FAQ

How can I increase the odds of my snippet being chosen?

There is a better chance of your snippet being accepted if you submit a variety of entries at one time. Those who are leading in the rankings will typically submit anywhere between two and six entries on any particular day. This also gives us more to work with in deciding which snippet(s) to use.

Make sure you keep up-to-date with the story. If you submit a snippet which does not fit
logically in the storyline at that point, we will be unable to use it.
Also, see the next point for another idea to increase your chances.

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I find it difficult to be limited to only 140 characters. Is there a way around that?

Yes and No. Remember that the purpose of our experiment is to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to be a co-author on the story, and that no one person will dominate the storyline with only one entry. It is for this reason that we limit each snippet to 140 characters.

However, there is a partial solution. Although there is a 140 character limit on each snippet submitted, there is no limit to the number of snippets you can contribute each day. Some of our participants have even submitted snippets which follow each other in logical fashion, effectively writing a paragraph of more than 140 characters, but only with 140 characters in each snippet. While we cannot guarantee that we will use all of those snippets, it does increase your chance of one or more of your snippets being accepted, especially since it gives us more information as to the direction you believe the story should take.

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It is a lot to read. Do I have to read the entire story before I submit a snippet?

No. If you have not visited the site for awhile, or if you are new to The World Writes A Book, you can get up to speed on the story by reviewing the Summary page. However, we do not recommend that you rely solely on the summary to formulate your snippet. Make sure you read, at the very least, the last 5 or 6 snippets up to that point so that your entry will be in line with the story details.

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I have submitted a number of snippets, but they haven't been accepted.
Should I be discouraged?

Absolutely not! If your snippet is not accepted, please do not take it personally. We receive many high quality and creative entries, and we would like to use them all. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, we cannot. It is not a reflection of your writing ability, but more out of the necessity in trying to blend the entries received on that day with the previous snippets already used.

For example, we may receive snippets which move the story along too quickly, revealing too much of a possible ultimate plot, where snippets which concentrate on character development or back stories would be more appropriate. In that case, we will accept the snippets which include narrative that will draw the reader into forming a more emotional tie with the character. Remember, we don't want to rush into the meat of the story. Otherwise, we will reveal too much early on, and the story will become predictable. Keep in mind that this is intended to be a full-length novel, and if the eventual story line is disclosed in the first few chapters, the reader will have little incentive to keep reading.

Everyone has presented great ideas for the story direction, but with the different entries submitted on each day, the storyline can't go in so many directions at one time. Keep submitting your snippets, and the timing of your idea may be better later in the narrative. We definitely appreciate your participation, and please don't give up. The success of this project depends on the number of creative minds who contribute to the literary soup.

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Why are my snippets sometimes modified, or out of date order?

• With the sheer volume of snippets we receive each day, we sometimes have to make minor changes or modifications to the snippets. This is necessary since some of you propose the same type of story idea, or use word choices which conflict with other snippets. The changes are sometimes necessary to make sure the snippets blend as well as possible so that the story flows smoothly. We also correct any typos which are in your snippets. But don't worry. . . regardless of the changes we have to make to your snippets, you will still receive full credit for each snippet we use.

• As the snippets are submitted each day, we may decide that one or more of them will be more logical in a different position in the story. What may seem appropriate today might not seem so tomorrow. Therefore, we will sometimes move the positioning of snippets, even if the "Date of Entry" of the snippets is not in chronological order. Again, our intention is to only make sure the snippets blend properly, and the story flows smoothly. If we do move your snippet to a different location, it will not affect your snippet ranking.

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Why do some people have multiple snippets in the story for one day?

As we explained above, some of our contributors have sidestepped the 140 character limit by providing multiple snippets each day. Those snippets are in logical order, and if we like the entries, we will use a number of them for that day. Of course, we cannot guarantee that we will use all of them, but submitting multiple snippets in that fashion not only increases the chance that your snippet(s) will be chosen, but it also gives us an understanding of where you think the story should go. This all plays in our consideration of whether to accept the snippets, especially if we like your idea.

Of course, you can still submit a single snippet each day, or multiple snippets which don't follow in logical order, but where each will fit in the next slot for the story. Just remember . . . the more snippets you submit, the faster your ranking will increase.

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To submit a snippet, click HERE.
To see one of the works in progress, click HERE.