Hypercompendia

It’s day #35 and I’m up five days on css and html templates and even, yes the Tinderbox maps. Through a series of folders and organization I have these four files in  “x” files (neat, eh?) as preparation for stories: 100column.css; 100column.html; titlec.html; x.tbx — though of course named x through x8 (some aren’t colorized yet)

Tinderbox is a godsend in this project as the base camp for creating the hypertext story. While there is no rule as to what format I’m following or how many writing spaces I’ll be using, it is easy enough to change according to what I’m guessing the story will ask of me to lay it out. Some want circles. Some want squares. Some want organization and some want nothing to do with me.

The first illustration is of the basic map, guessing that I’ll average 16 spaces, maybe more, maybe less; that I’ve been using a different sized box as “policemen” or traffic controllers or asides; that there needs to be room to maneuver and clearly show links when I’m first starting out with the story (sometimes I link everything as I’m writing it, sometimes I link just the main thread and hook up the rest later, sometimes I just sit and stare); and that the empty boxes are a lure (or a kick in the pants) to move on.

All this just helps me keep focused, something to play with in between bolts of brilliance (I play a lot) so that I don’t wander off to the garden or into the clutches of Tai Pei. The second illustration has been rearranged a bit to suit what I think is a prose piece that wants some structure to its life.  We’ll see.