“As a parent to three dachshunds I knew we had to do something to help out. These little guys are just too cool. They’re so full of personality. The only bad thing I’ve discovered is doxies can be very addictive, kind of like a Pringles potato chip (you can’t have just one).” chapterTWIST Team Leader

If you would like to help you can reserve a chapter by visiting the Step 1 page. There you can read up on how the process works and decide whether you will use the “Author Style” or “Celeb Style.” You can also contribute directly to Who’s Your Dachshund by clicking on the image below:

chapterTWO is now available for your reservation.

For information on how to reserve this chapter click here.

It all happened so fast. The last thing I remember was we were all together. My mother singing in the front seat, my father driving us home from dinner, my baby sister crying. I was staring out the backseat window, lost in my thoughts. It was just like any other night.

“Haylie, will you take care of your sister?” Dad asked me.

I looked over at the screaming child. “What’s wrong Hannah?” Hannah looked at me, her face red and tear-stained. She pointed to the ground, she had dropped her doll. The crying continued.

“Haylie, didn’t I tell you to stop her from crying!”

I sighed. “I’m trying Dad.” I reached down to grab the doll as the car turned, causing it to roll under the seat. Seeing the doll disappear made Hannah cry more. “Mom,” I complained, “Her doll is under the seat, I can’t reach it.”

My mom turned around to look at me. “Try giving her something else.”

I looked around trying to find something, anything to entertain the two-year old. A ball was within reach so I handed it to her. Hannah looked at it and threw it to the ground, unsatisfied.

“Haylie…” Dad said.

“Dad, I’m trying!” I answered, bending back down to find another toy.

The next thing I knew my mother screamed causing me to look up. Bright lights followed by loud crunching. Crunching, like someone stomping on an aluminum can. Only this was louder, about three hundred times louder. I felt everything closing in on me.

Impact. Something hard collapsed on my leg, crushed it. Pain shot through my entire body as I let out a scream. Snap. It was broken. My head was thrown back against the seat and shattered glass from the window pierced my skin. A warm, sticky liquid oozed down my forehead. Blood? My little sister screamed and cried in pain. I was pinned back, unable to move, unable to look at Hannah. Everything slowly faded to black.

I woke up staring up at florescent lights that hurt my eyes. My eyes searched out the new surroundings. Obviously I was in a hospital. My leg was in a cast and elevated. My head was bandaged and throbbing. Pain.

That was a month ago. Now I live with complete strangers posing to be my parents. I’m an only child now. I still have nightmares about it. I wake up screaming, in a cold sweat. Jill my new “mom” says that its normal for someone who was in a traumatizing situation to relive the event over and over again in their memory.  She said it was especially hard because I was so young. Funny, I had never really thought of myself as young. Sixteen was not a young age to me. I was almost an adult in my mind.

Jill is a therapist. She’s nice, just not my mom. Her husband’s name is Ben. He’s a poor excuse for a man. I won’t even call that drunk my new father. He works for the local DMV and acts as though he is king of the world. He comes home and does nothing but drink. I feel so bad for Jill, she puts up with too much.

continue to: chapterTWO

After a lot of hard work by our staff we have finally completed the construction phase. Now the real work begins, and that’s what we’re all excited about.

chapterONE is posted so we hope you’ll take a look at let your ideas take over.

Remember, that’s what sets chapterTWIST apart. Each story is dependant on the next person’s vision.

We look forward to hearing from you,

chapterTWIST Team Leader

Before we get started you”ll probably want to read over What’s the Deal? to get an idea as to what we’re all about. If you’ve already checked it out, great!

What we’re most eager about is seeing where these stories will take us. That’s what makes us unique, no one knows exactly where we’re going until we get there. After all, the greatest part of taking a trip is the journey itself (12 hour drives in the family-wagon not included). That’s what chapterTWIST wants to provide you: a “journey.” Our goal is to be that vehicle that takes you down roads unexplored so you can enjoy the trip while we “keep the painted side up.”

We’re pretty excited and we think you will be too once you step onboard.

Let’s get started. The first step is looking at the two choices we offer and deciding what suits you best:

a) Have you ever wanted to write a book but didn’t think you could pull it off? Maybe you had enough material for a couple of chapters but that’s where you came up short. No problem. That’s what makes chapterTWIST a perfect fit. Here you don’t have to write the whole story. Actually, writing the whole story would defeat the purpose. The idea is:

1. you reserve your chapter(s)
2. pick-up where the previous Twister left off
3. take the story where your vision leads
4. finally, sit back and watch where the story goes next. Just like raising a child, sometimes the most exciting moments happen once they leave home and start their new journey!

If this suits you best proceed to Step 2

b) Maybe you don’t see yourself as a writer. Maybe you just want to see your name in print (the Obituaries are too late). No problem. That’s what make chapterTWIST a perfect fit. Here you don’t have to be a writer to put your spin on the story. All you have to do is:

1. reserve your chapter(s)
2. answer a couple of questions about your character
3. our team does all the writing for you. BAM! You’re instantly famous (well, maybe not famous but we think you’re pretty cool).

If this suits you best skip to Step 3

If neither are these are for you, that’s okay. We would love for you to stick around and read the chapters as they are published. The bottom line is we want everyone to have a good time and just enjoy the “journey.”

So, you want to show off your writing “chops?” Awesome! You’ve come to the right place. By selecting the “Author Style”  you lock in the ability to take the story wherever you see fit.

It’s kind of like reading one of those books where the story changes based upon a few choices you make, only much better. As cutting-edge as those books might have been, you were still forced to take the story along a path predetermined by the author. Somehow, no matter how the story turned out, I felt disappointed with the outcome.

That’s not the case with chapterTWIST. We’ve broken down that barrier and liberated the reader to take the story wherever they desire, because you’re no longer just a reader. You’re no longer limited to a handful of choices. Now it’s entirely up to you. It’s your story!

When you select the “Pay Now” button below you are making a reservation for how many ever chapters you desire. Essentially, you are locking-in those chapters and guarantying you’re right to tell the story according to your vision. Each chapter should be between 600 - 1200 words.

After your payment is completed you will be sent an email with further instructions on how to submit your chapters, the specific chapters assigned to you, where to send your document file, etc. In order to keep things progressing we ask that you take no longer than ten business days per chapter to make your submission.

From there our staff will handle reviewing your submission and making any edits required prior to publishing online. In the unlikely event that we feel major changes are necessary due to inappropriate or offensive content we will always contact you with any suggested revisions before publishing.

As an added benefit to our “Author Style” writers we will have a special acknowledgment section that recognizes our contributors individually, located near the beginning of each published book.

The “Author Style” reservation is available for $5.95 per chapter.

By using the “Pay Now” option I acknowledge that I have read and accept

the Terms & Conditions as set forth by chapterTWIST.

So you’re not a writer, that’s cool, there’s nothing wrong with that. Still, you’d really like to see your name in print somewhere before you’re six feet under. We’ve got you covered! We didn’t think it would be right to exclude all the non-writers out there.

That’s where “Celeb Style” comes in. You still have the ability to put your spin on the story even though you’re not doing any of the actual writing. When you select the “Pay Now” button below you are making a reservation for how many ever chapters you desire, each chapter will be between 600 - 1200 words. Essentially, you’re locking-in the right to have those chapters feature you as the main character.

After answering a few questions for us our team will take the information you provided and run with it. We will develop your character and tie them into the existing story, taking into account the “tidbits” you supply. So, what’s a tidbit? It’s whatever you want it to be, it’s your story!

Basically, a tidbit is just a brief fact about your “character” that you want us to use. It could be something about their physical appearance. It could be something that your “character” enjoys doing. You could also go the other direction and make it some type of problem they’re facing. It’s all up to you. They don’t have to be long, detailed descriptions; simply a couple of points that are important about your character.

When it comes to your character, this story is fictional. You may choose to use your personal name or you might choose to use a fictional name. We just ask that you do not use the name of any celebrities, politicians, or athletes. They might not share the same enthusiasm as you do about their character. Just as with the name, you may choose to include personal tidbits about yourself or you might want to use something that you’ve only dreamt of doing.

After our team prepares your first draft you will receive an email to a private, password protected page for you to review and request changes. You are allowed two major revisions per chapter. Once you’re final approval is received we will publish your chapter(s) online. Additionally, after the final chapter has been published online, we will be publishing each story in a bound book format. This book will be printed professionally and made available for purchase at a later date.

The “Celeb Style” reservation is available for $15.95 per chapter.

By using the “Pay Now” option I acknowledge that I have read and accept

the Terms & Conditions as set forth by chapterTWIST.

That’s it. Time to kick back and curl up with a good book. Now you get the opportunity to read what the next Twister decides to do with the story. Maybe they’ll continue down the path you started. Maybe they’ll decide to leave your path and form one of their own. The only way to find out what happens next is to let it happen.

We’re truly excited about the endless possibilities. Just imagine what a bunch of talented people can do when they get together.

Once all the chapters are published online, we will be publishing each story in a bound book format. This will be the work of a professional printing company dedicated to small publishers. After the initial printing has been verified they will be made available for sale here at chapterTWIST. Additionally, each book will include an ISBN number for ordering through various other retailers.

Even if you decide not to reserve your own chapters we hope you’ll hang around and enjoy the stories as they come together. We would love to hear your questions or suggestions (whether or not you make a purchase). As with most things in life, the easiest way to improve is to listen to the people around you. That’s exactly what we intend to do, improve.

Thank you for stopping by and hanging out,

chapterTWIST Team Leader

back to:

Step 2 | Step 3