STORYSPACE & PROJECTS: Manipulating the Reader
I’m anxious to write something fresh and new into the Storyspace environment but I really need to close out Paths first. I really like the concept, the story, and most of the writing though I’m likely the only one who does. Which brings me to a toss-and-turn of several nights running.
Who do I please? I’m really not writing for the reader completely, though it’s always been a factor in any type of writing and particularly in fiction. In hypertext, it wants to become tantamount to prime reader enjoyment and that’s not where my head’s at. I still seem to want to lead him through the narrative.
Maybe it’s because I’ve started with a story that lent itself to this form. Maybe it’s just my bossy nature. But I just can’t seem to make the loops and connections that would allow a reader to run willy-nilly through my work and come out scratching his head (as I’ve admittedly done on other hypertext pieces and found them not a pleasant experience).
I think that what I’m saying here is that I don’t want to write according to hypertext, but rather use the tool of hypertext to write the story the way I want. If I can manage to do that, it could be a phenomenal piece of work.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology