I realize that in pursuing this project while in the middle of exploring the reading and writing of hyperfiction will cause some conflicts in thinking and planning, even while the two are of the same purpose–that Storytron is in fact hyperfiction in its visual form–that purpose being to allow reader interactivity and creative input. But a thought just occurred to me relative to my recent questions about the element of timeline within Storytron.
My approach to writing in hyperfiction, in preparation of application using Flash8, was directly related to place in time, past, present and future, and the links themselves were based on words that held relevance in the stories of those time periods: corn, eggs, sleep, etc. In other words, the main characters involved were three people affected by their choices in their past and how their present was affected and naturally, their future will be.
But in Storytron, unless I haven’t gotten to that element yet and it hasn’t been made clear, the paths do not go beyond the immediate (except perhaps in speculation), nor link back to past actions. While it is not necessarily a big drawback if I find this to indeed be the case, it is again a restriction of the medium, just as the environment or setting appears to be limited to the stage area.
I may, of course, be wrong in this and merely have not explored deeply enough to discover the possibilities. But it sure shoots the opportunity of using this particular work in Storytron all to hell. It is obvious that certain story type must be geared to the medium, and specific mediums are particularly suited to certain stories.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology