The Vacancies writers fill in the holes behind the scenes
Several years ago, Mishpacha’s Hebrew-language magazine put out a fascinating story supplement. Essentially, they played “Pass the Story” in chapter form. In the classic game, kids all sit in a circle. One person offers a single sentence starting with “Once upon a time,” and each person adds on a line, creating a fantastical tale.
In this supplement, one writer wrote the first chapter of a complex story. Then she passed the document on to another writer who added her own chapter, and then the next writer built upon that.
Each writer had a vastly different style, and the story ricocheted from thriller to family saga to drama. The writers hadn’t created a plot beforehand; they were each simply handed the story and had to pick up the plot thread wherever it was, and run with it.
It was a daring experiment. Some readers loved the final story, some didn’t. But everyone loved the concept.
This one’s in print. Some of our best stories live in the magazine — subscribe to get Mishpacha every week.
