I met Kealan Patrick Burke a few years ago at some writer’s convention or another. He’s an interesting guy and a more than decent writer. I’ve enjoyed a number of his works, including The Turtle Boy, Vessels, Taverns of the Dead, and Quietly Now.
Like me, Kealan is always looking for new ways to get his work in front of a wider audience and this time he’s come up with an intriguing concept. In partnership with Underland Press, Kealan is writing a wovel.
Yes, you heard me. A wovel.
What’s that? What the heck is a wovel? Well, everyone knows that a wovel is a…well it’s…um…
What the heck is a wovel? Turns out that a wovel is a “web novel” according to the publisher. Here’s what they have to say about it:
It is the first of its kind. The author writes it. The readers vote on it. Here’s how it works:
Every week, the author posts an installment. Installment length hits the sweet-spot of online reading—long enough to get interested, short enough to read in the cubicle at work. At the end of every installment, the author writes in a plot branch point. Does the heroine kill her lover? Will the zombies catch the soldier? Is the box empty, or is it filled with bees?
THE READERS DECIDE.
On Monday, the post goes up. Voting is open through Thursday. The author writes Thursday and Friday. The editors edit Friday and Saturday. The post goes back up on Monday. Part literature, part exquisite corpse. The pace of print journalism, the imagination of fiction, the spark of reader participation.
Like I said, an interesting concept and in the hands of Kealan, I’m sure it will be an interesting read as well. I’ve just discovered the project, so I’m going back and reading chapter one before catching up with this week’s post, chapter two.
Come on and join me…
