Hypercompendia

Now that I’ve removed all former links between stories, the Map View gives me a much better idea of what and where the story is going.  I do want to relink at some of the points that I had originally, but now I’ll be able to do so without the use of guard fields (for the most part) because I can see where I can go back into a different area and come out at a point that is natural and moves the story forward.

Still have a slight problem with the narrative now being overly controlled, but I may just have to bite it on this one.  With the new project, working with the Storyspace environment should automatically gear me towards writing within the parameters to be able to understand how to write outside of them.

Oh wow.  I found a perfect spot where all the stories lined up where I can have one link to another to another to another and exit gracefully into the main narrative without an awkward connection. 

Oh yes, it certainly will have the reader wondering what’s going on, but it may give him some answers as well since it will be the first time the characters are in such close proximity to each other, reaching through time and possibility to do the impossible.

It needs some fine-tuning, but I think it’s going to work and it comes at a time in the story where things should be somewhat understood.

Well I’m really liking the way the path rolls out on  this project (Paths) now and I’m about a  little over halfway through the changes.  The story seems to read better, offer more intrigue and question, and offer me more leeway into expansion if the opportunity calls for it.

The bad news–and this may be only because of the way I’m doing it–is that is seems to offer a single path to be read properly (ah yes, what is proper anyway?).  Not too worried about it though since I think I’m already seeing ways around that so that the story can offer some differences besides the two options of following me, or getting lost.

I do love working in the Map View format, though I still would like to be able to telescope children out of the parental boxes so that one can work in the entire piece AND be able to use the Chart View and Outline View as well.  Right now, after I spent hours setting up the Chart View and found I couldn’t use the Map View because of the hierarchy, I reset up the Map as the main workplace and use Chart only if I’ve lost a kid somewhere’s in the mall.

As I’ve been cutting the ties between the stories where I’d formerly had them linked (such as based on the word ‘morning’ and connecting from Story 1 to Story 4), and removing the guard fields, I still haven’t quite the nerve to rearrange the map to accurately reflect the changed flow of story. 

Maybe tomorrow I’ll get braver.

Finally have had the nerve to sever all relationship links between the stories as they were originally set up.  It’s just too difficult to keep track of them and they’d still need the guard fields which, as I am coming to understand, aren’t used much by the pro writers.

It does seem as though the new way I’m mapping this is more restrictive–even without guard fields–because I’m setting up a more defined path through the stories.  The natural flow seems to go here, then here, then there, then a word from our sponsor, etc.  The most important change is that the reader is allowed to get a fuller view of whichever life he’s visiting since he can stay within the story for a few spaces, ramble around into it’s own offshooting links, and return to the main narrative flow.  He will also be reading a bit of each story in its proper sequence even though I will have him hopping back and forth among them.

I am allowing the reader to remain within any one story if he so chooses however.  There will be a code that can be recognized for what it is after a reader is into the narrative a bit, though it won’t be outrageously obvious.  The main followthrough, the way I would read it, will be navigated by the Writing Space Click.  For continuation of a single story, there will be a text link, though it won’t be on every Writing Space and that’s why I say it won’t become obvious immediately.  As a matter of fact, as I write this, I’m wondering if this is such a good idea since once that path is followed, it will either bring the reader to the end of that particular thread, or it will bring him back into the main trail at an odd moment, having missed a good portion of the ongoing, interwoven narrative.

Truly, while this pre-setup format of hypertext story was thought to be such a good idea, thinking back now, it would’ve been much easier to start from scratch and write hypertextually instead of thinking hypertext.

Storyspace has indeed opened up Paths into much more than it started out being, and I’ve posted several times on its methods of accomplishing this.  However, in this particular project, in changing the narrative structure–rerouting I guess you’d call it–I find any creative force squelched by the need to find connecting words that build bridges between the threads of story to make the whole thing work.

Not a fun time right now and I’m anxious to get it done and shelved.

Trying to get this project done and over with but the map is starting to look like a Brillo pad.  That’s because in my own bumbling manner I’ve been hesitant to actually cut the ties that have held the story together up to this major overhaul. I’m still not sure that the basic premise of the theory I’m depending upon is sound so I’ve got Plan B still in effect.

There are natural breaks in the narratives but do they melt easily enough into the break of one of the other threads?  It’s not as simple or as dopey as linking tongue to tongue anymore.  It’s got to be a smooth transition but it still has to hit with an obvious we’re not in Kansas anymore appeal.  I may be reverting to an old bad habit here of not trusting the reader.  Gotta get my head together on this.  Storyspace is making it easy enough to make these editing changes; I just have to do my part.

Well I’m back into it (Paths) and back into the problems as well.  It’s almost as if I need to sever all the links I’d originally formed in order to relink the way I’d like the story to open up. 

One of my main problems seems to be the one between stories–the same problem I’ve been working on from the beginning and did a workaround with guard fields.  Well the guard fields won’t work because 1) they feel too restrictive to the reader and 2) if a reader has come from a different path, they won’t stop him here anyway.

I’m trying to plan something around using more text-links.  One thought is to create a complete path weaving through all the stories via the normal click on space, along with a story thread of clicking on the text-link of the last word in almost every space. 

I’m getting confused and think that cutting all links might be the best way to start back at the near beginning.

It’s great to have the laptop running again; that adds just about all the hours that I’m either in the shop or watching TV to the time I can spend on Storyspace and Paths. 

With the network set up to include files and folders, I can work on the single ‘shared’ version of Paths and save copies on each computer as I work.

I’ve gotten just about a quarter of the way through the narrative, tying in the stories and wandering off onto other trails as I go, but this takes a lot of plotting and planning.  Just don’t know if it’s worth it with this particular project but I can’t exactly leave it now as it is.  Thinking of starting something new as well, just to keep the interest and enthusiasm up since drudge work often can taint the creative spirit.

Back in a bit.

Sort of limited in what I can do on Paths because I’m down to the main PC.  Without the laptop, I can’t work on it while working in the shop or watching TV.  That cut down considerably on when, much less be in the mood as well.

But the screen for the laptop came today and maybe either tonight or in the morning I’ll be able to put it together.

In the meantime, there’s some stuff going on at Steve Ersinghaus’ place with hypertext presentation.