This is the first update from Joseph Lewis, chief instigator of the collaborative project, “The Drifting Isle Chronicles.” We first heard from Joe when he was introducing the project, and we have since heard from Charlotte English, one of the writers of this project. In this update, Joe shares how the project is progressing...
The following is an interview with Mur Lafferty of Angry Robot Books’ Worldbuilder (recently profiled here at SSW). Mur shares her thoughts on collaborative entertainment and why she’s passionate about audience participation. Let’s begin with a description of Worldbuilder. How do you like to describe it? Worldbuilder is the open story world connected...
This is the second in a series of interviews regarding “The Drifting Isle Chronicles” shared world project. In this interview, we meet one of the collaborating authors, Charlotte English and learn what attracted her to the project. You’ve already self-published two novels and an anthology set in your original world, Draykon. You’re...
Bob Chapin shares his inspiration for the shared story world, The Hunted, a project that’s been running for over a decade. Bob also talks about lessons learned while overseeing this project, how the budgetary practicalities shaped the world mythology, why he says to give up chasing the illusion of control, and how even he...
SSWs present some very interesting opportunities (and challenges) from a copyright perspective. As soon as you allow the remixing of content in your SSW, whether it’s content you created or submitted content you published, you have to decide what kind of legal license framework you want. Ideally, this will be shaped by your goals...
The following is a guest post from Corey Reid, creator of the Dino-Pirates of Ninja Island shared story world. I use role-playing game development as a way to build setting. A shared world needs setting – locations, landscapes, and institutions that characters can interact with, that can ignite and illuminate their stories. When you’re...
A few days ago I stumbled on a promising new shared universe project being led by Joseph Robert Lewis, a prolific self-published author. The project is called “The Drifting Isle Chronicles,” and while it’s technically not a shared story world (Joseph is working with a small group of authors and is not accepting outside...
After posting several entries on SSW design here, I had the chance to expand on them at DIY Days L.A. 2011. Although I had about an hour to make the presentation, I barely had time to cover the absolute basics (I hope to go into more detail in future posts). Still, the exercise of...