Help me write a novel

As many of you are no doubt aware, I have several story ideas bouncing around inside my head. However, I need your help in getting them out and onto paper. Or at least electrons.

What I plan to do in the next few days (hopefully) is start work on what I call a "living novel": I will write a story here, on my blog, starting from Chapter 1. What makes this interesting, however, is that there's every possibility I'll need to go back and change, rearrange, or retcon previous work to make later parts fit.

The ideal conclusion to all this is that at the end I have a written novel which I can then solicit to a publisher in a "cleaned up" format. In return, you folks have gotten to read it for free, and perhaps enjoyed watching me run around like a crazy woman as I try to paint myself out of corners or whatever.

Before this can happen, though, there are three positions that need filling: a Wall, a Timmy, and a Nag.


1) The Wall

Being a Wall is pretty easy: I'll ask you, "Hey, what do you think of X idea," and you tell me. You essentially exist for me to bounce ideas off of and get immediate, gratifying feedback from. You don't have to be an idea person yourself to fill this role, though creativity and insight are always a plus. What is essential, however, is that you're a good listener, and capable of asking intelligent questions based upon what I've said.

An offbeat sense of perspective also helps. Someone who constantly gushes "That's a great idea!" is fine for my ego but doesn't really help with bouncing ideas back to me. Someone who goes, "Hmm. What if you replaced all the spaceships in this story with monkeys?" might just trigger some weird cascade of creativity that solves a problem for me, even if it's unrelated to the current matter.


2) The Timmy

#12. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation. -- Rules for Being an Evil Overlord

That's pretty much it. A Timmy is someone who is capable of going "Wait a minute... this doesn't make sense," either in regards to plot, characterization, or continuity. A good memory, attention to detail, and sense of continuity are key.


3) The Nag

To be perfectly honest, I am a slacktard. I need someone who is willing to keep at me to finish what I've started. I don't care which method you use -- Cheerleader, Jewish Mother, Drill Sergeant, or something I've never heard of before -- but I need someone who can help keep me on track and fired up about the process. An ideal nag will be able to motivate me in a variety of methods, depending on my current mental and emotional state.


If you're interested in filling any of these positions, please let me know. The most important qualification for any position, of course, is that you be available.

And yes, I intend to fully acknowledge the contributions of all who help me in this. You will, at the very least, be publicly thanked in the credits & dedication section.