Wiki Fiction

Hyperfiction developed collaboratively. Generally OffTopic in the PortlandPatternRepository.

Fair enough, though I was hoping to grandfather it in from the significant amount of InteractiveFiction pages that are in this repository. Any suggestions for a wiki where interactive, collaborative fiction might live? -- SteveMetsker

A new wiki for fiction started in 2005 using the MediaWiki engine [http://fiction.wikicities.com/].

My Wiki is open to InteractiveFiction collaboration; stop on by and start or continue a story. http://www.other-space.com/wiki/wiki.pl -- BrentNewhall

Wiki is probably a very good medium for this, though you might end up with something more like a ChooseYourOwnAdventure?. It's certainly worth experimenting with it. You can start your own Wiki. I think there's a page on WikiEngines, if I'm not mistaken.

I've been fantacizing about doing something like this. I can also create a wiki pretty easily. But I don't want to take this on all be my self. If anyone really interested, give me a shout. -- MattSimpson

I think this is a great idea as well. There are many collaborative short story boards on the web that work with one person writing the opening and each other writer following in sequence. Usually after a few entries they dry up or get rather silly. People tend to start with great sounding openings which somehow leave others no idea on how to follow up. An opening should lead to a plot, and thinking up an entire plot is almost as much work as writing a story yourself - and then if nobody else sees potential in your plot the collaborative project fizzles. Ideally someone who has a completed story which they still like but know is not usable as is would provide a seed - and hopefully a printable story with three or four co-authors would result. I would enjoy working on someone else's story - or have a couple of potential seeds if nobody else does. -- DavidWeisman

Well put, David. I used to run a seres of collaborative fiction games online (via InternetRelayChat), and I discovered that they worked best when we had established a few rules. Too many rules caused authors to seize up, while too few rules caused degeneration of the story into silliness or inanity. It might be worthwhile setting up a Wiki with a few established writing rules, perhaps including an intended direction for a few stories. -- BrentNewhall

There is now (as of 25 Jan 2003) a wiki dedicated to collaborative fiction at http://fictionwiki.blogan.com. (This link is broken as of 26 Feb 2004, but http://www.FoolQuest.com/fiction.htm is of a similar idea.) There are only a few seeds there, so if anyone has some good seeds to contribute, or know someone who does, I'd be much obliged. So far, there aren't any rules, but I doubt that stories will degenerate into silliness or inanity due to the reasons WhyWikiWorks. The seeds that exist there now are linear, but are open to be "hyperfictioned" if people want. Of course, adding a new "hyperfictioned" story is certainly possible, as is adding the typical "append to" story format. I hope we can generate enough interest to reach a threshold of some sort, so I encourage everyone to stop by and take a look. If you're really nice, you'll edit some story. -- BradleySimmons?

This one seems to have a good-sized collection of stories, at least... http://pitfall.org/read/Fiction Doesn't appear particularly "open to the public", but nor does it seem to be blocked in any way. Stories seem to tend toward comedy. Edit dates are mostly from late 2002 (I am writing this on 07 Jun 2003), so most seems stale. -- JeremyRice?

At the time I set up 'One More Lie' (http://www.altparty.org/~altwiki/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi?action=Browse&id=_One_More_Lie_) on the Alternative Wiki I couldn't find other Wiki fiction on the net. More have appeared since then but I like to think we were amongst the first. Please feel free to contribute more ;-) -- Setok

And another wiki for collaborative writing, though the idea is not to write a story, but create an explorable 'landscape' consisting of places and things from various people's pasts. Sound too arty? Hmm, perhaps, but visit and see anyway: http://ralpharama.co.uk/wiki/index.php

I have also been thinking about doing this for a while now. I actually have just purchased the domains: wiction.org, wikiwrite.com, wikitower.org, and wikitower.com. I really don't have the spare time to take this on myself though. If you are experienced with wiki's, have time to spare and are willing to work as a team, let me know. I have the domains and webhosting ready: contact@troywreford.com -- Troy

Another Fiction Wiki Experiment is Online at: http://www.enfusemagazine.com/wiki/

Although reading is a linear process, good writing is not. Readable prose comes out of planning and revision. That's why add-on stories are usually such crap! There simply is no mechanism for editing. Wiki, however, does encourage the all important revisions.

(http://www.FoolQuest.com/fiction.htm) is the real deal, an ongoing open online workshop dedicated to genuine fiction brainstorming and collaboration, inspired by my own frustration with add-on stories and other childish hidebound modes of collective fiction writing, all lacking any discipline of the writing craft or much creative freedom either.

A deeper problem is the perceived need for consensus, actually a non-problem for which the solution has long existed in the methodology of brainstorming, argument, and creative synthesis.

After all, the worst that can happen is creative difference and different versions.

All are invited! (http://www.FoolQuest.com/fiction.htm)