A million penguins typing…
Comments: 1 - Date: February 7th, 2007 - Categories: all, collaboration, storytelling
Penguin Books has set out to see if the novel, an art form so thought of as a singular endeavor, is immune to the benefits and enjoyments of social collaboration. Is it possible for just anyone to contribute to the writing and editing. Talk about Chaotic Fiction! The experiment, A Million Penguins, began last week with a wiki and a few (very few) guidelines.
I can’t help but agree with Ben Vershbow over at if:book that the true story is in the discussion pages. The struggles and triumphs as people attempt to come together to create something whole. He’s right in that it is far more a novelty than a novel, but I’m fascinated by the project and anxious to watch it unfold.
I wonder what we’ll see in five weeks when it’s over. Will there be a coherent novel? Will the project continue by those unhappy with the final result? Will it turn into an experiment in hypertext storytelling? What themes will emerge from a novel written by people from all over? What themes will provide the greatest controversy? The more I think about it, the more the questions come. Add your own below, if you’re so inclined.
Pingback by Giant Mice :: The story behind the story. - March 31, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
[…] Jon wrote that after reflecting on the A Million Penguins project. As mentioned in an earlier post (A million Penguins typing), the project fascinated me. The thing that drew me in to ARGs was the idea that a community of strangers from around the world could (and would) come together and collaborate on some strange project with no true understanding of what they were looking at and where they were going with it. They do so in a supportive environment with few arguments. Each giving what they can to the project and the process. In the end, they are rewarded with a story that they have, together, created. […]
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