/lit/ - Literature

>>9060173
No one has ruled out choose your own adventure sections, fampai

>>9059528
If need be, some of the cum guzzling can be cut down... if need be. Also that doc is for the minor parts (the interludes and appendices). Its not *supposed* to be a filter for the more overtly um, creative, contributions, but if it doubles as one then all the better I guess.

Second google doc coming up very soon. This one's going to be for the major contributions so things will get a little bit more exciting, even if it will be largely brainstorming at this point.

>>9057440
>>9057548
>>9057644

The project is still so much in its infancy that yes, it might seem a little stagnant.

This is the inherent problem with making a collaborative project with any kind of structure though.

The second google doc will hopefully be up sometime tomorrow, which should clear some things up, such as how the creative process will function once the foundations are all in place. It will be exist alongside the current google doc, but specifically for the major, plot driven sections of the novel. And yes, it will also be open editing.

But like I said, for that to happen though, the backbone of story needs to be at least somewhat in place. It shouldn't take too much longer to get to the point where it becomes truly collaborative, and we're only one thread in anyway. But yea, once the basic structure is in place and everyone is working with the same creative vision (on some level) then it can really start to be something that grows organically.

Basically, just have patience. Structure and plot wise, heck even having a plot at all, is ambitious, so there is going to be a bit of planning, which isn't going to be very exciting.

And don't worry, everything from this thread, including both ideas, creative contributions, and criticisms has been noted. The google doc tomorrow will most likely give a better reflection of how things will progress once the basics are taken care of.

>>9057265
Speaking of Diogenes,

If you have any ideas for the question he asks Anon, that could essentially solidify his position as our Greek philosopher of choice. And once that's done we can start brainstorming Anons answer.

It looks like we have Stirner's question already, essentially this >>9056326 but with "Is the ego a spook?" as his question, instead of what I wrote, so that one can already be started.

>>9057076
Yeap, the one for the minor contributions is here >>9055206

We are still in the brainstorming phase for the major sections, so there isnt a doc or anything for those yet.

>>9056618
>Have we already discussed Anon's main psychological and physical traits?

No, but it has been noted that these will need to be discussed at some point.

>Are they relevant?

I mean, he needs to have some basic traits, unless we want him to be a reader insert or something like that.

>Are they revealed solely by his answers?

This is definitely an option, but we would probably still need to decide on some basic traits for him to reveal.

>Anon is the modern Jesus someone talked about.

An interesting idea, definitely. At most I would say it should be loosely alluded to, though. Like the Anon is not definitely Jesus, he just has some similar qualities, kind of thing.

>>9056522
Well, most of those are arbitrary for this kind of piece. The tense, style and point of view don't need to remain constant throughout the whole thing. Each chapter can have a style that is totally unique to that chapter, for example.

Also, keep in mind, we are in the very early stages. There is a lot yet to be agreed upon.

>>9056533
That's actually an interesting idea.

There are a number of different versions of the 7 virtues though. Im guessing you mean chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility?

>>9056357
>"is the ego a spook"

Thats even better

>what someone predicted above about this shaping up to be a pseudo-intellectual shitshow will come true

Depends. Do you think /lit/ is really just a bunch of pseuds, or do you think some of us are cleverer than that?

>I'm also not seeing very much potential for humor

Just because some aspects of the premise are serious, does not mean the whole text has to be serious. In fact, having some of it be serious is almost a requirement for the non serious parts having any substance.

For instance, Anon's answer to Stirner's question could take the form of literally anything, as long as by the end he has 'answered' the question. I would sat that the more ridiculous the journey Anon takes to get to this answer, the better, personally.

>This isn't going to be /lit/-writes-a-novel. It will be 7 posters come up with the bulk of the content with some out-of-place consolation prizes awkardly stuck in at the end as appendices.

As many people can submit for the 7 main sections as they want. We can either vote on which submission should be used in the main chapter (and the rest are fitted into the appendix somewhere), or if there is potential for it, splice the submissions together in some way.

>>9056378
> but suggest for whatever reason it would have been appropriate for the first god to have been the greek god

That's actually a good idea. Sorry if that's what you meant and I read your post too literally.

>It's highly experimental, and I doubt it will have much literary value beyond the in-jokes

Agreed, but at the very least I'd want other boards to be able to enjoy it without having to stop and ask for an explanation for each /lit/ meme. At the moment Im pretty sure they all think we're pseuds with more memes than talent.

>>9056150
lmao. Its hilarious, but drifts into the territory of only /lit/ being able to make any sense of it. We want the memes to be a little bit more cleverly buried.

I think I've come up with a decent question for the Stirner god to ask. What do you guys think?

Just ignore the prose btw, its not important. It's just a starting point and rough context for whoever actually ends up writing the Striner section. Personally, I don't know his work well enough to attempt to write the chapter (it's been like three years since I read The Ego and its Own), but I'm sure someone out here would be up for it.

Same goes for the image, btw. Whoever writes the chapter does not by any means have to base their representation of Stirner of the Engles sketch, I just thought it could be a cool idea.

If you guys approve of the question, then writing (or at least brainstorming) can potentially start right away on the Stirner chapter, if anyone wants to put themselves forward for it.

>>9055882
Thats an interesting idea. Could easily be combined with the initial idea as well.

>Gods in the pantheon argue over fate of Anon
>In the end they cant decide
>They either turn the decision over to the 'final god', or the 'final god' intervenes himself because they are too useless
>Anon faces one last test, asking the omnipotent god something he cannot answer

We still need to decide what happens to Anon after this fact, but im working on an idea for that...

>>9055995
Could work...

>>9056005
This could also work.

Just as a general reminder, there will be room for characters other than Anon and the gods in the pantheon. We could certainly have ones that fill other roles, like a gatekeeper or something. It would only make sense for the pantheon to have servants and whatnot.

>>9055952
Sounds like you're interpreting it much, MUCH more literally than intended, senpai

>>9055487
Good idea. Putting that together now

>>9055823
The last chapter of the novel could revolve around this. Basically a big, rowdy discussion between the gods, some gods siding with other based on certain similarities in their personalities, and eventually voting on an outcome for Anon

Also sorry for any typos, everything was written at pace.

And here is the task list for plot and setting.

Everything in red needs to be ironed out and agreed upon before writing can really begin.

Most of the tasks relating to characters (>>9055342) will probably need to be completed first, before anything in section two (the actual trial) can be agreed upon.

So feel free to throw as many suggestions at the thread as you want for anything in either of these task lists. We will continue to operate based on rough consensus.

And just remember, once we have all the nitty gritty detail out of the way, the actual fun part (the writing) can begin.

>>9055342
I completely forgot!

Another potential god in the pantheon is Hephaestus, who represents cucks, betas and nu-males. He has a cyclops servant that looks and talks somewhat like John Green, who possibly devours those who answer wrong.

If there is enough consensus Hephaestus can be moved into confirmed. His physical description still needs to be ironed out though. For now, we can imagine him being depicted simply as he is in greek mythology.

I've broken down what needs to be done most immediately into a couple task lists. Here is the first, pertaining to characters. Because of the way this novel is going to work, these tasks are probably the most pertinent at this stage, as the characters will dictate much of the thematic content.

Also, I am using 'Pantheon' as the working title so far.

Suggestions for alternate working titles and final titles are always welcome.

Here is the google doc for Minor contributions:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-cp4Avh4E2VYGLPdV1afZnKsZeY-2_GUVjqyRNeKFmE/edit

It is open to editing to anyone who has the link, so please don't be a shitfuck and mess around with it or link it to your friends.

A few things worth noting about the Minor contributions:

Poems are going into the interlude(s). They do not need titles or bylines. Any titles or bylines will most likely be deleted.

Prose is going into the appendix. These DO require titles and bylines (just make up any name you want, or use your own if you want. It doesn't matter at all). Yes, the title CAN be 'untitled', and the byline CAN be 'Anonymous'. Dates are also encouraged, but not necessary. Just as a reminder, the prose here can be about literally anything, but content related to the overall text is welcomed (e.g. if you want to write a backstory to the main protagonist go ahead. Everything in the appendix is simultaneously canon and non-canon, if you get what I mean).

Once their are enough submissions we can begin to organise them. If any themes start to develop in either section, especially the appendix, we will eventually organise them into subcategories/subsections.

Also, final note on Minor contributions, please ensure that your submissions are clearly seperate on the document from the others. You can use any range of font and color (within reason) to ensure this.

Any further questions on Minor contributions please don't hesitate to ask.

>>9053824
Added to the appendix in the google doc. Can you please provide a title and byline? Otherwise I'll just make one up.

>>9053996
>>9054128
I like it. Diogenes is now the leading frontrunner for Greek philosopher

>>9053998
I am interested

>>9054117
The opening of the novel and the name of the protagonist are two matters to be discussed, I will touch on this in subsequent posts. Your suggestions are noted.

>>9054119
I like this suggestion, actually. It is noted

>>9054141
I think he would be a great character to feature somewhere. Not necessarily in the pantheon, but if there is enough interest...

>>9054293
This is an intriguing idea. It would allow us to use as many greeks as we wished. Maybe all of their souls fight for control of one body which serves as a member of the pantheon? I will put this forward in a subsequent post as an alternative to Diogenes, who is the current frontrunner for the greek philosopher god.

>>9054372
>What exactly will be happening with a main character? Will he be witnessing gods' conversation during his wait in the line?

We have yet to fully discuss the novels beginning. Don't worry, we will very shortly.

>What his answers to gods are based on?

They take the form of short stories, which can either be anecdotes from his own life or stories of his own imagination that illustrate his point. There will be a lot of creative freedom allowed for these stories, their only necessity will be quality and fitting within the thematic tone (somehow) of the god who asked the corresponding question.

>Will he interact with other people in the line?

This depends on what kind of character the protagonist is. This is still yet to be decided.

>And finally, is he(or she) gonna make it to heaven (as I understood, there is heaven and hell in your story)?

We have more or less confirmed that he will answer all the questions correctly, but it is not yet confirmed whether the gods will keep to their word and grant him access to the pleasent after life.

We have no consensus yet on whether it will be a heaven/hell dichotomy, but there definitely at least be an option that is more pleasant than the other(s)

For the euros/aussies who read this thread while Im asleep, pic related is where we're at so far in terms of the gods in the pantheon.

You can start thinking of philosophical/existential/literary, or even just nonsensical, questions for them to ask the protagonist. Remember, each god asks one question, and the question has to be something no ordinary person would ever know/guess, and should in some way reflect the character of the god who asked it.

Another reminder, the answer to these questions will be given by the protagonist in the form of a short story. I recommend reading the quick rundown in the first two posts of this thread, if you haven't already, to better understand the premise, as well as what each question and subsequent short story should try to achieve.

Also, even though these gods are based on real people/gods, most of them don't have names, or a specific physical appearance, yet, so any ideas on that front are very welcome. Also, any names or physical descriptions seemingly decided are still very much up for discussion.

When I come back, I will add anything that has any kind of agreed upon consensus to the master document I have going.

I think its been a good start so far.

>>9053485
Jesus is definitely a tantalizing idea for one of the gods, for a number of obvious reasons.

I think that if we are going to have a biblical figure (which just seems like a logical idea), he would be one of the first choices.

>>9053458
This post gave me an idea.

Thoughts on a Nihilist God?

Pic semi related.

>>9053470
I like this, because it it opens the door to all the classic, alex jones style, conspiracy theories. There would easily be enough material there for a great chapter.

Noted, anon.

>>9053409
>>9053435

Me too. It is noted.