Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Curve Ball Manifesto

The Curve Ball Conspiracy is a collection of unrelated pieces of short fiction, each inspired by a photograph. Both image and words are provided by separate individuals, making each piece a collaborative effort by a partnership that may not even know each other. The idea, in its infancy, is to combine the perspectives of some of the most diverse and talented people I know in order to create a terrifying multitude of tiny worlds, each unique in its own peculiar way, and each a sidestep removed from whatever they refer to as reality these days.

Photographers: Your mission is to capture images you believe are unusual/interesting/inspiring enough to spark the imagination of the writer who ends up having to work from your vision. There are no limits to the kinds of image you can send, and I have no problem with pictures that have been photoshopped or otherwise altered. But please note, the picture I actually put up at the site will be a maximum of 320x240 pixels (or thereabouts) in size. It's not a competition and nobody's getting paid, so have fun with it. I want things you see, not things you think will win prizes.

Writers: Slightly more complicated from the writer's point of view. Firstly, I'd like you to keep the idea of the site in mind when you write your piece. The best word I can think of to describe the kind of fiction I want is speculative, but - as that's already a genre - we'll have to be a bit more specific. The best thing you can do, I think, is to read the stories that are already here. There's a reasonable selection of different styles to give you an idea of what you should be going for. I'm not restricting you in genre, subject matter, language, or anything else. Your story can be a children's tale about laughing unicorns eating sugar on the moon, or a deeply twisted screed filled with foul language, copious amounts of blood, and deviant sex. I'm not bothered about that. What I am bothered about is the idea I talked about earlier, the idea of being a sidestep away from reality. That's a necessarily vague brief, so if anyone wants to contribute and has no idea what the hell I'm blathering on about, e-mail me and we'll discuss it.

Oh, and there's a 500 word limit on any submissions. Aside from that, do what you like. A story can be one sentence, as long as it's a narrative sentence.

How It Works: Having read this letter and decided that yes, you really do want to be a part of this strange conspiracy, you will immediately write and tell me. If we don't know each other, please also send a sample of your work or a link that'll take me to a sample of your work. I will then add your name to what I hope will someday be a long and distinguished list. If you have images you want to contribute, you can start sending them right away. If you want to write something, you'll have to wait until I send you an image on which you will base your piece. All I need for now is your name.

Other Things You Should Know: There will be a note going up in the sidebar very shortly to the effect that all copyrights remain with the original owners. If you contribute to The Curve Ball Conspiracy, anything that finds its way onto the page will remain yours for any and all legal purposes. In addition to this, the purpose of the site, insofar as it has any value to the contributors, is that it will act as a kind of link hub. You'll link from your own sites when you have stories/photos up, and I'll reciprocate so that readers can find more of your wonderful work. There is no commercial element to this whatsoever, nor will there ever be...unless you count pimpage.

Lastly: In my capacity as acting editor and benevolent dictator of this project, I reserve the right NOT to put your work up on the site if it's inappropriate or...yes...rubbish. I also reserve the right to make judicious edits where I see fit. In the event of editing, the contributor (you) gets the final say over any changes. I will not edit your work and then put it up on the site without first gaining your approval.

Oh, and if you know anybody else you think might be interested in taking part, let them know we're here. The more the merrier.

That is all. Questions and hate mail should be directed to the address in the sidebar. posted at 3:21 PM ---------------------------------