Stories and Journeys

Years ago, when my three children were young, amongst the usual array of 'in-car entertainment' on long car journeys, we used to tell stories. These were not just ordinary stories, however. These stories kept the children entertained and involved, but without the need for the intervention of technology, of which, in those days, there was precious little apart from the car's tape player. I guess the process would be called interactive or collaborative story telling, and I think it will be well suited to blogging.

We live in a computer age, when more sophisticated (and geeky) processes have evolved, which employ software programming using models such as ‘collaborative storyboarding’. After more than 25 years of my life spent variously using, building, working in and eventually abusing these machines, four years ago, I started to throw out PC’s from this house – the King of Geeks from Microsoft had tried my patience beyond bearing any more – and we invested in AppleMacs, which are still machines with all their manmade vulnerabilities, but with better designed operating systems and fewer compatibility issues; they simply do what it says on the tin! The effect of this single act was that it freed up un immeasurable amount of my time for creative exploits, some of which I didn't realise I had in me and some of which I had frustratingly not been able to achieve, because of the preoccupation of trying to solve some of the King of Geeks' bug issues for him.

Anyway, back to the game! It works roughly like this.

One person starts a story – any subject they choose, as long as it’s not offensive and is reasonably acceptable to the other participants, perhaps with a scene setting introduction, character description, but not compulsorily, and away you go, taking turns.

With a blog, if it is well attended, I imagine this might get a bit complicated, with multiple bloggers ‘commenting’ or contributing at the same time! But, hey, that just leaves the moderator to edit and make sense of it. In the event that this became popular (chance would be a fine thing) I suppose I could change the blog’s ‘Visibility’ to password protected or private, but, hey, I don't honestly think you'll be fighting for chapter rights! But I doubt that this post will attract too many contributors, at least those who are willing to collaborate, so this shouldn’t present a problem.

Let’s see what happens. Watch this space…

...a little time later... the first story has started - " The Black Pool ".

Chapter 2, anybody?