Write A Novel In Three Words
Posted by Nick O'Neill on December 17th, 2007 9:15 AMAre you a big fan of writing but just can’t find the words to write an entire novel? Worry no more as you can now rely on the support of your friends and other members of Facebook to get the job done. The Just Three Words application is a simple concept that has powerful results. Users can either create a story from scratch or join another story. Each story has its own unique topic that has interesting twists and turns since each writer is limited to only three words per post.
There were some extremely well written pieces scattered throughout this application. With close to 5,000 daily users, it is not a surprise that this application has produced such impressive results. As I browsed through the various pieces created by the users of this application, the most common theme was a sexual one. Each piece sounded like a cheesy romance novel that you would find on the shelves of your local supermarket.
One story that I decided to participate in was about Facebook application and was created by my friend Dan Peguine. So far, the story has not become very elaborate. “Facebook apps are an enigma; some are ridiculously stupid and others mind-blowing. For example, the idea of writing an app where people make themselves heard through various voice recordings is absurd, yet also, well, sort of titillating.” I added the words “voice recordings is.” I think I am indeed a novelist at heart!
If you want to join the story with others, go check out the Just Three Words application.
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
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(4.22 out of 5)
December 17th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Nick,
Thanks for the good words! Glad to see you in the stories, too.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Nick,
Thanks for the good words! Glad to see you in the stories, too.
December 17th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I just installed this app and allowed it to publish to my feeds (a rare occurrence, but I was optimistic)… I should've read your post more thoroughly, Nick - about the sexual overtones and cheesy romance novels. Oh well. Maybe some great authors will be born from this app… but, sorry, I'm not holding my breath.
December 17th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I just installed this app and allowed it to publish to my feeds (a rare occurrence, but I was optimistic)… I should’ve read your post more thoroughly, Nick - about the sexual overtones and cheesy romance novels. Oh well. Maybe some great authors will be born from this app… but, sorry, I’m not holding my breath.
December 17th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I think this app is a rare Diamond in a sea of Cubic Zirconia. Unlike the apps that simply propagate themselves by encouraging users to “bite” each other or buy their friends “beers” to get better options, this application actually creates something. It's leveraging the social graph in a way that didn't exist before and the creators are forging new ground with Facebook applications. Scoob & Gecko are on to something here - I hope they're able to make it profitable enough to keep doing it because all the other apps are going to have to learn distribution isn't sustainable in the closed garden.
December 17th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
I think this app is a rare Diamond in a sea of Cubic Zirconia. Unlike the apps that simply propagate themselves by encouraging users to “bite” each other or buy their friends “beers” to get better options, this application actually creates something. It’s leveraging the social graph in a way that didn’t exist before and the creators are forging new ground with Facebook applications. Scoob & Gecko are on to something here - I hope they’re able to make it profitable enough to keep doing it because all the other apps are going to have to learn distribution isn’t sustainable in the closed garden.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:26 am
There are a lot of time wasting 'applications' out there, and not simply on Facebook, but Just Three Words (J3W) is NOT one of them (IMO).
Let's be clear, I'm an oldie - one foot in the grave (well, almost
) - so I've not got time to waste. But, as a writer, mostly working alone, I have found - to my surprise - that J3W has hooked me. Time input is almost zero, but the kick I get out of seeing the twists and turns of other creative minds, and having my own instant feedback, is priceless.
Thanks S&G for a killer application.
Have a great Christmas and 2008, guys, you deserve it.
Oscar
December 18th, 2007 at 5:26 am
There are a lot of time wasting ‘applications’ out there, and not simply on Facebook, but Just Three Words (J3W) is NOT one of them (IMO).
Let’s be clear, I’m an oldie - one foot in the grave (well, almost
) - so I’ve not got time to waste. But, as a writer, mostly working alone, I have found - to my surprise - that J3W has hooked me. Time input is almost zero, but the kick I get out of seeing the twists and turns of other creative minds, and having my own instant feedback, is priceless.
Thanks S&G for a killer application.
Have a great Christmas and 2008, guys, you deserve it.
Oscar
December 18th, 2007 at 5:47 am
I am in love with 'Just Three Words'. Of course, there is a lot of crap to sift through since people seem to enjoy being randomly juvenile and sexual, but the idea is pure gold!
Oh, and the words 'idea of writing' were mine.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Thanks Erik … I really appreciate the kind words.
Since the most common complaint from around he Facebook blogosphere seems to be that Facebook applications are childish, or at best - shallow, we really wanted to create an application that actually engages users to do something functional/creative/purposeful and is yet fun in the process. We seem to have, or be well on the way, to achieving that with Just Three Words.
With any application that allows unlimited, free-form expression of opinion and thought, you are inevitably going to get a lot of “low-quality” content … although even this is subjective when taken out of context. You will also like see a lot of PG-13, M and R rated content too.
However, take the time to “really” look around and you'll find there are some truly amazing stories up on Just Three Words that demonstrate just how literate, creative and clever people can be working in a collaborative environment with a common cause. We have random stories, love stories, adventure stories, six word stories, limericks, poems and everything in between.
As always, there is much to do and we are working hard to continually improve the application experience across the user demographic so as to provide maximum engagement regardless of your writing goals.
Thanks again for the review, Nick - and Erik for your keen insight
December 18th, 2007 at 6:47 am
I am in love with ‘Just Three Words’. Of course, there is a lot of crap to sift through since people seem to enjoy being randomly juvenile and sexual, but the idea is pure gold!
Oh, and the words ‘idea of writing’ were mine.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Thanks Erik … I really appreciate the kind words.
Since the most common complaint from around he Facebook blogosphere seems to be that Facebook applications are childish, or at best - shallow, we really wanted to create an application that actually engages users to do something functional/creative/purposeful and is yet fun in the process. We seem to have, or be well on the way, to achieving that with Just Three Words.
With any application that allows unlimited, free-form expression of opinion and thought, you are inevitably going to get a lot of “low-quality” content … although even this is subjective when taken out of context. You will also like see a lot of PG-13, M and R rated content too.
However, take the time to “really” look around and you’ll find there are some truly amazing stories up on Just Three Words that demonstrate just how literate, creative and clever people can be working in a collaborative environment with a common cause. We have random stories, love stories, adventure stories, six word stories, limericks, poems and everything in between.
As always, there is much to do and we are working hard to continually improve the application experience across the user demographic so as to provide maximum engagement regardless of your writing goals.
Thanks again for the review, Nick - and Erik for your keen insight
December 22nd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. We used to play a game like this at camp I think. Very cool, and yes, the stories are inevitably sexual. But don't take it as a comment about the app, take it as a comment about our human nature, and maybe our immature tendencies. I think this app is a brilliant social experiment, especially in a time where CEOs, having read Wikinomics, are touting that mass collaboration is a a primary goal regardless of how the output of its production appears.
Imagine a mass collaborated novel? 3 words a person?
I'd buy it out of sheer curiosity!
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. We used to play a game like this at camp I think. Very cool, and yes, the stories are inevitably sexual. But don’t take it as a comment about the app, take it as a comment about our human nature, and maybe our immature tendencies. I think this app is a brilliant social experiment, especially in a time where CEOs, having read Wikinomics, are touting that mass collaboration is a a primary goal regardless of how the output of its production appears.
Imagine a mass collaborated novel? 3 words a person?
I’d buy it out of sheer curiosity!