I see that the site doesn't yet have the option to promote others to trusted or editor status, but is it possible for a moderator (if we have any yet) of the site to transfer ownership of stories if I sent them a request? I am thinking of stories that were taken over by me on chyoo, but there might be other stories I would be interested in taking over if they are abandoned.
If you send me the title of those stories, I can change the owner of the story for the time being. Once editors can be added, I'll revert the ownership and add those users as editors. You can also contact one of the moderators (Torg, jakelyon, Murakami) first to check whether they consider it appropriate in those cases or not.
This seems like the most difficult aspect of the site to judge. With user-generated content, a story can still grow independent of its creator's presence or interest. With no way to get in touch with such a creator, do we really let such a story fall by the wayside, even if others can take up the task of adding to it and renewing its momentum? What happens if they come back two years later and decide they're interested in writing again? What about users grabbing up numerous eligible stories, but finding they lack the interest in their upkeep? Is the story's original creator still credited with its creation?
I'm all for authors adopting abandoned stories, so long as the stories are truly abandoned and the author is truly gone. My laptop is currently in limbo and with it all my writing, but I'm still checking the site and forum daily, and I usually try to get to my e-mail once a week. So if anybody is truly trying to reach me, I'll show up somewhere. However people trying to claim "abandoned" stories because they want their threads added, despite being declined prior, is most seriously not cool.
Would it be possible to add to stories that are clearly inactive despite having active owners? There's a few stories on this website that I'd love to help grow and develop but I believe the owners of those stories have no interest in continuing them or opening them up for additions.
It might make more sense for you to start a new "inspired by" story to hold your additions if the active owners aren't interested in opening up/continuing a particular story.
For what it's worth my request involved acquiring stories I was already editor of over in chyoo. The stories I'd taken over had been abandoned for a couple of years when I originally took them over, and I waited a month for the author to reply to my one (or two, can't remember) attempts to contact them. I seem to recall getting a reply to one of those replies that was along the line of "Chow? What's that? Oh, I forgot about that site entirely."
Hey Friedman, up until the old CHYOO went belly up I was adding a lot of threads to "Farmer's Daughter." The original author, justahack, hasn't been on for about two years and Torg took over. Torg used to be the editor of "Farmer's Daughter", so is it possible for Torg to take over that story again so he can approve my threads?
Would it be bad form to basically "copy" threads from the original story? I'm not sure how that stuff goes in a literary community like this. By copy I mean like... either exact threads or threads/story paths that are exceptionally similar to the original.
Hi Friedman, I have posted a thread a week ago for "2869 lust in space" by The Bully but he never answered. Could you do something about this please ?
Yeah, I probably should have done that already. The posts still in this topic are for requesting to take over stories with absent editors. Any suggestions on a better system go in the suggestion thread.
I think both features will be ready in about a week. Edit: It will take two more weeks before they're ready.
This issue i think also stems from that idea that no one really likes 'unfinished business' as it were. You create a story with loads of potential for growth, but something happens that prevents you from completing your vision, usually because of work or something that interferes with you creative processes, or like in the case of films or TV shows, sometimes shows are cancelled prematurely or films that set up the potential to explore things in sequels end up not having any sequels. I've seen plenty of fanfiction stories where writers have created something truly awesome that engages your interest and your imagination and then you reach a point where there is no more story because the writer has not gotten around to continuing it, or they have simply lost interest in continuing the story and it just sort of hangs there for years as an incomplete work. its hard to know where this need for closure comes from, but I guess its that idea within fiction that since there is a start to a story you naturally would like to see that story through to its conclusion. but it also then becomes an issue of how satisfying that conclusion becomes if someone else takes up the threads of the story rather than the actual person that conceived the story, kinda like the V mini series from the 80s and the follow up V: The Final Battle, and the short-lived V television series that followed on from both mini-series. The original mini series was created by Kenneth Johnson, but the follow ups did not have Johnson involved at all. Yes, the story was continued based on what he started, but its hard to know if the follow ups are what he would have done had he actually been involved. its the same when there are those who create virtual continuations of short-lived programs, the writers obviously try to create something to continues the story and provides closure, usually by trying to come up with what they feel would be a natural continuation from how something ended, and also try to craft something that honors the same spirit and atmosphere of what was created, but in those cases it is based on the writer's imaginations rather than the actual intentions of the original creators. ] However, it is also true that very often someone that has a great idea can only see so far, and while they do lay out the blueprints and the template and the groundwork for the universe created, sometimes you need others that can inject fresh new blood and new ideas in order keep that universe thriving, kinda like with Star Trek and more recently with Star Wars.
Check the adopt a story and thread approvals reports threads. Adopt a story has a bunch of stories that the authors are no longer on chyoo just waiting for an owner, and thread approvals has more where people have posted threads. Sometimes editors rights are assigned for those stories, as well. Just ask in there and Friedman will look into it for you!
