Hypercompendia

Realized that I’ve consistently missed the new TV series “V” about alien visitors and want to catch up on that. Something has bothered me about this show since I’d first seen the trailers all summer: the beautiful alien known as Anna is almost unbelievably game-graphic and I wondered if indeed she was a real person or not at first.

The color of her skin, the large features, the hairstyle, the shape of her face, all are based on some of the games such as Silent Hill, etc., and it’s nearly a case of art imitating life. I wonder if this is the intent of the drama; if the ‘alien’ is meant to look unreal, almost too perfect, and well, phony.

I’m going to catch up on this and maybe the story will explain the choice of character and cast.

It looks like I won’t be planning to write a hypertext novel in November after all.

I’ve been vacillating on this, wanting to push myself into doing it just to get something going and to push the hypertext format unto a public that really doesn’t seem to be aware of it. NaNoWriMo would be a good opportunity to get it out in front of a huge audience through the forums, discussions and contact with thousands of writers who also might be willing to try their hand at it someday. And, it’d keep me in creative mode.

But it’s a huge undertaking and to be honest, whether it’s my writing or hypertext itself, I’ve only gotten two souls that offered encouragement. If I was deadset on doing it, then I wouldn’t need any support at all, but with my own flagging enthusiasm there was just not enough to keep me on track with a commitment.

But there’s plenty else to keep me busy; there are a number of techniques and coding styles that I need to learn (teach myself I guess!) and a lot of editing to do on any of the stories written during the 100 Days Project that I think are worth saving. And, I need to get back on track with my reading. So maybe next year, I’ll consider NaNoWriMo; if I haven’t already done a hypertext novel on my own initiative.

In an attempt to dress up one of the stories a bit, I’ve added (probably over-added) some graphics. The problem? The pages load the images so slow that it’s annoying to be reading and the background image might suddenly pop up, or the smaller images (just like the logo here) slowly “unroll” into view.

I’m not sure if it’s my server (Lunar), WordPress,  my css setups, my own Comcast cable, or my Mac growing old and pokey.

This isn’t the fun part of writing. It’s sort of making the whole project more effort than it’s worth and beginning to turn me off to whole new media thing. It seems that unless you know the programs and coding very well, the trial and error method loses its appeal after a few days.

. . .nothing like feelin’ the fool once again.

Coming into hypertext and new media and having none of your friends (yes, I’ve many master-degreed friends and even relatives) know what hypertext is makes you cocky and swell with the glory of being in on something new. So, though you know it’s been around a while, you sort of believe that it needs a kickstart to find its place in the rapidly changing world of new media arts, literature, and communication. And, by gum, you’re willing to take on the job.

You start babbling ideas and concepts of marketing and directions and all that fancy schmancy stuff you know nothing about but are willing to dive into. Slowly, tediously, you dive. And a long time later, you find it’s all been done before only nobody bothered to tell you.

So you make some dumb statements and you turn around and mumble a bit like an Alzheimeric dwarf and go back in your cave and press buttons.

NaNoWriMo’s getting closer and I still haven’t decided whether I’ll really go through with this. Checked at the NaNoWriMo site and asked the question on the forum to the others to see if anyone is planning or had before entered a hypertext piece of work. In Googling, I found one that claims to be hypertext but doesn’t appear to be so; another that is planning for this year to do hypertext possibly.

With all my feelings at cross-purposes to the structure of NaNoWriMo getting clobbered by the 100 Days experience this past summer, I’m still not sure it’s a good idea, either for me personally or for doing any good at all for marketing the hypertext form.

I wonder what happens to those who sign up and are never heard from again?

I was thrilled to see another strictly online new media publication out of Virginia Tech’s Center for Digital Discourse and Culture. called The New River – a journal of new media and art.

When I check out the site and some issues, it was a happy surprise to see a few familiar names. The Journal was started by Ed Falco, a published (Eastgate) author of the hypertext fiction, A Dream with Demons, and many short stories and works.

Then I get to the current Spring 2009 issue and find the ever interesting Alan Bigelow whom I had the pleasure to meet and spend some time with at Hypertext ’08 in Pittsburgh.

Even as more and more literary journals make a transition to web publishing, there are a few such as The New River that are set up nicely for true multimedia presentations and right now, they are open for submissions. They’re edgy; they’re good reading and viewing for all types of new media.

Just noticed something while editing a story that’s rather a drawback to hypertext–unless you’ve specifically asked someone to read for you.

I found a sentence in one of my 100 Days hypertexts that just didn’t make any sense. I realized that some words had been inadvertently deleted in rewriting it and never corrected. In straight narrative, this would tell me that nobody read the story. But in hypertext, they honestly could have read it and may have taken another path and missed this space.

Obviously, even with my own rereadings I’ve missed it too.

Wish I could post an image of my personal seasonal transitioning; the long John shirt underneath the satin short sleeved nightgown. It was spontaneous, the sudden cold night when you don’t want to take off warm clothes to slip into cold satin.

It reminded me of hypertext narrative. That crossroads of decision, the either/or, the moment the choice need be made: day or night, summer or fall. Then a third possibility–a combination. A layering of the seasons before comfortable routine sets in.

Have to make a decision on the NaNoWriMo (doesn’t that sound like an Indian word? Something Tonto would say to the Lone Ranger?).

Going to check out the rules (I signed up last week on a whim that I’d hoped would turn into commitment) to see if it’d be a waste of time and energy to do hypertext, and while I think it’s about time I got started on that second novel (the first is sitting on a floppy disk with a hard copy somewhere in the basement), I don’t think I need to tie in with this organized effort to write straight text.

A glimmer of an idea did come through this morning. I believe outlines are allowed pre-November 1st. I mean, they don’t expect most writers to clear their heads of story concepts and sit down at the keyboard, fingers poised at midnight without any thought of what to write (though for me, the narrative forms in the hovering fingers). And I’m sure at least some of the 15,000-plus entrants have a partially written manuscript already, despite rules.

So by this weekend, I’ll try to decide whether this is feasible, whether I’m up to it, and whether this is a good thing to do for myself and the hypertext form or if it’d just be a colossal waste of time and effort. Then, based on the final decision, I may be running to the grocery store to stock up on 60 frozen dinners. And get the laundry and ironing up to date as of October 31st with not so much as a pair of jockeys in the hamper. Oh and get the picture framing caught up and pray for a lull in Christmas business (like I don’t need the money).

That’s it. Oh, yeah; and cut my husband’s hair and take my monthly Boniva.