So, I've done some more thinking about the Legion of On-Line Super Heroes. Posted some ideas (as well as some character creations) over on The Great Sea.
Basically, I created a new blog especially for Legion stories. My thinking (right now) is that those of you who want to contribute stories can create a character, post it on your blog, let me know, and I'll issue an INVITE to you which will allow you to post directly to the blog. If you would prefer, we can have it set up where you submit your stories as comments, and I post them one at a time. However you want to proceed.
I thought it would be nice to keep the stories in one place. This would make it easier for readers to read all submissions.
Of course, there is the matter of advertising your own blog. So there is no reason you can't post the story on your own blog. Also, Invitees will have links to their blogs on the sidebar.
With multiple authors, the pressure to produce should be minimized. In fact, the more authors we have the less often any single author needs to post. Just having this lack of pressure is great for some authors, who will then become prolific in their creativity. Others need a more structured approach, and they can certain impose that on themselves. Perhaps they write once a month. If we have more than one who likes this approach perhaps they could coordinate their schedules so that every week there is a new story.
I like the idea of posting on Saturdays. It reminds me of being young and watching the Saturday morning cartoons. However, there is no reason we can't post Sunday through Friday. What I do NOT want to do is stifle creativity. Too many "rules" and people lose interest. So I want to keep the "Parameter Box" as large as possible in order to accomodate as many authors as possible.
The new blog is called Legion of On-Line Super Heroes. I gave it the Adult Content warning because some writers like to get carried away. Perhaps I am being premature and should remove the warning until such time that we get a story containing explicit dialogue or behavior. Let me know.
Also, right now only Registered Users are allowed to comment. Do we wish to change that?
I very much would like any/all input you may have on this. I want to include everyone who would like to participate. So, if you would care to give it a go, even just once every few months, do let me know. Not every hero need be active every week. Some only take a mission once or twice a year. They're specialists. Maybe that's the kind of hero you wish to write about. Others are into everything, and there is a new story almost weekly. Whatever suits your fancy.
You will need a Hero Character to begin. Right now, I know of two (2) sites which will help in that regard: : The Hero Factory (comic book appearance); Hero Machine (let's you choose your name). If you know of another, or if you are artistic and can draw your own, by all means do so. You just need to have an image to present to the readership.
So, give me feedback. What are your thoughts and feelings on how to procede from here? I know Lisa and Fairy have expressed interest. If you like the idea of posting to the blog yourself let me know and I'll issue invites.
Let me know.
NOTE: Got a bit carried away with the color emphasis, didn't I?
31 comments:
Thanks for organizing this!
I’d REALLY rather we NOT allow adult content that would require labeling this site. It could get too out of hand.
By just allowing it leaves a broad opening to encourage it. I’d hate to see it turned into some smut filled sort of blog that I’d be ashamed to see my name associated with.
Isn’t the idea that whatever one writes, the next scene will build on it? OR are all the stories meant to be their own entities?
Is the idea that the author would only be able to write about their hero?
I’d like to see us be able to pull the other heroes into our story.
It would be fun for us each to build on the next, however, I guess that could get complicated, if 2 or more people write against one post, but then we could have divisions of the path.
Yes, I agree, we don’t want to lay down a ton of rules. Even from that point of view, why would anyone feel pressure to produce. If they want to, they can add to the story, else they can lurk about. I think if we allow people to include other hero’s in their story, it will encourage the hero owner to come forth and add their own bit to back out any sort of behavior that they don’t agree with. (Although, if you include another hero, it would need to be that hero’s described ability - woudn’t be fair to take liberties and make up things about their hero or try to kill them off . . . )
Do you have time to manage all the post? (Also to be clear, we have ‘post and we have comments’ 2 separate things.) Those who post stories should be those have created their super hero and signed up, (whether you or they post it is another story), we should allow comments though by just about anyone who is registered either on blogger or somewhere, just NOT anonymous.
Also, from comments, do you mean the ‘comments’ and only limit registered to this blog. Or do you mean a registered to blogger. I think anyone with an account would be fine. However, to be able to post a story, they should be registered.
We could even include a photo of our super hero on the side bar. I have mine on the side bar, that is where we can link to our blog to.
I think it would be quite a lot of work for you to manage all the posting . . . to either allow all the heros to post, or to allow a group.
Darn it! I keep trying to build my Hero avatar and everytime it fails.
I had a really neat one on Hero Machine. I will keep trying because I want to get in on this story thing.
I agree with Lisa. Someone getting too "adult" could take the fun out of it. Let's keep it rated PG or so.
I think Lisa is being over-cautious. Bevie, you could post guidelines as to where you think the lines might be drawn but you know the folks you'll be inviting in and I think you can trust us to have good taste.
If we allow other people to use our character in their stories, we need to hope that they will not do anything too out of character. It would be fun though to be able to include more than just ours.
You might want to ask around if anyone else has experience of running a blog with multiple posters - I expect there are some pointer around.
It's a great idea! I look forward to it.
If we aren't worried that people will get carried away, then we can remove the adult content.
That label gives a warning whenever people enter the site and might even scare away some potential readers or writers.
Now that I've had more time to reflect, I'm thinking both FairyHedgeHog and Lisa are right about the "Adult Content" label. The writers who are likely to participate aren't smut writers. They may use "f*ck" or "sh*t" or some other curse word, but not in any great measure. And sex scenes just don't fit the genre. And by having the label I may actually be encouraging material authors otherwise would not write. So we'll drop that, I think.
Both FairyHedgeHog and Lisa have expressed interest in using other heros in their writing. That's fine with me. Authors can collaborate, or just add the hero to their story. It might be a good idea to let the original Author know what you're about.
Also, there is nothing to say we can't have more than one hero to write about.
I'm going to begin sending INVITES out today, but I would like to finalize a couple of things before we actually begin posting stories.
Important (to me) is how often do we want to have new stories posted? Should we have a size limit?
My concern is long stories can take a while to read, and if we have multiple submissions on a day readers may not be able to get through them all. If they fall too far behind they may quit visiting.
Should each hero be given a day when their stories can be posted? (This would not include stories where they are guests.)
More thoughts?
Ms Sparrow, could you sent me an email at beviejames@gmail.com so I can sent you an invite?
Invitee -does that mean we can also post a photo of our hero on the side bar ? ;-)
You have good points.
I think giving a hero a day that they can post is a good idea. that will allow others to add to or include them in their story.
It would allow for a smoother story as I originally saw this as an on going story melding together all our heros - or so I hoped.
It could be quite amusing rather than having 'seperate stories'.
But I like not having too many rules - inhibits creativity.
If someone knows that they won't be posting for their hero, wouldn't hurt to let others know so they can post.
Oh isn't this fun.
MsSparrow, not sure if hero machine is the same one that fairghedgehog pointed me too, but it offers instructions on how to save the image. Something like capture screen, open, cut and past hero, save as jpg - bit of a pain in the butt. I'm impressed with others who did more than one!
365 Tomorrows has a story a day but they are limited to 500 words so it's workable.
I don't tend to read long stories online as I get tired and more than one story a day feels excessive to me.
Fairy, I agree. Some of my own posts have become long and I find it wearisome to reread them. (I'm trying to do better, but I tend to ramble.)
I was thinking 500-words. That need not be the entire story. "Cliffhangers" are common SuperHero devices.
Lisa, I have already posted Panthera and Leo, Fairy Hedgehog, and Gatto Dea along the sidebar under The Heroes.
I have a section for villains, too, but I haven't put up any pictures.
Ms Sparrow, let me know when you have a picture. Either post it on your blog, or email it to me at: beviejames@gmail.com.
oh yes, I agree with fairyhedgehog. I thought having 'day' to post wouldn't actually mean that people are posting every day but just that a given hero would have a particular day(s) where they can post.
After all, we need time to read what was written and to write.
Perhaps we could have a 'sign up sheet'
where there are 2-4 or so 'non post' days, in between posting days.
I agree, I won't be able to read every day. I too am not fond of reading long post online.
Lisa, if several heroes are independently working through the same storyline, that would suggest to me that the accompanying villains would somehow be connected to each other. Perhaps we need to come up with a SuperVillain Organization for a main story thread, but allow independent villains who have their own agendas.
"Perhaps we could have a 'sign up sheet' where there are 2-4 or so 'non post' days, in between posting days."
Good ideas.
Possible 4-post week:
...Mon = story
...Tue (off day)
...Wed = story
...Thu (off day)
...Fri = story
...Sat = story
...Sun (off day)
or
...Mon (off day)
...Tue = story
...Wed (off day)
...Thu = story
...Fri (off day)
...Sat = story
...Sun = story
or a 3-post week:
...Mon (off day)
...Tue (= story
...Wed (off day)
...Thu = story
...Fri (off day)
...Sat = story
...Sun (off day)
any of those could work, although I was actually proposing a bigger break
Mon post
Tues Off
Thurs off
Friday post
Sunday Off
Saturday Off
You raise good points about some heros will be battling other villians - true true - perhaps we'll all meet for tea every now and then? scones? clotted creme.
Gatto Dea must have fine china, no paper cups for her.
Bevie, love your hero. I don't remember seeing her before. Or short memory!
"perhaps we'll all meet for tea every now and then? scones?"
We could organize chat sessions. I believe FairyHedgeHog already has something set up. Would that work, Fairy? Or should we set something else up? (Have pretend chat sessions written by one of the Authors.)
I'm open to ideas. Any other thoughts on scheduling? Chatting?
Oh. And I'm giving up the computer to Son in a couple of minutes. Probably won't get back on again for several hours, unless he gets bored (right) and leaves off.
I was talking about the Heroes meeting for tea :-) In case they're all off saving else where . . . :-)
So was I. The chat would be a "heroes chat". That's why it wouldn't have to be "live". Someone could write it up as a story.
I'm going back to the drawing board to rebuild my hero--she is Tree Hugger with her companion cougar, Nokomis. She is glorious!
doh!
Ms Sparrow: Eager to see her.
Lisa: It's okay.
There's a link to the chat room at the bottom of my blog. It's set up so that anyone can use it - if you set a time, Bevie, then anyone who wanted to could just go there and chat. We could have real chats to discuss how to run the blog, as well as hero chats.
If that chat room doesn't work for everyone I'm sure we could find another one.
Thanks, Fairy.
First, I think this is an awesome idea. I'm pretty easy going and I'll do whatever you all decide, but here's my 2 cents.
I agree with a 500 word limit. Like Bevie said, cliffhangers are common (and almost required).
I think one post/story per day is a good idea. Depending on how many people want to do this you could build up a sort of backlog/queue and not have to worry about not having anything to post for a stretch of several days.
I'm not opposed to a schedule, but I think it might depend on how many people will be contributing.
I'd prefer separate or seemingly separate story lines at least at first, just because it would take a story or two to figure out other people's heroes. Plus, all the stories wouldn't have to be on the same time lines. I could have a plot line going with my hero, and someone else could include my hero in their story which is happening at a different time and it wouldn't necessarily be inconsistent. Comics have crossover stories all the time. I also like the idea of everyone's stories melding into one, but maybe that should be down the road a bit when everyone has a better feel for their characters.
I agree the "Adult Content" warning should go because it will drive away readers, but make sure everyone knows to keep it PG or PG-13.
If I think of anything else I'll put it in these comments. Thanks for inviting me. I can't wait to do this!
Those are really good points, Blogless.
Right, Blogless.
Perhaps what we can do, as individual story-lines develop, certain villains could begin banding together? This would ultimately create the "global" feeling we want.
It will take time to do this. As Blogless said, we first want to get a feel for our own characters.
Probably, what I should do when we think we've got all the input we're going to get, is to compile our ideas into a single document and make it part of the blog's sidebar or title. Maybe?
Sounds like fun. Count me in for limited participation.
Done, Writtenwyrdd.
Check your email for an invite.
I've added a blurb under my picture, Bevie. I hope that's OK.
You bet it's okay. I've still got to do that with mine!
Thanks for letting me know.
Post a Comment