Forum: Story Ideas

Thinking back to an earlier thread discussing the ability to write a story by oneself versus asking another to expand on an idea. The commenter likened it to being an architect as opposed to a builder.

I think his point wasn't just that a more polished writer could do the story better, but that there would be a sense of thrill/excitement at seeing what a skilled "builder" could do with his "design".

Thinking about it in that frame of reference, I have "designed" a few story ideas that I think I could flesh out to maybe 1,000 / 1,500 words tops but a somebody with better writing skills could "build" something entertaining with.

If anybody is interested possibly working with a few of the ideas I have, the tags that would apply include: MA/FA/mt/ft, reluct, coercion, impreg, exhibition. Probably a few others might come up depending on the direction somebody wanted to take one or more of them.

If the idea strikes anybody's fancy, feel free to send a DM to discuss.

Caveat - I am a pedantic asshole.

An architect is more akin to a program manager for a group of several disciplines of engineering talent. Wiki probably has a page for Architect, as they do for most everything.

A builder may be an analogue to the type setter, binder, etc of book production. The writer should be both an architect of ideas, and an engineer of words.

But I am curious. Has any SOL authors contacted you and/or used your story ideas?

An architect presents a concept - often one which is beautiful but impossible to build.

Engineers try to design a structure that looks as much as possible like the architect's concept, but won't fall down.

Builders oversee the actual work, which is carried out by subcontractors. Subcontractors are the "typesetters, binders", etc.

If you let the architect try to do the others' work, you wind up with buildings like Frank Lloyd Wright designed - pretty, but leaky when it rains.