What if writing a story was like writing software :-).

One of my friends, Alex G, posed the following question on a thread over at Goodreads Group World, Writing, Wealth

"...In software, the agile process has taken hold. the basic idea is to build, in 2-4 week increments, a working software product to show to potential customers. at the end of each increment, the product should be able to be delivered to the customer with a certain small number of features. furthermore, the agile process incorporates the concept of continuous improvement in that it usually takes practice to perform to a certain level. perhaps, there's something for authors to learn from this... "

Ok, I like a challenge - so let's try this on.

I write approx 1 chapter every 4 weeks. So we could 'agile' on a chapter by chapter basis with a 4 week cycle.

My readers are my customers, so I get a website and bang up each chapter for the readers every month to get their feedback on the development of the product.

As I get feedback from the first chapter dribbling back in over the next month, I'm already drafting/writing chapter 2 while getting confused about the applicability of the feedback for chapter 1.

2nd month concludes, I put my second chapter up on the website, start processing updates on the first chapter based on "customer feedback". I find that my MC is the most hated character but would be much better as a shape-shifting dragon. I start re-writing chapter 1, while drafting/writing chapter 3 with the new angle built in.

New feedback arrives from chapter 2 readers, along with late feedback from chapter 1 readers. It turns out chapter two readers think that my number one villain and their apprentice should be lovers (but a little kinky - or a lot kinky depending on the feedback). I split the middle and set up a love/hate triangle between the Villain, their Apprentice and my Shifter Dragon MC.

Very late feedback on chapter 1 results in a quick turn-about on the MC who moves from shifter dragon to shifter centaur. I re-write chapters 2 & 3 with the MC as a shifter centaur in a love triangle.

Meanwhile I publish chapter 3 for the perusal of my loyal readers. I get a lot of feedback about the love triangle. There are two distinct groups. Team Villain and Team Apprentice. Equally split. No one likes the idea of the centaur and I shift the MC to female who is now a mermaid princess cursed by an evil, long dead, magician. I reverse the sex of both the Villain and the Apprentice and re-write chapters 1-3.

A complete chapter 4 a month late and put it up on the website.

New feedback comes in on chapter 1 stating how much they loved the shifter dragon. I add the shifter dragon as a tiny, but wisecracking pet, for the mermaid princess (while having nightmares about 'Mulan' and 'Pinocchio') The pet is a huge hit when I publish chapter 5, but feedback from chapter 4 indicates that everyone is glad that the mermaid princess doesn't have a silly sidekick.

Confused, I kill off the wisecracking tiny water dragon in chapter 6 where he bravely and suicidally pits his meagre fighting prowess against the 'big bad' villain (who is secretly in love with the mermaid while two-timing the apprentice.)

I put chapter 6 up on the website, just as a pile of chapter 5 feedback arrives. The two teams (Villain/Apprentice) remain equally split, however there is a general consensus that the apprentice is not getting enough time on page and comes off as two dimensional and wooden. Also everyone hates the idea of killing off the pet dragon.

I re-write chapter 6 and make the fight between the pet dragon and the apprentice, where the apprentice in a moment of true love, self sacrifices themselves for the Villain while being defeated by the pet dragon - now beefed up and fire breathing with super martial arts skills.

Re-present chapter 6, and start drafting/writing chapter 7 - now that the pet dragon has demonstrated kick-ass combat skills they out shine the princess (effing) mermaid and become the new MC.

Go back and re-write chaps 1-6 to foreshadow the rise of "the great powers of the deeps" aka "Green Dragon," as the major story arc.

Re-present all chapters back up on the website for "customer feedback." Get a single email asking what happened to the shifter Centaur. Followed by a flood of mail re' what happened to the mermaid princess.

Re-write all chapters - make the 'big bad' villain the 'supposedly dead' mage who cursed the (now 2x effing) mermaid princess, and who secretly hates/loves (or loves/hates) her. The mage turns out to be her father (in a big reveal at the end of chapter 8) setting up for the finale (.eeeww - that's nasty - turns out the love was of the parental sort for a wayward child - and nothing more). The Apprentice (resurrected) comes to the fore but proves to be a complete CAD (now having nightmares of 'Frozen').

Draft/Write chapter 9, resolve it all, the mermaid princess finally listens to the wise advice of her pet dragon, avoids the overtures of the pratish apprentice and is granted a kingdom by her father who abdicates in her favour.

Put final chapter on website. Get an email wondering what ever happened to the shifter Dragon as MC.

Toss hands in air....