What the hell - let's do a chain story...

[ElectricBlue]

Please no. This would take a lot of the fun out of it for me. I want to let the sweet songs of chaos play its haunting dirge, and for me to be taken along for the rampageous ride!

Lol.

This is where I as a pure pantser couldn't help myself. I wouldn't be able to resist fucking with the heads of the plotters, by completely derailing the pre-conceived ideas and written down characters, and wandering off into left field. Some of my best ever characters have turned up in the length of a paragraph, and end up taking over the story. That's never going to work with these guys.

 

[Bamagan]

Maybe and I'm open to it. My concern would be that it's a little bit meaner than just picking your two favourite if everyone happens to put your submission dead last - or have it be the only one that's not included at all. I think this chain story is going to run on for months, so we don't have to rush the voting. It may be easier to select a method once we've got all the stories in.

Well, there's a fairly good chance one or more submissions are going to go voteless with two ballots per person and perhaps a dozen entries... especially if there's a runaway favorite or two. But there's no method that would be free of legitimate quibbles. I'm advocating it more on the concern that the longer it takes to get rolling, the greater the odds of it never happening.

 

[Erozetta]

Lol.

This is where I as a pure pantser couldn't help myself. I wouldn't be able to resist fucking with the heads of the plotters, by completely derailing the pre-conceived ideas and written down characters, and wandering off into left field. Some of my best ever characters have turned up in the length of a paragraph, and end up taking over the story. That's never going to work with these guys.

I am a pantser and this is my fear in participating in this, lol.

 

[Erozetta]

Option:

A young woman who is consistently taken advantage of due to her kindness catches the eye of a wealthy man of a similar age. He extends a kindness to her upon seeing her check her bank balance on her phone, the paltry sum of 25 cents being the total amount in her account with a pending charge of $22.50 looming over said balance. With her username displayed in sight, and thanks to using the same small local bank she uses, he wires her a fair sum to see her through the week. She gets the offer to accept the gift on her app as he watches and the subway train pulls up. She hesitates, but accepts, fairly desperate for the cash, then starts looking around as the note accompanying the gift says, “I’ve been there, hope this helps.” making it clear the person is nearby and could see her screen.

She figures out who sent the money shortly after they both disembark at the end of the line and head toward the commuter rail to Salem. They chat, where she divulges the reason she’s broke is people keep abandoning their pets with her and she takes them in and spends all of her money caring for them. He invites her to dinner, but he just wants to see his fiancée cheating on him in person. She realizes, they chat some more and she takes his phone, unlocks it, and breaks up with the cheating girlfriend for him, they flee the restaurant and she ends up bringing him back to her apartment, where he finds the building in disrepair and the tenants afraid to speak up on the non-functioning elevator, even though many of the tenants are elderly and have trouble, or cannot, traverse the stairs.

They prepare dinner together in her apartment and he gives her his business card, tells her to reach out and he’ll put in a good word for her at his company to help her land a higher paying job. She doesn’t reach out until after improvements start happening at her apartment building and notice is sent out that the owner sold the building. His entire family is well-to-do with a philanthropic side, largely split down gendered roles with old fashioned ideas, particularly with his parents and grandparents.

The renewed contact invites curiosity from his family as he’s clearly gone out of his way to get her building under his family’s care (specifically that of his grandmother who loves old architecture and was already pissed the city was planning to demo the historic building in favor of widening the road.) They invite themselves over to dinner at her place to interview her for the job - which she didn't even know if she wanted and wasn't why she contacted him - lay out plans for the building and quiz her on her ethics, business ideas, and intentions with their son and grandson. The guy who gave her money was the only one who was supposed to come over. She gets overwhelmed and takes her dog on a walk after trying to process the unexpected intrusion throughout dinner, he tries to go with her, but she stops him and tells him they all need to get the fuck out of her apartment and they need to be gone, including him, by the time she gets back from the walk with her dog.

*Transitions to the next person at this point.*

Reasons I think it could work for an opening: A contemporary setting in Salem means easy research and I’m well informed on the area so I can give pointers on specific areas of interest as well if you want to go for a specific aesthetic for a scene, but I'd recommend just keeping it to a sort of fictionalized version of Salem. It also offers a lot of potential for future parts to go supernatural as Salem is kinda the default paranormal homebase for a lot of people, but doesn’t have to go supernatural in any way. So, there’s a lot of freedom here with where the story can head and how the characters and plot develop from chain to chain. The opening scene has no sex in it, so this would likely start out as a character heavy story with a lot of sexual tension and build up as it progresses, but it also leaves a lot of room for things like fantasies, masturbation, erotic rituals and such for the next person in line.

Bonus point: This is a story I started a year ago and don't know how to finish, but I like the start and characters. Turning it over to be a group project will take some stress off of the urge to "do something with those damn characters" and it will be fascinating to see where people take it.


Potential content inclusions:

I honestly don’t think there are many categories I couldn’t see this running across at some point in the series (everything from romance to erotic horror could be fair game), it would just be a matter of which boundaries the group had a hard no on.

Opening content inclusions:
Romance build up, establishing characters and emotions, establishing setting and tone, and setting up some potential obstacles that could come between them.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I am a pantser and this is my fear in participating in this, lol.

A chain story is mostly sandboxing so the pantsers should should be pigs in mud here.

 

[AlinaX]

Lucy, a struggling magazine columnist and photographer, is dispatched to conduct an in-depth interview with reclusive auteur Adimir, whose directorial idiom blends horror and eroticism. He is currently filming in an ancient castle deep in the Slovakian forest, and Lucy invites her film buff friend Mina to accompany her in visiting the set. Mina jumps at the chance to spend some time with Lucy, having had a crush on her for years; Lucy insists she's straight and even has a boyfriend back home, but Mina isn't convinced and this adventure will be the perfect opportunity to test Lucy's resolve.

It turns out that Adimir's new film is about the notorious Countess Bathory and the castle is none other than Čachtice Castle where the countess was walled up at the end of her life. The actress playing her is Mariska, a young Hungarian model with a cold beauty, who certainly isn't shy to reveal all for the camera. When Adimir, fascinated with Lucy's Englishness and air of innocence, and being an actress short for unclear reasons, insists that if Lucy wants her interview she must first play the part of one of the countess's unfortunate maids, Mina must watch as her friend is first stripped by another woman, then coated in honey by seductive, massaging hands.

 

[Devinter]

I'm going to keep my suggestion extremely simple and open-ended; If it wins, I don't even have to write the first part, and whomever goes next can take it in whichever direction they want so long as they don't intentionally screw the third person over or something like that.

The entire premise is basically just a simple prompt: "Matchmaking service for the painfully shy and inexperienced." - That's it. Interpret that as you wish! I realize that it is less than the 250-1000 synopsis requested, but I reckon some of the authors might appreciate the less restricted layout. If not, simply don't vote for it!

All I ask is that there's no extreme kinks included. For everyone's comfort. That means no incest, no NonCon, no cuckolding or cheating, no bathroom stuff, and no mind control. If someone on the team would want to add things to this list due to their comfort levels being compromised, I'd be more than okay with that. Otherwise, the mood and category is left wide open. Want to throw in supernatural elements? Go ahead. Want to add some horror themes? Sure, why not. Want it to be set in the future, and add some SciFi to it? Fine by me. Want to make it a classical love story, built around romance? Absolutely.

I think the prompt is strong because it gives authors the option to write about different pairings if they so desire, to write a chapter from the POV of an organizer of the matchmaking service, and a number of other options. Simply put, it'll be a true "pass the baton" experience and we'll see how the story manifests over time. So authors need to be willing to be adaptive. But I think that's what the challenge is all about!

 

[ElectricBlue]

A chain story is mostly sandboxing so the pantsers should should be pigs in mud here.

Yeah, but just look at the Plots and Outlines you lot have come up with already!

 

[Erozetta]

Yeah, but just look at the Plots and Outlines you lot have already come up with already!

To be fair, mine's not a plot so much as just an opening scene I've already written and now don't know what to do with. So, I'm offering it up as fodder for better authors to play with while making my own commitment and contribution to this very straightforward without derailing anyone else's idea.

 

[TheLobster]

The entire premise is basically just a simple prompt: "Matchmaking service for the painfully shy and inexperienced." - That's it. Interpret that as you wish! I realize that it is less than the 250-1000 synopsis requested, but I reckon some of the authors might appreciate the less restricted layout.

This premise does indeed give authors a lot of leeway but I think it lends itself too much to episodic installments rather than one coherent narrative. It will be tempting to write each part of the chain as a standalone case that the service is dealing with: one couple, one date, etc.

There may still be an overall arc to the story, of course, but it runs the risk of becoming a sort of background plot for the “monster of the week”-kind of scenarios. Authors would have to make a conscious effort to drive it forward, or we’ll just end up with essentially a collection of stories on one theme that happened to share a setting and some of the characters.

 

[Devinter]

This premise does indeed give authors a lot of leeway but I think it lends itself too much to episodic installments rather than one coherent narrative. It will be tempting to write each part of the chain as a standalone case that the service is dealing with: one couple, one date, etc.

There may still be an overall arc to the story, of course, but it runs the risk of becoming a sort of background plot for the “monster of the week”-kind of scenarios. Authors would have to make a conscious effort to drive it forward, or we’ll just end up with essentially a collection of stories on one theme that happened to share a setting and some of the characters.

The way I see it, that's up to the authors. It's entirely possible to just hone in on one specific couple / pairing and follow their progress the entire way. It could go either way, and in my personal opinion, that's the beauty of leaving things unrestricted.

EDIT: I want to add, look at the names of the author's that have signed up for the challenge. Those are fantastic writers with a lot of experience. I don't think we should underestimate any of them. I'm willing to bet that if we do not clip their wings, they'll fly far higher! Honestly, I think it would be interesting to have one group be extremely unrestricted and the other one a bit less so, just to compare the two in the end.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

This premise does indeed give authors a lot of leeway but I think it lends itself too much to episodic installments rather than one coherent narrative. It will be tempting to write each part of the chain as a standalone case that the service is dealing with: one couple, one date, etc.

There may still be an overall arc to the story, of course, but it runs the risk of becoming a sort of background plot for the “monster of the week”-kind of scenarios. Authors would have to make a conscious effort to drive it forward, or we’ll just end up with essentially a collection of stories on one theme that happened to share a setting and some of the characters.

I agree there is a risk of it being a "monster of the week" thing.
However, I also agree with Devinter, we have a talented group who wants to do something a little different. If they wanted to write a detached "monster of the week" they wouldn't have signed up.

 

[TheRedChamber]

By my count we've got 4 story suggestions so far. There's another 25 hours as of now for any other ideas.

 

[StillStunned]

Here's my suggestion. It's like Devinter's in that it basically provides just a setting, but with the addition of a catalyst to change people's lives:

A quiet village is shaken up when a former porn star moves there. Her arrival has an impact on several of the locals: the boy next door who develops a crush on her; his father, who had a crush on her at the height of her fame two decades ago; the young vicar, caught between his or her duty to the Church and the temptation of previously unknown feelings; the quiet couple down the street who discover a shared love of porn; the trio of queen bees who find their position in the village threatened by the new arrival; the swinger couple eager to add her to their circle for bragging rights; the local celebrity whose fame is eclipsed by the porn stars.

Each instalment is from a different point of view, exploring the events over the course of one summer.

 

[StillStunned]

Another suggestion:

A private detective (or a pair of them) are hired to find out the truth about a cheating spouse. Their search leads them to a dating agency, then a private club, then an exclusive resort. Who is running it all, and why? What does this person get out of it: a sense of power (or actual power, from membership fees or blackmail), a sadistic enjoyment at seeing people destroy their own lives in pursuit of a thrill, a vicarious pleasure from watching people indulge their fantasies? Is there another brain behind this person?

 

[TheRedChamber]

@StillStunned

I'm not sure if making two suggestions is giving yourself an unfair advantage or shooting yourself in the foot. Pick one! You can sound the other authors out about which one they'd prefer.

 

[StillStunned]

@StillStunned

I'm not sure if making two suggestions is giving yourself an unfair advantage or shooting yourself in the foot. Pick one! You can sound the other authors out about which one they'd prefer.

Then I pick the first.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

My submission for a story starter.

FMC is at home in her average house, in her average neighborhood, after a day at her average job, getting ready to have an average dinner.

She checks the mail, and find the invitation to her 25th high school reunion the class of 1999. After reading it over she goes to her bedroom, opens up the cedar chest at the foot of her bed and digs out her yearbook. Flipping through it, seeing her friends, her own accomplishments. Student Council VP, homecoming court, etc...etc...
Starts wondering how it all went so wrong to end up here... Her HS BF was a musician, going to be a big star.
She was going to college, he was going on the road.
Last night together before he left she loses her virginity to him..and ends up pregnant.
Marriage...jobs...kids...as their dreams died one by one.

She lays back on the bed tears in her eyes.

She opens her eyes and finds herself back the dorm room she'd dreamed of.

She has her chance at a do-over... but with a 40 something year olds sense of responsibility.
How does she balance her desire to live the crazy college life while not blowing it and ending up on another dead end path?
It's the dawn of the internet, and she knows the internet is forever...

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I'll right, here's my idea.

Flight 69 - Humor & Satire

Flight 69 has been hijacked by the ASL - anti sex league (unless we come up with something better). They demand that all the nations of the world must outlaw pornography before the plane runs out of fuel, or they will crash it into Porhnub headquarters. Meanwhile, all of the leaders of the world get together on a conference call on how to save porn (since all of our leaders are total pervs). Back on the plane, the hijackers insist on strict behavior from the passengers and crew or be punished with forced sex acts (since they believe that lewd sex acts will condemn them to hell), which of course makes everyone misbehave on purpose.

Characters? There will be two or three hijackers, a pilot and crew including flight attendants, and the world leaders (all fictional of course). Probably some media on the ground. Maybe a sky marshall. The rest ... we can make them up as we go.

Running gags? The mile high couple that can't get into the toilet for privacy and end up the only passengers to NOT have sex. The virgin who wants to be with a man before she dies ... a few times. The wife who fearing certain death decides to clear her conscience and admit her affairs to her husband only to find out that he's into it and she goes around the plane cucking him. Anything that we can think of.

If you have a trope that you're dying to make fun of, this is the story to do it in.

Continuity? Yeah, we'll probably have it but we won't get too sticky with it.

Kinks included: whatever suits the joke or scene.

Kinks outlawed: celeb (I refuse to write it - not that we can't have fictional celebs on the plane) but other than that perhaps can discuss in the group if anything needs to be nixed to keep things manageable.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Okay, that's 7 ideas and time. Here is a quick summary, all ideas have more details on pages 2 and 3 of this thread.

1. TheRedChamber - Hard Times at the Porn Studio
2. Erozetta - Kindness in the Subway
3. AlinaX - A film about Countess Bathory
4. Devinter - Matchmaking Serice for the Painfully Shy and Inexperienced
5. StillStunned - Pornstar shakes up the Village.
6. Kelliezgirl - Reliving her Youth
7. Pink_Silk_Glove - Flight 69

Voting Rules

- Everyone should vote for your three favourite ideas in order (see my vote below for an example). Each vote is worth 1 point regardless of if it is 1st, 2nd or 3rd. In the event of a tie, the numbr of 1sts and 2nds will be counted to decide the winner.
- At the end of the first round, the bottom 3 stories will be elimated. The second round will have everyone select 2 stories from 4 for the final winner.
- You must not vote for your own idea. If you've submitted a story idea, you must vote for three others (because not doing so gives your story an advantage)
- Those on the 'bench' can also vote and their votes are weighed the same as everyone elses.
- Vote for the first round closes on Wednesday at the same time as the stories go live (in 46 hours) or when everyone has voted.
- If you want to vote privately you can do (just DM me), otherwise just paste into the forum.

My votes

1st: Devinter
2nd: Kelliezgirl
3rd: Pink_Silk_Glove

(FWIW only not voting for StillStunned as I have my own story outline prepped and ready to go which overlaps with some of his idea)

 

[Erozetta]

1st: AlinaX
2nd: StillStunned
3rd: Devinter

 

[AlinaX]

lol, I was literally about to vote:

1st: Erozetta

The others don't really work for me.

 

[Erozetta]

lol, I was literally about to vote:

1st: Erozetta

The others don't really work for me.

You caught my attention with a mention of Elizabeth Bathory. I am 100% down for that even though I know fuckall about the region.

 

[AlinaX]

I've never been to Slovakia. Transylvania, I have, amusingly.

ETA: No reason why it needs to be in Slovakia. We could shoot the movie at a castle outside Salem, a place I know nothing about...

 

[Bamagan]

I'm going to bow out, so welcome and good luck to the first alternate. My ballot should probably be discarded, but in the event that it might help as a tiebreaker:

AlinaX, Erozetta, and StillStunned (order is merely alphabetical).