Chain Story Discussion

[jon.hayworth]

I certainly think that we are in the right course, but could I kick-in just a couple of points.

(i) 17th C is a little limiting in how many can take part - allow any story to span upto 50 years - (Judo's suggestion) and that limits us to 8 participants unless we move into the future and that involves mixed genres, I do not think that will work in terms of the finished product.

(ii) To make the change overs realistic people should communicate the end of their chapter to the next person - just a brief outline. - (Doing this would remove the obvious seams).

Apart from that I agree with Karen we need someone to write the introductory chapter so we all know where we are going in terms of knowing the backstory.

jon

 

[KillerMuffin]

I wrote the "history" chapter last time. I'd like to let someone else have the opportunity to do so. I would suggest Judo.

I want to do mine during the beginning of the Roman occupation of Britannia, probably when they started building Hadrian's wall. Emporer Hadrian ordered it's erection in 122 AD and it was started shortly thereafter, though no one knows exactly when or why. I'd pick 150-200 AD as a funky timeframe.

 

[GoddessKaren]

17th Century?

Jon,

If mine is the first chapter, it will be set in approximately 1250 - 1300 A.D. So, this will give us more than 700 years to work with.

And if someone wants to start earlier than that, that's cool too!

Also, as we get closer to modern times, the timespans can be shorter I think. Because things have changed so rapidly in, for example, the last 200 years, you could have probably at least 3 stories set in just the 1900s alone.

** edited post from here down **

I just read KM's post - and it looks like we will be starting even earlier in time than I thought! That is awesome.

I agree that Judo would be a good one to write the introduction.

karen

 

[Todd-'o'-Vision]

Like I said when its alltogether and if what I offered that I can do fits let me know when and what to write.

edited to add

its alright if we skip some years or centuries i would think.

I mean someone could start it 3000BC the next person come alon at 1000bc another 100ad etc.

I would prefere somewhere in the last 200 years to present as its what I know the best prefereably in the last hundred but i think i could go 200 safely without wreaking it for the historians to much

 

[Johnny_Boy]

I'm ready whenever you guys have a set date. Now what time period was the old west, the 1920s, 30s, or 40s?

 

[jon.hayworth]

Looking at KMs last post I'll reitterate my personal preference for the Roman era (see an earlier post) -

I'll take the time period 43 to 95 ad

The Roman invasion and settlement of that part of Britain now known as England and Wales and Agricolla's expeditions into Hibernia (Scotland)

That allows the movement of the talisman from anywhere across the Roman Empire - East to West or South to North.

jon

 

[KillerMuffin]

Please tell my you're joking, Johnny. I would seriously hate to think our educational system was that bad.

 

[porphry]

I just wanted to let you folks know how fascinating it is for me to watch this process unfold.

Thanks......

 

[Johnny_Boy]

sorry Muff. I actully have no idea what period the west was in. the 1800's I think. Sorry, I am still in the Public High School System. (Am a Junior, and yes, of the legal age in Minnesota)

 

[mlyn]

I'm confused on how you will set this up

A timeline and have people sign up for a particular general time frame? I actually like the idea I had about fertility god and I may write a story on that myself... LOL.

good luck

 

[JUDO]

Questions

(1) What is the "history" or "introduction" that we're talking about? KM or GK mentioned these respectively. I remember KM writing the opening chapter last year, but I don't think that is what you are talking about. Be glad to do it, by the way.

(2) If we're doing the stone medallion/jewelry carved from the caves of the Buddhist Temples in the Indian Ocean on Elephanta Island, the earliest time in which the medallin would exist would be 1000AD.

So, either some of the times are a little skewed here that people want...

OR

I have to create a new time line for when and how this thing was created.

(3) Like I mentioned earlier, everyone needs to seriously start thinking about the beginning of when their character gains possession of the medallion (the beginning year to be precise) and when they lose it(the ending year of possesion to be precise).

I can live with Ninetheeth Century, 1883 to 1908.


---------------------------

And about the 65000 words...

I write the story to be a good story, when the idea comes to me, I go with it. Sometimes it's 15000, sometimes longer. Free or not, I own the copyright. Laurel has certain rights to it and those are to post it on her site until I say no. She's awfully nice that way.

My chapter last year was long (I wouldn't consider it novel length, but then again I'm not a novelist; so I don't really know), but in my mind, it was long enough to tell the story I wanted.

 

[jon.hayworth]

JUDO

I think what people want is the backstory to the Talisman - the kind of thing you might see in an introduction. By having these pointers in the first place everyone will be handling the same Talisman. Otherwise we would have something that was a shapeshifter - pretty majical but a bit far fetched maybe.

So we all need to be clear about the basic factors before we start creating our parts of the story. I've put my ideas below, no doubt others will kick in theirs.

What it looks like.

Who created it.

Why it was created.

The main myths that surround it.


Hope that helps

jon

 

[Whispersecret]

I'm relieved to see the direction this is going.

I like the idea of the talisman teaching the owner something.

I don't think you have to explain its origin at all. You could actually have several unsubstantiated myths surrounding its origin, without ever saying definitively where it came from. Perhaps it came from a more advanced alien culture? Perhaps from Atlantis?

If you do it in first person, you can only write about the talisman from the owner's pov, which means the reader will probably never realize how the talisman is shaping the character's life, because the character him/herself will not know.

If you do it in third person, you as the writer have the option of pulling back and pointing out how the talisman is manipulating events to suit its purpose. As the centurion stormed into the village, the talisman invoked its will upon him. He felt inexplicably drawn toward one small hut on the edge, isolated from the fighting. He walked toward it, aware that with every step he took, his path became miraculously clear. Men grappling with each other in battle twisted aside as he came near. A wounded man suddenly regained consciousness and got to his feet to run for cover...

I don't have a problem with each story being as long as it needs to be.

It's difficult for me to believe that the characters could be aware of the talisman and its power. If it was common knowledge, it seems like people would be seeking it like the Arc of the Covenant. I think that most of the characters will just be affected by it, without ever knowing it shaped their lives. I think the mystic quality of this series will come from the READER understanding how the talisman is working.

Perhaps it might be good to establish a tone. I don't think it would be a good idea to have the type of emotionally hard-hitting story like Muff's likely to write in the same chain as a humorous, light-hearted story. It isn't cohesive. To me it doesn't cleave to the idea of this mysterious object and its "mission to teach."

 

[RisiaSkye]

I had a blast participating in the last chain story, and I want to play again. I am prepared to beg, but only if absolutely necessary, lest I should fail to respect myself in the morning.

jon.h just gave me the heads-up today, so I'm sorry to have missed out on the early discussion, but I'm gonna throw some ideas into the ring too, for better or worse.

Personally, it seems to me that there's an awfully lot of detail being slung around here, and while an ongoing story should have a feeling of continuity, I think it's wrong to nail things down so firmly that it flattens out the differences in everyone's styles. There ought to be room for a variety of tones/styles/authorial voices, as the different approaches to an ongoing tale is a big part of what makes it interesting to read. Besides trying to write *with* rather than *against* our different approaches, the reading of those varied interpretations (et al) was what made it such fun (for me, anyway) last summer.

In the end, of course, I'm pretty happy to conform to whatever everyone agrees upon; just so long as I get a spot on the roster, okay? I'd hate to miss out on the fun!



(not to mention the points. )

 

[GoddessKaren]

I completely agree with Risia, we are not trying to fit ourselves into some cookie cutter mold here, and all write stories with the same tone. Our different styles is what makes this project so interesting.

Judo, I still really like the idea of an anceint god/goddess created talisman, but I think it is going to have to be older than what you had originally proposed to give all of us the flexibility with times that we desire. Any ideas? I am no historian or mythologist, although I do have a few reference books. What if it were created early on by the gods as a toy to amuse themselves with, imbuing the talisman with purpose to seek out one whose lesson will be most life-changing?

I think the backstory is going to be vital, otherwise the reader will not have a full appreciation for what the talisman is and does.

As far as the talisman teaching its bearers something - my focus for this was that it would teach each individual bearer what he or she needed to know. For example, if (heaven forbid) Jerry Falwell suddenly ended up with the talisman he would find himself inexplicably and irresistibly attracted to men, to the great chagrin and disdain of his followers. Which would eventually teach him tolerance. This allows a lot of flexibility to the teaching aspect, I think. But, what do the rest of you think?

karen

 

[KillerMuffin]

I can adjust my time frame. The events following the Battle of Hastings are cool, too. I want to center around a conflict and I picked farther back to give everyone room. Hastings happened in 1049, I believe. Then there's Culloden, but Braveheart makes it cliche.

Whisper, I promise not to beat the reader over the head emotionally with it.

I think what Whisper means by tone would be like having my Absolution for Gretta MacClain followed by Three Foot No Cock Zone. It's jarring to go from that kind of emotional rip to snorting under your breath so you don't wake your guy up.

We weren't discussing voice, which is individual. We're discussing tone, which is easily altered. It refers to the emotional impact/goals of the story. Most people here don't deal with tone at all, they have no audience goals. I always work with the idea and Whisper does, too, I think. What do I want the reader to feel when s/he's done with the story? Then I write accordingly. That's a piece of tone. That doesn't need to be similar but they shouldn't jar from one piece to another.


I disagree with the whole idea of let an individual do anything they want to. Otherwise, what's the point of the exercise? Chain stories come with constrictions. We're just working those out in advance.

If ya'll wanna write a book, (novels are defined by publishers as 55,000+ words, btw), go for it. I promise to read the first page.

 

[Alex De Kok]

You've all been busy...

..while I've been sleeping/working.

I only raised this in the first place because I wanted Survivor points, you know. The beast seems to have taken on a life of its own!

There's obviously been a lot of thought here, so rather than another essay length opus, here's my take:

1) 'Chronicles of the Talisman', yes - could be sub-titled by character name, date or both?
2) The Talisman is a Medallion.
3) Origins lost in history. When we finally get this going might I suggest that whoever writes the introductory story writes about where/how it was found and segues into its first 'possession'. The idea of alien or Atlantis appeals, but the point has been made that if its powers were known then every Indiana Jones clone across the centuries would be looking for it. I think lost/found/bequeathed/stolen (whichever) is enough.
4) Some liaison between writers to account for it turning up where it does, but just enough for that.
5) Length - a minimum of around 3000 words, max to author's taste/needs?
6) No time overlap, but not necessarily complete centuries. I'd like Napoleonic, say around 1805, but if anyone desperately needs that time, my ideas will fit quite well into Crimean War period, say around 1855. Like KM, I plan to use a conflict as backdrop. Hastings was 1066, by the way.
7) I take KM's point about 'Tone', although I'm not altogether sure I know how to write that way. It will be good exercise whichever way it goes. I had no original view towards a novel. I merely want to be involved in a chain story which has captured my imagination. I think this is it, so don't anybody take it off track! That said, I'm looking forward to trying to write something with defined, however loosely, parameters.
8) Keep the discussion going! For another week, anyway.

Alex

 

[Whispersecret]

I can adjust my time frame. The events following the Battle of Hastings are cool, too. I want to center around a conflict and I picked farther back to give everyone room. Hastings happened in 1049, I believe. Then there's Culloden, but Braveheart makes it cliche.

One movie don't make it cliche. Do Culloden if you want, unless you're doing a similar story to Braveheart too.

Whisper, I promise not to beat the reader over the head emotionally with it.

Just teasin' you, girlfriend. Emotional bashing is your specialty.

I think what Whisper means by tone would be like having my Absolution for Gretta MacClain followed by Three Foot No Cock Zone. It's jarring to go from that kind of emotional rip to snorting under your breath so you don't wake your guy up.

Exactly. I'm not saying a story with a serious tone can't have humor in it. Actually humor is often necessary to relieve the tension, but I think having a chapter that is like "Saving Private Ryan" followed by one like "American Pie" might be weird to the readers. They will have expectations based on what has come before, and if you mess with those expectations too much, you risk losing readers.

Continuity in tone doesn't make for cookie cutter stories, I guarantee it. So many other factors here are going to make that impossible: different authors, different times/settings, different lessons learned, etc. There will not be any stifling of style, either. I think that in the Memoirs chain Muff, Gaucho and I did a good job of keeping the same tone, and yet, I think our styles still came through fine. If you truly have a style, it can't help but shine through, even if you're trying to write a story that has a mysterious feel to it.

The people at the beginning have responsiblity to set up a format, tone, etc. that the rest can follow. The people afterward have a responsibility to see it through to the end. There's room for individuality, but if you really want to do your own thing, don't join a group. Like Muff said, chain stories come with guidelines, so if you're going to participate, put up (with the rules) or shut up, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Why not just call it "Talisman?" Grammar isn't a titular consideration and I generally detest titles starting with "the."

Let's see if I've got this correct:

We've decided there is to be an object. Most are in agreement with Judo's Medallion and one likes the idea of a fertility god statue.

We've decided there is a theme - the object should teach the protagonist something and that something is individually defined.

We've decided there should be no maximum number of words.

We've decided that everyone should use their own voice, but we should give consideration to "tone" which is to include a lesson on what tone is.

We've decided that "Talisman" belongs in the title. Here are the suggestions: Talisman, The Talisman, Chronicles of the Talisman. The character's name or some other subtitle hooked to it. ie Talisman - Adventures of some horny guy in 1285.

Muffie thoughts:

There is a difference between "cookie cutter" molds and everyone being on the same bus. That's why we set parameters. I get the feeling that everyone thought last year's chain was a rousing success. I think it failed to accomplish its mission. Why? There were no parameters, people overlapped ideas, I started a voice that I shouldn't have used and it wasn't carried through, it was a memoir and people used third person. Some people wrote 800 words and called it good some people wrote 65,000 words and called it good. Can we not see disparity? One guy had his man be the love of her life and so did another guy. She loved horses in one and was terrified of them in another. The only thing each story seemed to have in common was the name of the main character. It wasn't a chain it was a collection of short stories and a novel.

Chain stories are not about individuality. Anthologies are about individuality.

This is the way I see it. We aren't writing a story about whatever characters we dream up. We are writing the story of the talisman itself. Each author gets a chapter of a whole, not a whole related to others. Like it or not, there is going to be some parameters that have to be followed or you're going to get the same mess we had last year.

I think there needs to minimum and a maximum. However, if you don't give a maximum then there should be no minimum either. Logically a story should be as long as it needs to be also includes a story should be as short as it needs to be. We either set word length or we don't. I'm for it because I believe that anything over 3 webpages should be chopped into separate chapters. But if we don't want a max, and I'm okay with that, then there should be no minimum.

Tone - Tone is NOT voice. Tone is NOT indivuality. Tone is important. For instance, read the difference in tone in my piece last year and any other author's save WS. My piece was completely out of place and should not have been written as it was. I didn't even think about it when I wrote it. I had the wrong tone. The voice was what I imagined to be mediteranean upper crust intellectual. The tone was regret.

I've also changed my mind. I wish to go last because then I can alter my tone and voice to fit the chain. I would really rather not feel completely stupid and utterly out of place this time this time around. Pick whatever time frames you wish, I will accomodate since I'm highly flexible in subject matter, time frames, voice, and tone.

 

[JUDO]

Notes on "The Talisman"

Okay, after a wakeful night and brain reveille at 5AM today, I decided to really get into the history of the Talisman.

This is the direction I'm going with it. I think it meets all our parameters.
--------------------------------------------------
The Talisman and How it Works
--------------------------------------------------

What does it look like?
The material
The talisman is made of a transluscent white stone (probably some type of dense white marble). It is circular, like a coin and very hard (it will not break if thrown or dropped). It is also somewhat lightweight.

The talisman is small, approximately 1 1/4 inches across and 1/16th inch thick.

The chain
Woven through 12 holes along the outside edge of the talisman is a gold chain woven of the finest gold threads. The chain is not linked, but woven. The method for creating the chain is lost to history, but it is very strong and unusually lightweight for gold. The chain is 27 inches long.

The top two holes from which the chain leaves the talisman and travels around the neck of the bearer have a small "gap" between them. Other than that gap, the holes are placed equidistant around the outer edge of the piece.

The gold chain passes through the first hole then around the outside edge of the talisman before looping through the next hole and so on.

There is no clasp for the chain. It is continuous.

When it was originally created, it was packed in a locked silver box, enladen with jewels. The box was lined with ashes and filled with marigolds.

The face
Carved into face of the talisman is a relief of the goddess Shakti (also know as Parvati or Uma), the nurturer. The detail of the work is unmatched. It looks as though the goddes could walk right off of the face.

Shakti is also the lover and female half of the god Shiva. In lore, they are considered insolluble/inseperable. Shakti, known to all early human civilizations as the Mother Goddess, is the goddess who protects, blesses and saves. (There is a lot of wonderful information on-line about them both).

The back
An equally beautiful picture of the god Shiva, the destroyer. The all-powerful male half of Shakti.

A little pertinent Shaivism History
Shakti and Shiva origins are in dispute, but the beliefs go back to pre-historic times (before recorded history). So, I believe it's safe to assume at least 4000 years of history up until now.

Georgraphic origins put them in ancient India.

The worship of Shiva and Shakti is also known as "Shavaism." The earliest Shaiva literature was associated not only with Yoga but also with magic and incantations.

If the completely moonless night in the month falls on a Monday which is sacred to Shiva, it is considered most appropriate for worshipping Him; and any religious act done on that day is believed to give manifold merit.

beliefs pertinent to our story
The early Shaivistic Yogis were adepts in hathayoga which is the art of completely controlling the body, including all its vital activities. One of the highest stages for a hathayogi is that of urdhvaretas, which, among other things, includes a mastery over the muscles and nerves of the sexual organ, in order to eliminate sex desire and attain extraordinary longevity.

Our talisman was created in magical ceremony by an ancient cult devoted to the sex worship of Shakti, as the goddess of fertility.

Shakti is worshipped not only as Parvati, the Divine Mother, as Shakti, the Goddess of power and strength, as Chandi the fearsome goddess destroying the wicked, but also as Amarasundari of immortal beauty, the goddess of sublimation from whom flows all creativeness.

The Talisman's Power
The talisman was created to harness the power of the goddess Shakti and god Shiva to allow the enlightened bearer to influence, control and have absolute power over all aspects of sexual acts. Originally, the means of these ends were to assist in pro-creation with couples who had difficulty doing so.

But this is only if the bearer is fully sexually enlightened.

Enlightened?
An enlightened sexual state lies in the bearer's abilities to not only control their bodies and sexual organs specifically, but to have the mental prowess to distant their lust and achieve balance between their desire and their love for another.

If the bearer is such a person, then absolute power over another, physically and somewhat mentally is possible.

Not enlgihtened?
If the bearer is not such a person; in the extreme, unaware and denying their sexual nature, the talisman can not be controlled by them, but will instead begin to control them. The spirit of the Goddess Shakti will use such a person as a vessel for her will and over time, the bearer's will will be completely subjugated.

Shakti's sexual will wants to procreate and assist all others in doing so.

Essentially, such a person would be completely dominated over time by the talisman; essentially possessed.

Somewhat Enlightened?
Most people are somewhere between these two extemes and will therefore, be more or less in control of the talisman's powers.


How it works

Initial Contact
The talisman when initially touched will have a physical effect on anyone. The effect is governed by the amount exposure and the sexual nature of the toucher (enlightened or not?).

How does it feel
When first worn, the talisman may have the effect of making the bearer feel good, feel sexual, feel pretty or feel powerful; again, depending on the bearer's ability to control the talisman's power.

The connection to the bearer
With each wearing of the talisman, the connection between it and the bearer will become stronger. After seven times, the connection is complete.

Controlling Others
As the connection progresses, the bearer can make these feelings and their control over them transfer to another person or persons. They will be controlled by how the bearer can make them feel, not by mindless subordination.

Memory of Events
But after each initial wearing, the bearer will remember more or less what occured while wearing it, again depending on their enlightened state. If their are fully enlightened, they will remember everthing, if not they remember nothing. Somewhere in between, and they remember some of what occurs.

Other Effects
At the height of the talisman's effect on individuals, and depending on the bearer's condition, they may experience visions or see lights. The talisman may appear to glow at certain moments. They may hear singing, chants, or music as performed in the ancient rites that created the talisman.

These are all possible, but not necessarily present.

---------------------------------------------------

Well, it's a lot of stuff. Needless to say, you need to know your character inside and out to figure out how they may be affected.

As you can see, the myths that would travel with it might be both a blessing and a curse, depending on the history of the experiences of those who have contact with it.

Please feel free to use as little of this information as you wish. The only essential requirements for the power of the talisman to be used is:

- physical contact with it

Other than that, the power may be wielded more or less, depending on your character's ability to do so.

Have fun! It's a powerful little sucker.


- Judo

 

[jon.hayworth]

I am just dropping in quickly on a friend's pc, and on our way for an evening out and ....

So I will not be on line till tomorrow, but I can live with whatever people decide.

I do really like Judo's description of the Talisman.

Once again - being a coward I don't want to write about periods I have little or no knowledge of either Roman 1st or 2nd Century ad or the later part of the 16th Century.

Apart from those proviso's I can live with anyone's rules and guidelines.

jon

 

[JUDO]

Authors and Time Frames

I just reread the thread up to here and so far we have committments from ten authors and one I'm not certain about.

The ten authors and their suggested preferred time frames are:

---------------------------------------------------

Alex de Kok - The Napoleanic Period, @1805 to?
KillerMuffin - 150-200AD (Roman occupation of Brittania, Hadrian's Wall)
jon.hayworth - 43 - 95AD (Romans in Britain) OR lower part of 16th C.
GoddessKaren - 1250 - 1300AD (Mongols, Steppes of Asia)
Todd O'vision - 1800s, 1900s, 2000s
Johnny_Boy - 18__? to 18__? (The Wild West)
RisiaSkye - ???
WhisperSecret - ???
and me - Judo - 1883 to 1908 (Egypt, outside Cairo)

---------------------------------------------------

Now, since we are all picking time periods, does it not make sense to do these in historic order (Sorry, Muff, I know you wanted last, but doesn't it?). If so, then this would be our current order:

---------------------------------------------------

jon.hayworth - 43 - 95AD (Romans in Britain) OR lower part of 16th C.
KillerMuffin - 150-200AD (Roman occupation of Brittania, Hadrian's Wall)
GoddessKaren - 1250 - 1300AD (Mongols, Steppes of Asia
Alex de Kok - 1805 to ??? (The Napoleanic Period)
Johnny_Boy - 18__? to 18__? (The Wild West)
Judo - 1883 to 1908 (Egypt, outside Cairo)
Todd O'vision - 1800s, 1900s, 2000s ???

And WhisperSecret and RisiaSkye need to pick an era. Also, Mlyn, if you're with us*. Looks like their is an awfully nice 500 years of absence between 1300 and 1800 up for grabs. Nothing like the Medieval, Renaissance or Exploration Periods for a little adventure!

---------------------------------------------------

* - Mlyn, you also have voiced a couple of opinions, but I don't see a commitment to author one of the chapters. Are you in?

---------------------------------------------------

NOTES:

I will be out-of-town from tomorrow (4-24) until I return Monday (4-28). I will not be near the Net or reachable by email in any way, so if you have any questions, please try to contact me today on this thread. I'll try to watch it.\

-----------------------------

I like the idea (per GK's sugg):

Talisman - Chingis Khan

type of chapter titling with the overall piece just being called "Talisman" (per KM's suggestion).

-----------------------------

I'd like to see a couple of little diatribes on Tone for the piece.

I think that POV, Voice, etc. will be up to the individual authors because we will all have seperate characters who encounter this thing. A leader of the Mongol hordes will not have the voice of a Roman Centurion or the POV of a Victorian Female Vedic Expert.


- Judo

 

[KillerMuffin]

Muffie was being grumpy. I had forgotten to eat this morning again and now I have a full belly and I'm happy. That I wanna go last! crap was a temper tantrum.

I'm not too sure about sitting in one setting, two brito-roman pieces in a row sounds iffy. Since Jon has the superior knowledge, I'll bow out and find me another wall. I'm easy sometimes. You know that the Inca were fond of such things? Actually, I think, I shall do China's wall during the Qin dynasty, who started it. Call it, lesseee, it started in 221 BC so let me have at it in 209, right before the uprising. Being a short story writer, I'll just need the year 209 BC.

Personally, I think we should get all of the parameters in order and firmly decided, fill the slots with those that have participated, and then start a new sign-up/timeline thread. We can decide a total number of participants and allow Laurel to advertise it on the main page if she likes to get fresh blood to participate.

I also think we should at a proviso that at least 5 years must pass between each person's story. Author A ends in 1932 Author B picks up no sooner than 1937. Why? I think it encourages more variety. But that's just a thought.

 

[Alex De Kok]

La Muff said

Personally, I think we should get all of the parameters in order and firmly decided, fill the slots with those that have participated, and then start a new sign-up/timeline thread. We can decide a total number of participants and allow Laurel to advertise it on the main page if she likes to get fresh blood to participate.

I also think we should at a proviso that at least 5 years must pass between each person's story. Author A ends in 1932 Author B picks up no sooner than 1937. Why? I think it encourages more variety. But that's just a thought.

I can go along with this, and I think Judo has given me enough about the medallion to use (or not!) as I need.

I would like to move my story forward a little in time, to 1815, if no-one objects. If we need to take a larger chunk of time, give me the twenty years from 1815-1835. I can see a way of moving the Talisman on to whoever follows me. I won't say anything more at the moment, but I'm starting to jot down plot points!

Alex

 

[Todd-'o'-Vision]

This is a skeleton of what I was going to do tell me if it fits if it doesn't I will bow out.

I was going to do mine almost as a past regression.

that is to say:

The reader will be like a child{legal age} or grandchild{legal age} to the story teller.

The story teller {me} will be an old man recounting the days of his youth and reliving through the telling of his time with the talisman. From his finding untill he loses/misplaces it. through the talisman came the love ofthe tellers life his wife. The talisman having given him the confidence to meet her.

It would likely be told in a nursing home on the tellers death bed somewhat at the urging or asking of the youngster asking how the sotry twller met mom/grandmom

Please tell me if that fits the picture frame for what we are doing

Does that fit the mold? If not tell me nmow so I can step out gracefully before i fudge up the whole story like Killer Muffin was talking about