books
Who to follow during the Twitter Literature Festival
Margaret Atwood will turn plane movie summaries into stories tomorrow. – AFP pic, May 12, 2015.Over the next few days, Twitter is playing host to a literary event in which authors such as Margaret Atwood, Jackie Collins and Lemony Snicket will try their hand at bringing stories to life 140 characters at a time.
The Twitter Literature Festival kicked off on May 11 and will run through May 15, featuring a number of notable authors as they experiment with micro-publishing.
You'll be able to see their output at any time, of course, by heading to each authors' Twitter feed. But to watch the virtual storytelling unfold live, make a note of some of these highlights. All times are in EST:
Starting on Tuesday at 9am, former MI6 field officer Matthew Dunn (@MatthewDunn) will begin unfolding a tale of terrorism and counterterrorism via multiple Twitter handles. A megalomaniac who calls himself Splinter is on the loose, and Counter Terrorism Operative Harper has the challenging task of finding him before he strikes.
Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) is behind a project in which a figure called Typhon emerges "out of the depths of social media" wanting to talk to you. "Will you listen to what it has to say? Will you be selected? Will you heed its warnings?" Find out Tuesday, May 12 at 6pm.
On Wednesday, May 13 at 10am, Margaret Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) will take to Twitter to present "Film Previews on a Plane: the Helpful Summaries," in which she'll repurpose words pulled from the trailer copy for movies shown in planes, suggesting setups, characters and an adventurous plot.
Jackie Collins (@JackieJCollins) will follow closely behind Atwood, taking to Twitter on Wednesday at 1pm to tell the tale of a love triangle between a beautiful actress, an older, married producer and his elegant wife.
Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket (@LemonySnicket), that teller of dark, humorous tales for kids, needs help: Mr. Snicket (in this case referring to the fictional character, not the author himself) has amnesia and needs your help as he unravels a mystery. To lend a hand, start following Thursday at 4pm.
Elisabeth Egan (@LizEgan) will take you through a life-changing journey on public transportation via 60 tweets in 60 minutes. Tune in Thursday at 6pm.
View the schedule: twitterfictionfestival.com/schedule. – AFP, May 12, 2015.
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