Comments on: Rewriting the Illiad http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11 Can a community write a novel? Let's find out... Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:56:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Penguin http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-582 Penguin Sat, 03 Mar 2007 21:50:28 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-582 Dana We're using the mediawiki engine which is the same software that powers wikipedia - we've made some slight tweaks to it - but these are more cosmetic than anything fundamental. Feel free to contact us if you want more details. jeremy@penguin Dana

We’re using the mediawiki engine which is the same software that powers wikipedia - we’ve made some slight tweaks to it - but these are more cosmetic than anything fundamental. Feel free to contact us if you want more details.

jeremy@penguin

]]> By: Dane Sorensen http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-576 Dane Sorensen Sat, 03 Mar 2007 19:03:23 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-576 I am an English Teacher and find your concept interesting. Do you know if there is any wiki-novel software which will allow one to set up a wiki novel web site. I am thinking of having my high school students use the Wiki format to create short stories and other projects where they can add, edit and change eachothers work and the changes are kept in a history. Thanks Dane Sorensen United States I am an English Teacher and find your concept interesting. Do you know if there is any wiki-novel software which will allow one to set up a wiki novel web site. I am thinking of having my high school students use the Wiki format to create short stories and other projects where they can add, edit and change eachothers work and the changes are kept in a history.
Thanks
Dane Sorensen
United States

]]> By: firstperson thirdcat » Another million penguins http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-98 firstperson thirdcat » Another million penguins Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:00:50 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-98 [...] In one of his early blog posts on the project, Jon, the guy from Penguin providing the running commentary on the developing story says “the wikinovel experiment is not a place to prove to Penguin we should publish your book”. Is that gonna cut the mustard? There is still gonna be a lot of people more interested in showing their individual talents than their ability to collaborate on a wiki. Still, enough people are taking it on in the right spirit, and even in these early days, I’ve read a couple of great posts and am greatly enjoying watching it all unfold - if you do go over there, don’t forget to look at the discussion. It is, I think (and as I’ve already said), an extremely interesting development for both writers and readers. [...] […] In one of his early blog posts on the project, Jon, the guy from Penguin providing the running commentary on the developing story says “the wikinovel experiment is not a place to prove to Penguin we should publish your book”. Is that gonna cut the mustard? There is still gonna be a lot of people more interested in showing their individual talents than their ability to collaborate on a wiki. Still, enough people are taking it on in the right spirit, and even in these early days, I’ve read a couple of great posts and am greatly enjoying watching it all unfold - if you do go over there, don’t forget to look at the discussion. It is, I think (and as I’ve already said), an extremely interesting development for both writers and readers. […]

]]> By: Rafael Cariello http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-54 Rafael Cariello Fri, 02 Feb 2007 21:41:52 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-54 Jon, I work as a reporter for the Brazilian newspaper "Folha de S.Paulo" and I'd really like to send you just a few questions about the "millionpenguins" project. If the idea pleases you, can you tell me so by email? Thanks a lot. Jon, I work as a reporter for the Brazilian newspaper “Folha de S.Paulo” and I’d really like to send you just a few questions about the “millionpenguins” project. If the idea pleases you, can you tell me so by email?
Thanks a lot.

]]> By: Sue Thomas http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-51 Sue Thomas Fri, 02 Feb 2007 08:15:53 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-51 I've been watching the wiki grow with fascination but one thing surprises me - why are the authors not linking out to other sites or creating new pages? Why are they not turning it into hypertext? I thought they would, but they haven't so far. They've stayed with the constraint of linearity. Perhaps that's an indication that those participating to date are mostly from a print-based tradition rather than coming from new media? Interesting. I’ve been watching the wiki grow with fascination but one thing surprises me - why are the authors not linking out to other sites or creating new pages? Why are they not turning it into hypertext? I thought they would, but they haven’t so far. They’ve stayed with the constraint of linearity. Perhaps that’s an indication that those participating to date are mostly from a print-based tradition rather than coming from new media? Interesting.

]]> By: Dr DBW http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-49 Dr DBW Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:21:59 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-49 Actually, that is exactly what is happening, look at the Talk page at http://www.amillionpenguins.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Welcome Actually, that is exactly what is happening, look at the Talk page at http://www.amillionpenguins.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Welcome

]]> By: Dr DBW http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-48 Dr DBW Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:05:03 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-48 What is to stop people actually developing the plot before the various chapters are being written? You do realise that this is a wiki, meaning you can write and develop things are you see fit. Very easy to have a page that lays out the general overall plot. But by this stage, doubt that is going to happen, as people are already going nuts writing the story :) What is to stop people actually developing the plot before the various chapters are being written? You do realise that this is a wiki, meaning you can write and develop things are you see fit. Very easy to have a page that lays out the general overall plot. But by this stage, doubt that is going to happen, as people are already going nuts writing the story :)

]]> By: Matthew http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-45 Matthew Fri, 02 Feb 2007 03:37:13 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-45 What do you have against <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2217138.stm" rel="nofollow">African Ninjas</a>? What do you have against African Ninjas?

]]> By: Antoine Wison http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-43 Antoine Wison Fri, 02 Feb 2007 01:39:43 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-43 Of course it's a publicity stunt. But it's also a neat experiment. And no one will call it in as a bomb threat. The wiki thing seems to work well for certain kinds of collaborative projects, e.g. wikipedia. It seems highly unlikely to work for novel-making. But assuming a collaborative effort from the participants, it will be interesting to see how close it gets to character, plot, structure, etc. Also, yes, I suspect Jon's running commentary is going to be entertaining to say the least. Power to <i>a million penguins</i>! Of course it’s a publicity stunt. But it’s also a neat experiment. And no one will call it in as a bomb threat. The wiki thing seems to work well for certain kinds of collaborative projects, e.g. wikipedia. It seems highly unlikely to work for novel-making. But assuming a collaborative effort from the participants, it will be interesting to see how close it gets to character, plot, structure, etc.

Also, yes, I suspect Jon’s running commentary is going to be entertaining to say the least.

Power to a million penguins!

]]> By: Tony Gilbert http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-41 Tony Gilbert Thu, 01 Feb 2007 23:44:19 +0000 http://amillionpenguins.com/blog/?p=11#comment-41 I'm confused. It's a novel (ha!) idea, but seems seriously flawed from the outset - much like a million monkeys writing the collected works of Shakespeare by banging on typewriters. Surely the starting point should be plot and character outlines, not trying to create schmultzy sentences. How can a readable novel ever come out of this project if there is no plot, no ending, no character profiles, nothing of value at all really. I think it's just a publicity stunt. I’m confused. It’s a novel (ha!) idea, but seems seriously flawed from the outset - much like a million monkeys writing the collected works of Shakespeare by banging on typewriters. Surely the starting point should be plot and character outlines, not trying to create schmultzy sentences. How can a readable novel ever come out of this project if there is no plot, no ending, no character profiles, nothing of value at all really. I think it’s just a publicity stunt.

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