Storyball

Okay, here's the rules -- sort of a mix of OneWord(approve sites) and Neel's Lexicon RPG to result in a kind of constrained writing exercise. The purpose is to create a cross-linked, intertwined, super-anthology-style story, more like a three-dimensional object than a linear book.

A Storyball:

So here's what we do:

Everyone write a story, one due every five days. Minimum: 925 words. Maximum: as much as you want. This is approximately 1/10th the output you need to do NaNoWriMo solo, so no whining. :)

The game is played in 6 turns that 'end' on November 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, and 28. (The first turn is 'short' to give us an 'oh shit' cushion in the last two days.)

1. On the first turn, each player writes an entry. 925 words minimum, and within it you embed two links to a story that hasn't been written yet. At the end of the entry, you sign your name, and list two links to other "phantom" entries -- for the sake artistic hoo-ha, they should make good story titles in some way. These citations will be phantoms in that their titles exist, but their content will get filled in later, and by someone else.
2. On the second turn, you write another entry. However:
   • Your entry must 'fill in' one of the phantom entries someone already made.
   • You need to make THREE citations at the end. One must be a reference back to an already-written entry, and two must create unwritten entries that don't already exist. ((It's fine to also link to a phantom entry that someone's already made, but only as a 'bonus'.)) These links should be to things that in some way intersect the story you just wrote.
3. It's a sin to link only to your own work -- you can link back to an entry you've written, but only if you've ALREADY back-linked to someone else's entry, so that the link to your entry is a 'bonus'. (This forces everyone to intertwingle their entries, so that everybody depends on -- and is reading -- everyone else's stuff.)
   • And no fair writing the story for a phantom that you created in the first place, unless there's no other alternative.
4. On the third turn, you still make three citations, but unlike previous turns, TWO must be a reference back to already-written entries, and ONE must create a new phantom entry to be written.
5. On the fourth, fifth and sixth turns, you make two to three back-links, but unlike previous turns, ALL must be a reference back to already-written entries, because by this point we should have (if my charting is right) enough phantom entries to carry us through to the end.
6. Respect everything written. When you tie your work into another entry, you have to treat that other entry's factual content as true. (Though you can -- and probably will -- twist interpretation and introduce new facts that shade interpretation.)

See Wiki Managing for more Wiki-specific advice.

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Need an example?

In the first turn, Doyce writes an entry that creates links to two phantom entries: "Cornerpost Ghost?" and "Sarah At The Desk" -- he's obligated to avoid writing either of those entries on some later turn.

In the second turn, De tries her hand at "Sarah At The Desk." At the end of it, she links forward to the phantom entries "Blue Room Blues" and "I Dont Want To Know," and also back-links to ***Dave's entry from Turn One, "Bookshelf".

Bones?