multiple stories, it should be clear based on the stories' results which writers have learned write a cooperative story well. 

I'm excited to see the different ways a story branches, and the more rules, the less room for divergence.

[Nikolas]

Sorry to everyone. I'm out! Too much work, vacation to Geneva with no permanent Internet and a PhD review coming up. Plus so many complications already. The last thing I need right now.

Really sorry to everybody. I edited my post in the first page.

[TwinMoon]

Just as a side note, Twin Moon, The Naked Lunch was written by Burroughs, not Bukowski.

*blushes*  Oh yeah, of course. I always mix those two up.

Sorry to lose you Nikolas. Judging from the good reception of this project and the last one, you'll have another chance.

[Klyptomaniac]

I'm too late for this one, aren't I? Could I join the next one?

[Jack Sheehan]

Yes you're quite a bit too late. No worries though, the next one wont be far in coming.

[Klyptomaniac]

Just let me know when. *thumbs*

[Eggie]

I just found some PM's from the 11th and 13th of April telling me it's my turn.
Awkward.

Um... If it somehow ended up in my spam fokder then I probably won't be able to find it amongst all the offers for pills and watches by now.

[Jack Sheehan]

I'm afraid you were skipped mate, at the moment we're all waiting with baited breath for the final part of the final branch from Lo res man.

[rock_chick]

Just thought I'd let you guys know that I will be seriously interested in joining when the next one happens and this time I'm not planning on dropping out, not that I was planning to drop out of this one.