Calling all writers (yes, that means you)

So this idea has been percolating in my brain.  The thing I’m wondering is this:

Has anybody tapped the ease of setting up a blog, utilizing links etc. to create a communally created work of fiction? 

I know there are all sorts of second life things, and Ever Quest things: games and simulations.  I don’t have any real problem with these, though I’m personally not a fan.  I’m thinking about something a bit closer to a book.  In that it’s told in the third person, and has an over-arching story arc but it’s interactive and allows the reader to follow whatever subplots, characters, even settings that the reader wants to. 

I have this plot worked out in my head.  It’s set in a New England town and ultimatelty impacts the whole of the town.  There are some aspects of the story that I’ll farm out, but it’s also concievable that somebody might create a whole little sub plot that works within the grander narrative that I haven’t thought of yet.  In some sense, it’s a bit like a TV season of some sort of ensemble show.

My idea is that it begins with a scene.  All the characters that are introduced are linked.  Clicking these links takes you into the beginning of that character’s story, which has links to other objects and characters.  I think what will make this interesting is interweaving all these, so that a reader might come to some of the same scenes through a variety of different paths and come to a newer and deeper understanding of what’s going on by following several of the streams.

Plot wise, here’s the deal:

The story begins with a fractured family moving into the quaint village of Jobestown, NH.  The family moving in is the focus: a pair of adolescent twins, one of whom is mute and the other is a wise, space-shot of a kid… remember Charles Wallace from A Wrinkle in Time?  The kids’ guardian is their uncle, a videoagrapher in his late 30’s.  The town seems to have been expecting the family, and it seems strange, disconnected from the world, somehow.  People in this town are bound together in a certain understanding that they are different, and also a fear that battle lines might soon have to be drawn within the place.  The Pastor of the town’s church, a grumpy disillusioned academic, a college kid who has tried to leave the place but always ends up drawn back to the place, and a homeless man all play large roles.  Occasionally there are flashes to activities in a variety of fantastic, mystical worlds.

Thematically, what’s going on is this:

I feel like traditional, old-school, right-wing Christianity has all sorts of people that are trying to express its theology through fiction; Left Behind, Frank Perreti, that whole crowd.  I don’t think post-modern/emergent Christianity has found a way to express itself.  This is my incredibly pompous attempt at finding a voice for all this.  The story will work it’s way from the mundane up to an epic, fantastic, allegorical kind of scale.

I don’t know how to divide work, handle the technical aspects, hardly anything, really.  I just thought I’d send out an invite.  I’m sure I can find something for you if you’re nervous about creative writing, and I’d love to have you if you’re an accomplished writer.  I have a hope that friends from the real and cyber worlds will participate, but even if you’ve never heard of me before I hope you’ll express some interest.  Drop me a comment and let me know what you think!

email me at jeffcampbell7@hotmail.com if you want to give me an email adress that you don’t want to leave in a comment.