Online novel is written in real-time

Through her Naked Writer project Silvia Hartmann aims to complete a novel in front of an online audience using Google Drive.

Apps such as Local Books are already helping literature lovers to get closer to the authors they admire, but our latest spotting is taking the unusual step of inviting fans to start reading before the manuscript is even finished. Silvia Hartmann’s Naked Writer project aims to complete a novel in front of an online audience using Google Drive. Readers will be notified via social networks when Hartmann is about to work on the book, enabling them to read the plot as it develops in real-time, as well as any editing and reworking the author chooses to do. The fantasy fiction – titled The Dragon Lords after suggestions from readers – will also take into account feedback given by those watching the work take shape. As well as using new media to bring audiences closer to the process behind writing a novel, the project also offers a unique experience for reading – the words are not dead on the page, but constantly evolving. How else could platforms such as Google Drive be used for greater transparency, or used as a simple way for the crowds to give feedback on projects – media, entertainment or otherwise – during the creation process? Spotted by: Murtaza Patel