Hypercompendia

After working with this software, I find myself taken by the opportunities it offers both writers and readers in the hypertext format.

I’ve gone into this, as I tend to do with all things new, armed to the teeth with yeahbuts and hate’ems.  That’s my method of discovery.  If I can scout out all the negatives and resolve those questions, than the road ahead is a romp through Candyland.  I’ve never backed away from the untraditional; it just takes me a while to storm the gates.

Obviously one of the most interesting aspects of the process is the options granted the reader to make his own way through the narrative.  Seeings that it is non-linear and offers many paths, it is up to the writer to act as guide.  If he’s predisposed to simians, then he’ll make sure you visit the monkey house.  If it’s vipers he likes, then the snake house or your local Dodge dealer.  What I particularly loved was that it left room to expand on random thoughts that were not necessary to story, but certainly enhanced the characters and plot by their insight.  I became prone to a psychological realism frame of mind and often stared at a Writing Space for minutes, or wandered back to it often enough to realize there was something I wanted to say.  I like this.  It’s hard to insert these bits into static text because once they’re there, they insist on being read; in hypertext, the reader only need read them if he’s got the same curiosity that spurred the writer to set them in.

For the writer, the small Writing Spaces may be inspirational.  Not as daunting as a blank page or screen, the space may be filled with one sentence–one special sentence or a thought–and voila!–you’re being productive!  I’ve looked at places in the story where I just knew I could expand (or expound!) but didn’t have the words yet.  And, didn’t want to lose the thought.  Very easy to stamp out a few Writing Spaces, give the first one a title that indicates the general idea of direction, tie them all together with a thread, and you’ve got the place all warm and cozy and waiting for the creative moment to strike and settle in.

On the physical side, there is little wrong with the way the program works and there’s little that need be added to it.  I would, however, beg that any upgrade include that "Do you want to save your work?" box that makes you feel like an idiot in other programs but try working without one.  I’ve gotten so paranoid that I’ve got Paths saved in three spots on the hard drive and in two flash drives.

While I may still tinker with Paths, I’m anxious to move on and have a couple of ideas on where I want to go and explore.  In "conclusion" is a misnomer.  I’m not done; only beginning.