Young Writers Society

So I was listening to NPR (National Public Radio, for those not in the know; it might sound boring at first but it's really very interesting *cough* anyway, back on topic...) today, and there was a book-review segment. The book they were talking about today was called "Click" about... well, can't remember too clearly what it was about, but it was written by ten different people, each author taking a different chapter.

Now two things popped into my head:

1) I don't like the 'every author take a chapter' approach. I think it'd be far more interesting/beneficial/worthwhile to have all ten authors sit down together and try to hammer out a single storyline. Yes, I know how unrealistic that would be, first of all finding a general story that everyone could work with, and second, trying to get any ten people to agree on something is usually rather difficult. But wouldn't that be cool? To actually co-write something with (at least) nine other people?


2) Does anyone read and like these books? Sure it's "breaking literary boundaries" or some such all like that, but I don't think they're that interesting. Trying to keep ten people in the same frame of mind? [see above] I don't know about that. And then they read a segment. And I almost fell asleep. It was alright, I suppose, but I didn't find the characters particularly interesting. I thought it seemed like the kind of thing adults write when they want to write something they think will be interesting, but with the intent to send a message. I suppose I'd label it "safe" literature, that parents and the people who make book lists would be all over (NPR seemed to be. Too bad) because, well, let me quote the summary:

She [Maggie, one of the MC's] receives a wooden box and inside she finds seven seashells, each from a different continent. This unusual gift sets off a story that winds around the world and across generations.

It was the phrase "a story that winds around the world and across generations" that finally made me go from wary to eye-rolling. I'm not saying that the idea cross-generation stories are bad, or untrue, I just think that they seem so very contrived. Like something in the middle should involve a deep, obvious, searching of character that probably ends with a field full of dasies.


So what do you think? Do I have a point? Am I just cynical? A big windbag?


You can find an excerpt from the book, a summary of the article (and I think listen to the whole program) here on NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=14869506

1) Sounds like a chain story (story book) sort of thing. The only thing I know of that is written like this (slightly?) that I actually think would be great to read it Atlanta Nights--but that is a literary hoax and would just be read for the laughs of it. (Do read the article I linked to, if you don't already know what it is. ^_~)

2) the only thing I've ever read like this is a book on writing, which makes sense. Each author write the section they were best at--duh. It was from Gotham Writer's Workshop.

I think it's kind of ridiculous, and sounds like its more of a gimmick. "Hey, this book was written in such an original way, I have to read it!" No thank you, I prefer something slightly more intriguing than that. ^_~

I think it's kind of ridiculous, and sounds like its more of a gimmick. "Hey, this book was written in such an original way, I have to read it!" No thank you, I prefer something slightly more intriguing than that. ^_~

Exactly! Yet it's the type of book that garnishes praise at every turn, and I was wondering if there were any real people out there who thought otherwise.


EDIT: and I enjoyed reading the article as well ^_^

LOL!!!! I'd heard about PublishAmerica, of course, but wow...that's just hilarious, thank you for making me laugh, Clau. And as to you, AmeliaOliver, I toally agree, fine, go ahead and break literary bounds or something, I'd rather have an old-fashioned but enjoyable story any day. Maybe I'm a cynic too.

I wouldn't read it. It doesn't sound interesting, not only the fact that it was written by a big bunch of people, but the plot is really dry and boring.

I've read books by two people, and those are really good, though.

I think I've read one book which was written by three people, it was a sci-fi I stole from my Dad's shelf, and each person wrote specific parts, like one was more into the science of it, another wrote much of the action, and the other guy I wasn't too sure about XD

It was a good book, but I think that for me, three would be the limit. And a chapter by chapter things sounds... like a tacky gimik, for lack of better phrasing.