Internet Guerilla Novels

v.quisling · Feb 26, 2007

Has anyone heard of this apparently "new" genre?

I read someone writing about one called www.jackgrey.com which I've started reading. It writes like a blog, in real time, and looks like it could become interactive (he's talking about interviewing etc)

The site doesn't actually say it's fiction, but I'm pretty sure it is. Has anyone heard of this before? Or hazard a guess as to why he/she is doing it anonymously?

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

I've heard of the theory, and mostly I think it's one of those damn silly ideas that serves as the step between writing fanfiction and selling your work.

There's nothing wrong with posting stories or excerpts to the internet, to an extent. There's nothing wrong with doing a serial story on the internet (like Steve King did, like Tad Williams did) but the thing is, what do you gain by it? Is it fun? Sure. Does it count as a publishing credit? Very, very, very unlikely.

I can see the use of the internet for stories, and I've expounded on it in other places at length. I don't really think this is it, though.

I've seen this Jack Grey site before, although I'm glad you brought it to attention here

LloydBrown · Feb 26, 2007

Does anyone think there's a chance this ISN'T someone promoting his own site?

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

It's cause for a good conversation, regardless. And I'm an eternal optimist.

v.quisling · Feb 26, 2007

You can take the conversation off on that direction if you like Lloyd, but it wasn't really the point.

I was more interested in raising the topic of this new way of writing. There's a few of them out there, although this one seems a bit different. It's not written in chapters for starters.

This is a writers forum - I was wondering if it was something you had discussed before.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

We've discussed the notion of it a few times, but not very recently. And even then, it was only in vague reference while talking about some other issue.

When blogs first popped up, the first place my head went to was "how canI use this to tell a story?" and of course, the natural answer was that I could continue to tell serial stories (my best medium) in that format. I loved the ease of episode posting it meant for me, and I always figured if I screwed around enough, I could make the blog look good.

Ultimately, it never did, because I don't give away my stuff on the internet. Not anymore. Not in a long time. If I were to start writing a STar Trek fanfiction series today, however, then I would probably use a heavily modified blog format to do it.

The Jack Grey site and concept reminds me of the "LonelyGirl" stuff that attracted so much attention on YouTube, in a way. I am too much of the last generation to look at this and think "This is the future of storytelling," because I don't think that even if it is, it's been exploited yet.

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

I think it's a cool idea. I would love to read this kind of thing.

But if you are the writer, and you come here pretending to be just a reader who stumbled across it, well, then I feel let down.

There wouldn't be anything wrong with starting a conversation about the idea of blogging a novel and even mentioning that you are doing it and you wonder what we think of the idea. Put the link in your sig, and voila! Nobody is offended because you're not trying to dupe anyone. And you would probably get happy visitors to your site.

That's IF you're the author. And if you are, you can still go back and change your post.

The concept is interesting to me, and I'd like to talk about it, but I would like to clear this up first, if possible.

ltd.

emeraldcite · Feb 26, 2007

You'll have to forgive Lloyd. It's just that first time posters who include a link in their first post are usually spamming.

We've seen some pretty creative spam masquerading as legitimate posts.

Guess we’re a bit jaded around here.

ETA: It is also interesting to note that the poster and owner of the site in the link both hail from Australia. Just an observation.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

You should see my battle scars. And my bum leg. It hurts so bad when it rains.

emeraldcite · Feb 26, 2007

Yes, the Spam Wars were a difficult and bloody time.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

We lost so many. It was so rough.

Remember our buddy, who was hit by that nasty Viagra spam? He took it for us, man, he took it for us, and it liquified him.

What was his name?

Oh yeah.

Stu.

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

But let me repeat! It's not to late to fix it. Please just go modify your post and all will be forgiven. It's an interesting topic of discussion!

I'll even modify mine if you fix yours.

ltd.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

limitedtimeauthor said:
But let me repeat! It's not to late to fix it. Please just go modify your post and all will be forgiven. It's an interesting topic of discussion!

I'll even modify mine if you fix yours.

ltd.

I'm unclear why s/he needs to modify the post. I realize it includes a link, but...?

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

PeeDee said:
We lost so many. It was so rough.

Remember our buddy, who was hit by that nasty Viagra spam? He took it for us, man, he took it for us, and it liquified him.

What was his name?

Oh yeah.

Stu.

And don't even mention what PHENTERMINE did to so many of our posters. Poor, poor things. Is the rehab thread up yet?

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

They don't need rehab. They're fine.

I still remember how Rllgthunder took that Nigerian Prince Spam for me....

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

PeeDee said:
I'm unclear why s/he needs to modify the post. I realize it includes a link, but...?

For honesty's sake. As in, "I have this blog..." rather than "ooh, I just ran across this wonderful blog..."

ltd.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

limitedtimeauthor said:
For honesty's sake. As in, "I have this blog..." rather than "ooh, I just ran across this wonderful blog..."

ltd.

But...what if....they really did just run across that blog? S'my point, is all.

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

Then he/she wasn't spamming. And can say so. But he/she cleverly did NOT say so, so, you know.

ETA: And I will humbly retract if I'm wrong!

ltd.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

I humbly retract if I'm wrong too. I'm just trying to be optimistic. Lawd knows why, but I keep doing it.

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

Well, I think it's sweet. I'm no jaded spam-detector myself, but v.quisling's non-answer made me suspicious.

Either that, or it's the damn PHENTERMINE.

ltd.

ETA: and now I must go. Jack Reacher has finally found the inside man and I must go help him! If I don't keep reading, he'll be stuck there, in limbo, sitting in the Secret Service conference room while a killer roams free!

LloydBrown · Feb 26, 2007

I did a little google before I made my comment, guys.

V. Quisling's only posts to any writing fora are asking about this site. Not publishers, contracts, agents, freelance markets, or huge steaming pile of Publish America. Just this site.

And the blog uses Quisling as a name in the text, so it's obviously one he's fond of. Add in the IP "coincidence" and it seems pretty apparent.

PeeDee · Feb 26, 2007

Fair 'nuff. Like I said, this is what I get for being optimistic.

limitedtimeauthor · Feb 26, 2007

Well, we like you optimistic, pops. It's good for yer health, and will keep you quite happy when you have to get up in the middle of the night with that baby.

ltd.

Roger J Carlson · Feb 27, 2007

emeraldcite said:
Yes, the Spam Wars were a difficult and bloody time.

Not to mention it culiminated in the destruction of the Jedi...oh, wait...

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