The 'A story of 3 words' has been going on for a long time, and I wanted to make a suggestion about effective storytelling.

I just finished an improv class and we did some storytelling activities and a variant of this where each person only adds one word. Our teacher gave us some good pointers on storytelling and this activity.

When you think of a story like Jack and the Beanstalk. You have one central character, Jack. He encounters many strange things, magical beans, a beanstalk, goose that lays golden eggs, and a giant to name a few. But the story always returns to Jack and what he is doing.

The first few times we tried the exercise, it didn't follow a story format. A character was introduced, and then another character was introduced and the story left the first behind. My teacher would stop us and ask, "Who is our character?" and "What are they doing?" She wanted us to listen to the story and add to it, while keeping to the central plotlines. After a while, we started getting good and were able to create interesting stories. We were able to interject some surprises, but also able to tie it all together.

As I read the story that we are creating, I think we are all over the place. Sometimes it seems like it is more a word association game or trying to trump the last person with something more unusual. Here are the last dozen or so entries.

To the trains
djah say brains?
no said trains
....Planes and Automobiles
brains and robots???
Oh! Artificial Intelligence
From Frankenstein to
The White House
created a monster
But she lost
Bob's apples when...
falling from trees
Twas knocked unconscious
Til nearly nine
minutes past noon.
awoke whistlin Dixie
in hotair balloon
with a baboon
eating his apple...
reading treasure map
looking for X
marks the spot
where the buried
homemade banana bread
was fermenting nicely
When along came
Mabel, with 100
ripe red tomatoes.

I would like to challenge everyone to become storytellers and try to craft a central storyline that everyone can contribute but also makes sense to read when put together. Does anyone think this is possible?

I would certainly like to try it as well. I think it is possible but it is going to take some effort. Perhaps every so often we could do exactly what you have done and compact the story so that it is easy to read and reference to help us stay on track.

same here, it one of the reason's I don't participate in that thread, it took off and takes to long to read back and try and make sense that I just don't fool with it.

I love it. This guy Bob seems to keep popping up, He's a thinker, but a clown at heart. His real name is probably Robert Cornelius, or something like that. I wonder if his hobo getup is actually a disguise. So should we begin a new one or continue the old?:pie:

We could continu in the new format. Maybe also do some cut and paste so once in a while to make it a lot more readable.

Here the last 150 of the story we started

I couldn't believe they were blue....... They cheered-up when...Snap, Crackle and Pop Showed up there!!!!!!! With some milk and banana man with chiquita banana the dancing mascot and featuring Charo Cha! Cha! Cha! Short and Sassy what a chassie Played with Lassie... Skin and bones She's as skinny as a stick slide under door and hide in... with other sticks and some stones
gather no moss only when Rolling Down the mountain picking up speed and rolling towards....
a raging river flowing in wine From the vine... came a grape tart but sweet Ape and Beaglebeagle
The Purple Avenger strikes again! Help! Mighty Mouse is stuck in quicksand! Throw a rope! Not both ends!!!!! Not fast enough... have no fear UnderDog is near! batman's cave so... cluttered with junk Holy Yard Sale! He can’t respond Bat transponder down Egads! The Joker! anouther wild card *Biff***Bam***Crash* Holy fist-ta-cuffs Batman! Bird Plane Superman! Where's that kryptonite? The Periodic table Oh! Good Job! You caught the slob. Clean up the mess. job for bionic-maid! "Elementary, my dear Watson." Signed, Sherlock Was this forged? UNDER a spreading, chestnut tree the superheroes decided to play strip poker and rubberman lost Stretched his hand Tried to cheat.... was caught empty-handed What no Aces??? had no sleeves on his costume. because last week he entered a... monestary and took off his shirt...
No silence vow a golden opportunity to stretch out and eat bon-bons C'est si bon-bons But he ate.... MacDonald's Happy Meal Robble Robble Robble Weeble and wobble all fall down on the bon-bons... What a mess!!!! Get a mop!!! Clean-up, Aisle Five!!!!!!!!! clean it yourself Willace, you're Fired! A second chance? of course, yet it may be....too much to... ask, so soon it's Bob’s job What About Bob? Can't find him... he sweeps up Bob sweeps down! He's a Hobo Taking baby steps Doctor Leo Marvin ("What about Bob?" - Bill Murray/Richard Dreyfus Movie - baby steps is a treatment method in it) prescribed a cure vacation for doctor apples for Bob. Bobb, Bobb, obb....
(Dang! I never can get an apple)!!!bob bob a-ran down the street To the trains djah say brains?
no said trains....Planes and Automobiles brains and robots??? Oh! Artificial Intelligence From Frankenstein to The White House created a monster But she lost Bob's apples when...falling from trees Twas knocked unconscious Til nearly nine minutes past noon. awoke whistlin Dixie in hotair balloon with a baboon eating his apple... reading treasure map looking for X marks the spot
where the buried homemade banana bread was fermenting nicely When along came Mabel, with 100 ripe red tomatoes. Her plan was to sell them to poor Bob for half cent Bob thought, hmmmmmmmm what fun trowing these tomatoes at... all the silly young baboons nearby

I think the recap may come in handy, at least until we get enough people familiar with the story and the concept of keeping a central character. How frequently do we need to have the recap?

We may get tired of Bob after a while. Maybe every month, we should begin a new story. Someone could post a brief introduction to give us a foundation and then see what happens. Maybe one month it is mythical and the next sci-fi, and then cartoons.

I really like where this seems to be going.

I took the liberty to edit our on going saga8-)


"I couldn't believe they were blue. But they cheered-up when Snap, Crackle and Pop Showed up with some milk and with the banana man with his chiquita bananas, his dancing mascot, and featuring Charo Cha Cha Cha!! Short and Sassy (what a chassie) played with Lassie's skin and bones. Lassie is as skinny as a stick slid under door and hidden, along with some other sticks and stones.

After all, stones gather no moss except when picking up speed rolling down the mountain towards a raging river flowing with wine from the vine. The river became a grape. So then the three sweet clowns named Ape, Beaglebeagle, and the Purple Avenger struck again!

"Help! Mighty Mouse is stuck in quicksand," they were heard to say!

"Throw a rope! Not both ends!!!!! Not fast enough" (music gets more intense)

"Have no fear, UnderDog is near!" (Batman's cave is so cluttered with holy, hard sale junk, he can’t respond to the Bat transponder.)

"Egads! The Joker with another wild card."*Biff***Bam***Crash***

"Holy fist-ta-cuffs Batman! Bird Plane Superman is here too! Where's that kryptonite?" Hmmm, let me check the Periodic table.

"Oh! Good Job! You caught the slob. Clean up the mess. This is a job for bionic-maid!

"Elementary, my dear Watson." Signed, Sherlock.

Was this story forged under a spreading, chestnut tree when the superheroes decided to play strip poker and Rubberman lost?

Hey, he stretched his hand and tried to cheat and was caught empty-handed with no Aces. He had no sleeves on his costume, because last week he entered a monestary and took off his shirt...for good!

A vow of no silence is golden opportunity to stretch out and eat bon-bons C'est si bon-bons. But instead Rubberman ate a MacDonald's Happy Meal.

Then for no good reason the five sisters, Robble, Robble, Robble, Weeble, and Wobble all fell down on the bon-bons. What a mess!!!!

Willace then shouted, "Get a mop!!! Clean-up, Aisle Five!!!!!!!!!"

"Clean it yourself Willace, or you're Fired!" answered the soft spoken Princess.

"You'll get second chance? of course, yet it may be too much to ask of you."

It was actually Bob’s job. What About Bob? Can't find him... Bob sweeps up and Bob sweeps down! He's a Hobo taking baby steps

Doctor Leo Marvin movie "What about Bob?" and Bill Murray/Richard Dreyfus Movie "Baby steps is a treatment method"," both prescribed a cure vacation for Doctor Apples and for Bob. (music begins,"Bobb, Bobb, Bobb......Bobb Bobb a_ran.)

(Dang! I never can get an apple!) Bob Bob a-ran down the street to the trains.

"Djah say brains?" he was heard to say

No Bob, he said trains, or planes, or automobiles' brains and robots.

Oh! So now we have artificial intelligence from Frankenstein to the White House. Have we created a monster?

Bob's girl, Mabel, lost Bob's apples when falling from a tree. She was knocked unconscious til nearly nine minutes past noon. She drempt that she awoke whistlin Dixie in a hot air balloon, with a baboon eating Bob's apples. So she began reading a treasure map. looking for the X mark, the spot where the buried homemade banana bread was fermenting nicely. (crazy dream)

Later, Mabel came along with 100 ripe red tomatoes. Her plan was to sell them to poor Bob for half cent each.

Bob thought, "Hmmmmmmmm, What fun I could have thowing these tomatoes at all the silly young baboons eating my apples nearby."

Fitzwilly said:

I really like where this seems to be going.

And going and going, said the Energizer Bunny...

Oh, sorry. Right. We're not doing that anymore. :)