a new Lojban project - for all of you

[Logical Language Group <cbmvax!uunet!GREBYN.COM!lojbab>]

This LogFest was a fun gathering, and not one for work.  Nothing really
accomplished except to teach people a bit more of the language, use it a
little, and socialize, learning more about each other.  One topic of
discussion was how to get more people doing something with the language.
The topic segued into literature, original Lojban literature.  One long
thought about idea that was rediscussed was an interactive role playing
project of the type often conducted at science fiction conventions, based
on a Lojban-related scenario.  Learning a little Lojban would give actor/players
of the scenario an advantage.
  But a better idea surfaced, one that can get more involved.  The geminal
start of English as a literary language was Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and
someone mentioned that Italian has a similar medieval literary landmark, the
Decameron.  Perhaps other languages as well.  The essence of the Canterbury
Tales is that they are a bunch of 1st person tales, rich and colorful, often
baudy.  Why not write something similar for Lojban, or at least start to do
so.  We can get a lot of people involved, who need only commit to writing
a single short tale - a page long would be fine.  A couple of the more
expert Lojbanists - Nick, Ivan, and Mark, for example, might do some longer
tales, perhaps about characters that might have a more complex story.
  One charm of the Canterbury Tales is the variety of personalities of the
characters - we can achieve that by having many authors.  Stylistic consistency
isn't necessary, since different people have different ways of talking. If
you are relatively unskilled, you might want to choose a less-well educated
character, but even this might not be a constraint.
  The question is how to devise a scenario around which people can write these
short-short stories.  Canterbury Tales takes place where travellers gather - an
inn or bar.  Do we tell tales of the people of mythical Lojbanistan?  Or do
we presume a modern or postmodern society, with people much like the spectrum
found in the world today?  One possibility proposed would be people on a space
station, thus appealing to the SF fans among us - an international space
station, wherein people like Ivan and Nick can bring in tales from other
cultures.  Some could be tales of earth, while others could be high adventure
in space.
  At this point, I turn the floor over to all of you.  We need a coordinator
to keep track of who is working on tales, but that person need do little more.
We may eventually need an editor to clean up Lojban errors, but we'll worry
about that when the time comes.
  One rule - if you have a specific story idea, whether you want to write it o
or not:  don't talk about it in English.  The stories are to be LOJBAN stories,
and whatever appeal they have, as the first Lojban literature, will be
emphasized by their not existing in English first.  If you have trouble with
the language, you can ask how-to-say-it questions here on Lojban List, or
send messages provately to Nick, Ivan, Colin, John Cowan, Mark Shoulson, or me
(not in any particular order except that I'd prefer only to handle things that
others draw a blank on, and probably John would as well - we're in full scale
book preparation mode, both of us, as of today).  Less experienced Lojbanists
might team up on a story, in which case you can talk privately with each other
in whatever language about your story, or if necessary, with the one experienced
Lojbanist that you interact with from the above list.
  Hmm. Veijo, I think your culture has a similar tradition as well, though I
know nothing much about the Kalevala.  Does it suggest any further ideas?
  What do people think, and who volunteers to try to write something?

lojbab