Introducing Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel
Let's write a book together this year!
Want to write a book with me?!
Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel a Choose Your Own Adventure-style interactive project where you get to decide what the characters say and do next.
And I would love for you to be a part of it!
It's free to join, all you have to do is enter your email address to get updates – but there are some exciting perks if you decided to become a paid subscriber!
Table of Contents (so far!)
We’ve just started the book, so you’re right one time. Here are some posts to help you join us on the adventure:
Introduction to this project and how it works (this post! read below!)
The Character Names Are Chosen + the story behind the names!
A new chapter released every Tuesday morning!
How The Process Works
THE STORY: On February 8, 2024, I posted three general novel ideas and you got to vote on which one you want us to explore together. You chose: Magic & Gender Mayhem.
THE CHARACTERS: On February 13, you got to help me come up with character names, and on February 17 I revealed all the character names plus a bit of their backstory so far.
THE CHAPTERS: The first chapter dropped on February 18, and I’ll be dropping a new chapter every Tuesday until the story is done!
After the chapter drops, YOU HAVE 3 DAYS to vote in the poll and/or give feedback in the comments on what the characters should say or do next.
Be sure to keep notifications turned on for the Substack app and keep an eye out for my emails on Tuesday mornings.
Who Gets to Participate
Short answer: YOU DO! Anyone can read along!
Longer answer: Anyone can read along. Free subscribers to Unscripted (my Substack) can vote in the polls and join The Group Chat. Paid subscribers get to suggest ideas in the comments + other TBD fun bonuses.
That’s it! Simple, easy, fun, and creative! All you have to do to join in the adventure is subscribe and check your emails.
Want even more input on the book?
Throughout the week while I’m writing the chapter, I’ll ping The Group Chat to get feedback and come up with ideas, so if you want to be even more interactive, be sure to join my chat. It’s open to free and paid subscribers.
The fine print, please read before participating:
By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook and print with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.
Why You Should Join in The Fun
We all need a place on the internet that is full of joy, creativity, and community.
We all need a creative outlet that centers diverse people living, loving, and existing as beautifully complex beings (which this story will, not matter what path we take).
Subscribers who comment on at least three chapters will get their name listed in the back of the book as a collaborator.*
Paid patron members will get a shout out and an ebook version sent to them when it’s all done.
Did I mention it was going to be fun?!
Also, if you join in from the start, you get to be a part of the story from the inception! Joining anytime is great, but joining now is the best!
How to Join
Joining in the fun is simple! All you have to do is subscribe to my Substack, Unscripted.
It would be very helpful to turn on notifications via the Substack app and/or email, to make sure you get the chapter polls as soon as they come out. I’ll close them after 3 days so I can go write the next part of the story.
That’s it! Paid subscribers get extra bonuses – like the ability to comment and interact – but all subscribers get to read along.
Let’s get creative together!
Because collaborative projects are more fun with friends, I’m also offering a buy-one-get-one discount so you can bring someone along on the adventure with you.
The Story Behind the Story
Did you ever read Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid? I absolutely loved them. It felt like I was part of the story, playing a role in how it unfolded.
But one thing always bothered me: I wanted to choose more than just the predetermined paths; I wanted to be a part of writing the story.
Recently, I played a game on my iPad called Wylde Flowers – a super LGBTQ friendly narrative about farming and secret witches – and I loved the way that I got to meander through the world picking and choosing what my character did and how she interacted with others.
Yet still, as much as I loved the game, I longed to be a more integral part of the narrative. I’m in a year-long course to learn about writing comedies for TV, and the stories of the collaborative writing rooms made me crave the kind of collective creativity that working on a project like a video game or TV gives you.
That longing for collaborative creativity sparked an idea in my head:
What if I wrote a novel with friends and strangers on the internet?!
Put It Into Art
I don’t need to tell you that things are grim out there for a lot of us. My heart breaks every time I sign into social media. I fear for myself and my community when I read the news.
But doomscrolling isn’t helping me. And I’m gonna guess it’s not helping you.
When creating my Substack Unscripted, especially this project Plot Twist, I asked myself these questions:
What if I created a space on the internet that doesn’t emotionally bypass the hate that’s out there, but also doesn’t feed into it by amplifying it?
What if I got a group of diverse people together and we wrote our feelings out in a fictional world full of joy, heartache, love, sex, fighting back, friendship, revolutions, power, hilarity, fashion, and fries with cheese?
What if I spent this year leaning into creativity and community instead of algorithms and virality?
When things get hard for me, I like to say “Put it into art.”
Plot Twist is my way to help us all take this really hard political time and put it into art.
I hope you’ll join me for it.
Looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds,
Lauren
*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:
By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.