The Cloud Novel Project

Join A Project to Create the Internet’s First Workshop-Based Novel

Winning entries receive a publishing contact for inclusion in the published novel. TheNextBigWriter in conjunction with Odin Roark of iPOV BOOKS present the first workshop-built-novel.

The novel will be comprised of individual chapters/short stories written by different writers from TheNextBigWriter around a central theme and premise.

Deadline: January 21, 2009

THE CLOUD
The novel project called THE CLOUD is a concept created by Odin Roark based on a premise that challenges religion, commerce, and science, as well as general behavior in the 21st century.

The plot involves reactions to a dark gray cloud that takes residence over the skies of Las Vegas in August of 2013 and is still there at the book’s conclusion in January 2014. The genre of this book is literary.

Thought at first to be just another incident of weather, the cloud ultimately becomes a concern for both science and religion, as over the course of several months, it seems to be moving only a few miles at a time, always returning to a similar position over Las Vegas.

Given the seeming permanency of the cloud, science investigates, coming up with no answer as to how and why it refuses to move away or extinguish itself. City coffers begin to suffer for a lack of sunshine, and low hotel bookings begin to pose serious problems to tourism.

Conventions, vacations and weekend getaways continue to be impacted, as well as the job market. Layoffs begin, casino profits plunge, and for the first in its history, concern for the bottom-line compels the city to conserve energy by shutting down 30% of their night lighting after 10 PM.

WRITER GUIDELINES
The Cloud will consist of a minimum of 10 different short stories based around the premise of the cloud. Each writer may submit as many stories/entries as they want.

Details on Submitting Your Entry

To see the full entry guidelines as well as the full Contest Rules and Regulations, please click here. The plot of your story should surround The Cloud’s impact on your characters’ personal lives, as well as their careers, either now or in the future if the cloud doesn’t dissipate. Such characters can be residents or visitors to the city, or as outlined above, reside in another city.

REMEMBER, THIS BOOK WILL BE READ LIKE A VOLUME OF SHORT STORIES, RATHER THAN A CONTINUAL NARRATIVE AROUND A FIXED GROUP OF CHARACTERS. THE THREAD THAT TIES IT TOGETHER IS THE “CLOUD” EVENT AND ITS IMPACT ON CHARACTERS.

Awards The writers whose stories are selected as winners will receive a Publishing Contract to have their story published as part of the The Cloud Anthology. 50% of the net proceeds will be equally shared by the estimated 15 to 20 authors. 50% of the remaining net proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the formation of a charity fund developed by Odin Roark that will provide computers for children in developing countries.

STORY TIMELINE
In order for all authors to be writing with a mutual understanding of the Cloud’s timetable of existence, the following progression of general events surrounding the phenomena should be adhered to in your depiction of its effect on your characters. The time is a few years in the future, but this it not a science-fiction project.

August 10, 2013 – Cloud moves in overnight and greets the morning with the look of a doomsday. Most take it in stride, but from the beginning, some residents of the city and a handful of tourists see it as something ominous.

August 17, 2013 – Tourists complain to the hotels that their vacations were a bust, that heavy cloud cover spoiled everything. Merchants notice little difference in sales, as most merchandizing takes place indoors. Local weathermen and women experience a bonanza of popularity.

August 24, 2013 – Even though there is a few-mile drift back and forth of the cloud each day, meteorologists and other weather experts begin to take the lack of substantial movement seriously. Church attendance increases in Las Vegas and congregations and clergy begin addressing the concerns of their flocks. Hotels start to get contingency bookings for conventions. Everyday tourists ask for more concessions in light of the dark weather. With the gradual drop in tourism, merchants start becoming concerned. Solar heated industrial operations begin to feel the cost of oil for their back-up generators. A couple of the big hotels relying on solar power for part of their energy needs see a spike in energy costs.

August 31, 2013 – With the cloud in its 3rd week, Washington sends reps to the city to meet with scientists. Several evangelist organizations move their TV operations temporarily to Las Vegas in order to be closer to what some are beginning to call Armageddon and the antecedent to the second coming. Travel agents and hotels are receiving more and more cancellations. Merchants start to panic.

September 7, 2013 - Washington orders Homeland Security and the Defense Department to send weather balloons and reconnaissance planes to investigate the cloud. The city’s hotels begin to lose significant money as the precipitous drop in tourism and convention bookings continue. Entertainment acts for the next two months are canceled and hotel marquees begin to show “B” list talent bookings. Merchants begin closing their doors. Going out of business signs pop up, giving the tourist industry headaches. Behind the closed doors of the Casinos, there is talk of sending “persuaders” out to prevent further closings by merchants and especially “the strip” shops.

September 14, 2013 - TV news shows are now dominated by pundits offering every explanation possible gleaned through interviews with those supposedly “in the know.” Talk shows and satirical news shows experience astronomical ratings. Working in secrecy, several scientists create what they think is a way to break up the cloud. Weather balloons and other hi-tech equipment determine that the cloud has all of the regular properties of a – a cloud. Wind patterns notwithstanding, they can’t determine why it’s not moving away or breaking up. Las Vegas unemployment spikes to 12%. The State of Nevada worries that tax payments are going to plummet from the loss of jobs and declining tourism.

Jumping To December 27, 2013 - New Year’s Eve bookings are a disaster. Religious zealots are on every street corner preaching the end of the world. The Governor is discussing with Washington an anticipated state of emergency as more and more people are moving out of the city, causing mayhem for the state transportation department and local law enforcement. Two hotel/casinos close. Closed storefronts experience looting. A new TV reality series has planted itself on the strip to broadcast the unfolding mayhem live. Discount flights into Vegas drop to $20.00 each way from anywhere in America. The Hotels agree to pay the retail travel difference to the airlines.

January 2014 – ????

~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

~ by Courtney Vail on September 22, 2009.