From the beginning of Frankenstory we wanted a way to showcase stories. Our first attempt was very predictable: a list of stories that we could add our favourites to. But something about it just didn’t feel right… Frankenstory is supposed to be fun, first and foremost; it’s not a competition. Or at least not in the usual sense.
Enter Nick, who had the rather marvellous idea of writing a blog from the point of view of Dr. Frankenstory. He busily invented a history for the good doctor…
The story of my success begins many years ago in the sleepy Alpine village of Yödelayoo where I was working as a humble librarian. One fateful day as I was dusting a big pile of Mills and Boons high on a rickety bookcase, the shelves gave way and I was buried in a veritable avalanche of romantic fiction and soppy chick-lit. When I regained consciousness, I awoke to find my face was buried in an open book –Genetic Experimentation for Dummies. What’s more, the concussion I suffered as I fell jolted a dormant part of my brain, leading me to instantly absorb all of the incredible information in this hefty scientific tome.
…set out a manifesto…
Hello dear friends, welcome to the Frankenlab, the place where I’ll be preserving some of your most interesting submissions for posterity in a glorious ‘Frankenstory Hall of Fame’. Think of it as a kind of taxidermy display for your stories where I lovingly stuff and mount some of your freakiest creations (before gluing googly eyes to them and using them to scare small children).
…and busied himself with exposing this new life of literary experimentation to the internet at large, using Frankenstories as illustration.
The result is Dr. Frankenstory’s Frankenlab. And I completely love it. It kills a whole flock of birds:
- putting the often incredibly random Frankenstories in an entertaining, light-hearted, fun context,
- minimising any feeling of elitism by putting the decision in the hands of the Doctor,
- eliminating any pressure that may have been induced by a leader board,
- yet still giving us some way to promote and reward our favourite stories.
The latest post went up last night: Djinn and Tonic.
