Out of Story Note: Consequences of Writing Short Episodes

Episode submitted by Fibber_McGee on Tue Dec 5 15:17:58 2000
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If you have been following the "Karyn wants a Jan..." thread, then you may have realized an unintended consequence of writing a short "Jon/Karyn makes a wish" type story. It becomes really easy to contradict previous stories of break a foundation rule. (Or this could be my hyper-literal take on the talisman's properties and restrictions.) The sequence of wishes in the thread goes as follows...
Jon: I wish I could be what I want to be.
Karyn: I wish Jon isn't what I don't want him to be.
Karyn: I wish 'her' to stay this way forever.
Karyn: Stop complaining.
Karyn: I wish Jon could experence pregnancy (without the baby at the end).

Now the next episode could be the foundation shatterer. It sends Jon into the body of someone else, miles away. (ps: I have conceived of a way to keep the foundation intact with that story, but it doesn't have the intrigue of 'What if the talisman itself messes up'. And I needed Jon back in the continental US, assuming the story takes place in America.)

Anyway, I can see how this system encourages these short stories. You really don't want to limit the possible outcomes of each situation by excessive plotting. Yet however, the payoffs of these mini episodes are simply more mini episodes just like it. You don't get into the characters motives, motavations, or insights. You end up with Wile E. Coyote, vunerable to his surroundings. Also, someone who's posting for the first time here may not feel s/he is competent enough for a multi page epic.

In my first post to the system (you cand find it at http://transform.to/~zach/cgi-bin/storypage.pl?page=0125142950Fibber_McGee ) I try to expand on some of the mini eps in the "Karyn wants a Jan..." thread with a rudimentary plot. (The stone seems to be breaking its own limitations) I wrote it not with a particular direction or resolution in mind. And when I got to a point where two ideas presented themselves, I quit. I guess I'm looking for feedback. Should I continue to submit stories here (not necessarily to that specific branch), or should I quit while I'm still behind?

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