Comments for Group CCC

Sorry I didn’t get these to you last week, I sort of didn’t realize that was when they were due.  I hope these comments are helpful:

What I liked:

·         A twitter account and blog for Angelina!  Nice use of transmedia.  I can see how this could help you guys develop her character and know how to write her in the novella.  Are you planning on using the twitter account and blog to generate publicity too, or is it just to help you guys write?

·         Your collaboration.  I can tell from the notes on your blog and Google doc that your team is already falling into a rhythm of bouncing ideas off of each other and changing those ideas together to make them better.  I noticed you aren’t afraid to voice concerns about possible weaknesses of other’s ideas, which is good.  That way you can keep each other in check.

·         I enjoyed reading your character and plot outlines so far.  I think this will be a fun project to read when it’s completed.

Suggestions

·         Do you have a plan for how to manage contributors outside the class?  What are your plans to recruit collaborators outside of class?  (I saw your Facebook page.  Is that working?)  What tasks will you assign them and how will you decide who to assign to what?  What will you do if someone takes too long or ignores the group plan for the plot?  Will you allow outside collaborators to suggest changes to the plot or characters?  I think it is important to think about these issues early on in the process so there is less confusion and you can find as many outside collaborators as you want.

·         What about compiling a guide for people who might want to write or edit part of the story?  You could use material you already have about plotlines and characters, but also add directions about specific guidelines and ways to contribute.

·         Since you are writing about a team of people with different personalities, I’d suggest looking for inspiration by reading books or watching movies that contain a team of characters.  The Italian Job is the first one that comes to mind.  See what you can learn about how to have characters with different personalities act believably.   Remember this paraphrased tip by Orson Scott Card: every character is a different person depending on who he or she is with.  So if you have one character who interacts with three others, you essentially have to imagine three characters (or three facets ) for that one character, one for Polly with James, one for Polly with Micro, one for Polly with Angelina, etc.  Anyway, don’t know how useful that quote is, but I think Card is right.

·         Have you done any research on how artificial reality can benefit people emotionally?  I think a little bit of research would help a lot in making your plot believable.