Less Than Three Books

Early one morning--and by early, I really should say 11:45 am--all hell broke loose in M's brain.

And by hell, I really should say pure unadulterated excitement and madness.

M had just sat through an excruciating hour of geology class, fought her way through the wind and rain back to her dorm, taken a shower, and then wandered glassesless back to her dorm room to settle down at her laptop and watch another episode of Supernatural. Moments after she had pressed play (and seen Hammond of Texas unexpectedly appear on her screen, but that's not important), suddenly, her phone buzzed.

1 NEW MESSAGE - TWITTER
@hayleyghoover: So, uh, loyal followers of my blog? You may want to head over there sometime soon. There might be something posted that you'll want to see.

M nearly jumped out of her skin. She'd been receiving mobile updates from Hayley for well over a month now, waiting in anticipation for an Exciting Announcement that Hayley had been teasing about for some time. Flailing in her chair, M went to Hayley's blog.

There, on the blog, was an announcement for a book. A real, actual book, to be published in 2012. Filled with stories about love and friendship and the Internet. And what was even more exciting, was these stories could be written and submitted by ANYONE.

M began pacing her room trying in desperation to think of a good idea for a story. She wanted it to be different from anyone else's, something that would stand out. Not just some cliché long-distance romantic relationship story. Something else. Something with substance. Something with plot.

Skimming the rules and guidelines on Less Than Three Books' website, M read:
Write a short story about love—be it platonic or romantic—that deals with the Internet in some significant way. (Maybe the characters discuss Facebook or meet on Skype or write blogs. It’s up to you.)

(Then M actually literally knocked her laptop off the desk by accident. Holy shit. The laptop's okay. That's really not important to this chapter though. Just thought it should be shared.)

But M had realized something. She and her friends DID write blogs. They wrote one blog together, using the collaborative format to bridge the long distances that separated them during the school year. And what was more, this blog was a story! A story based on their lives! A story with zombified unicorns and car accidents and My Chemical Romance lyrics!

The only problem was, this story had lain long forgotten for some months. Also, it had no plot. Yet.

But M was determined to bring the Blog back, to form a coherent submission to Less Than Three Books, collaboratively created by the Got Plot sisters. A, B, L, N, P, you in?

For more information:
http://lessthanthreebooks.com/
http://hayleyghoover.blogspot.com/