: Re: What does/would it mean to code a novel? I have a few interests, and among them belong fiction, math and computer science, and so naturally I like to imagine/think about the possibility of

@Shanna875

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I think you can "code" a novel, at least in terms of creating an algorithm for writing.

al·go·rithm
ˈalgəˌriT͟Həm
noun
1.
A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, esp. by a computer.

Basically an algorithm is a set of rules you need to follow to get something done right. I believe it is perfectly within the scope of an "algorithmic" thought process to define steps to writing a novel.

First off, you need to set a scope for the novel, setting, where you want to go with it, etc. Then you need to develop characters, locales, history, etc. Then you need to detail those things. And finally you need to get from start to finish. (Sounds simple, eh?)

Example might be:

High fantasy setting, scope could be end of the world scenario, and you want a hero to save the world.
Developing characters, you need a hero/heroine. I want a sidekick for him/her. Evil badguy. Etc, etc. Develop some locales, little country village where hero is from, big city, etc.

Develop history, 500 years ago the evil was defeated but not for good, thousands of years ago there was an advanced civilization, etc.

Detail these things. My heroine's name is Elisa, she is the daughter of the Mayor of Middlebrook, a small village on the edge of a vast forest. She is slim and petite, light brown hair and green eyes. She is adventurous and always getting into trouble. She finds out she has control of magic, and decides she needs to go on a journey to find out how to use it. Her boyfriend, Rice, decides to follow her to protect her. Rice is a tall, lanky kid with tousled brown hair, people think he is goofy and isn't a serious person. He is deeply devoted to Elisa, though, to the point that he leaves his parent's farm to follow her when she goes to the capital city of Camelot. Camelot is ruled by a Queen Guinevere. Etc, etc...

Getting from start to finish. Elisa and Rice make their way to a larger village on the road to Camelot. A local witch senses her magic ability and tries to capture her so she can drink her blood and steal her power. Elisa manages to kill the witch using her magic, but collapses from the shock of the power. Rice manages to carry her out of a burning building and out of town before the townspeople notice anything. The witches sister senses something is amiss and manages to find the trail and follow them. After several more close calls, Rice and Elisa manage to kill the second witch. They are nearly to Camelot now, and are awed by the sight. After getting to the city, Elisa starts asking after a Magician to teach her to use her powers. She meets Merlin, who agrees to teach her. Merlin tells her to meet him somewhere at a certain time. When she shows up with Rice, they are ambushed, and Rice is thrown in prison. Elisa is taken into the palace, where Merlin resides as the Royal Magician. He tells her of his plan to use her blood at the full moon to summon a Balrog, which Merlin will capture in a soulstone and use the Balrog's power to become the most powerful Magician in the world. Rice, with the help of a cunning mouse, manages to escape the dungeon, and he manages to find where Elisa is. Elisa, meanwhile, has managed to figure out how to use her magic to escape her bonds, and she is planning on how to overpower Merlin. Rice bungles into the room, and Merlin attacks him. Elisa tries to save Rice by attacking Merlin, but she is too late. She manages to kill Merlin, but at great cost. Her boyfriend Rice is dead at his hands.

Anyway, that is a real quick thing showing how you take a formula/algorithm and break things into smaller parts, and then even smaller details. This will not help you automatically write a story with a computer, but it is a formula you can use to write a novel yourself.

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