Authors open texts online for others to edit

I stumbled across a Web site the other day that suggested most of what the Internet has spawned over the past decade is mindless dreck.

``We have failed our own creation and given birth (to) something truly awful,'' the unnamed writer wrote. ``I can't wait for the day when the Internet makes me rejoice in its possibilities again.'' (I can't name the Web address because it contains a word not appropriate for a family newspaper. But if you do a Google or Yahoo search for the above quote, you'll find it.)

While the pessimism is understandable, it ignores the new ways in which people are using the Internet to reshape our assumptions about media.

One of the more interesting trends to emerge lately is the practice of book authors inviting strangers to collectively edit their manuscripts online before they are published.

Mercury News columnist Dan Gillmor posted chapters of his upcoming book on his blog and invited reader feedback. East Bay writer J.D. Lasica went a step further recently and created a Web site (www.darknet.com) where anyone can edit the chapters of his new book, ``Darknet: Remixing the Future of Movies, Music & Television.''

Lasica, a former writer for the Sacramento Bee and keeper of the blog www.newmediamusings.com, said his decision to open up his creative process to the masses fits with the theme of his book.

``I realized the underlying theme of what I'm writing about is that we're entering an era where creative people are sort of losing control of their work, and it's not all bad,'' Lasica said. ``I wanted to experience that. I didn't want that experience of a big media conglomerate where you say `Take it or leave it.' ''

There was a more practical motivation, too. Lasica's reporting covers a variety of industries, from video gaming to moviemaking. And as he candidly admits, he is not an expert in those areas. The Web site allows industry experts to review his work and offer corrections or insights before the printed copy hits the stores next spring.

``I really do believe . . . that the audience knows more,'' Lasica said.

Wiki experience

For his Darknet Web site, Lasica is using a Wiki, which is online software that makes it easy for people to quickly edit Web pages, regardless of their technical proficiency. Invented several years go, Wikis are often used by groups of people who are collaboratively drafting or editing documents or Web pages.

Lasica said his Wiki experience has been a mixed bag. Readers have enhanced his writings by pointing out facts he missed or fixing grammatical errors.

On the other hand, some readers took it upon themselves to insert Web links to important Web sites throughout his manuscript -- links that will not work in the printed edition of the book.

Nonetheless, Lasica said he would probably use a Wiki again if he writes another book. His editor originally questioned the idea of ``publishing'' his book on the Web before it is printed. But Lasica said he supports the Wiki experiment. In fact, his editor is now exploring whether to set up a Wiki where authors can help edit each other's work.

Lasica said the only major change he would make next time is to put his writings online earlier in the process.

``I just think this is where our culture is headed,'' Lasica said, ``where things are more collaborative.''

`Private act'

Christian Crumlish, another East Bay writer, has been using both a blog and a Wiki (http://x-pollen.com/many/) to pull together his upcoming book, ``The Power of Many: How the Living Web Is Transforming Politics, Business, and Everyday Life.''

So far just the glossary is editable. But he also pulled together a small group of friends, acquaintances and strangers to help him write and edit the book. Like Lasica, he sees the value of letting his peers review his work.

``It's an intensely private act,'' Crumlish said about writing. ``Like going to the bathroom. And no one should be around. . . . Nonetheless, my years on the Internet has taught me that I work better around other people. It's like building a cathedral. You need a thousand people to help you.''