Hypercompendia

I’ve likely learned more about hypertext link negotiation with the seven short stories I’ve worked on in the past few days than I’ve learned in writing more sprawled out, trying-too-hard-to-be-complex stories of the past couple years.

One of the clouds that hangs over my head in writing hypertext is the same one that rains on my hypertext reading; that I’ll get lost or lead someone else into a hole or that I’ll run them around in boring circles of reading the same thing over and over again.  With the short short form, it makes so much more of an impact when you come around to the same writing space again. There isn’t the fear of losing the main story line even when I’ve gone off the beaten track completely with these.

Steve Ersinghaus and I have done some of this kind of thinking before–emails that we sent back and forth, each adding a new plot or elaboration on a single story, though it was somewhat linear in form. Perhaps the collaboration of two minds working together but never working the same was the key there. Can’t wait to get this show of the 100 Stories Project going and with the addition of three more people and sight and sound and organization, it should be awesome.

In the meantime, I’m practicing my hypertext. Only problem is I need more short stories to hypertexturize.

Very disappointed to see that not only is hypertext or any other form of new media not represented at the Tunxis Writers Festival this year, but that the public is not being offered the ability to attend this community college function. Odd, at a college that’s ahead of many in stepping over the edge into the New Media field by offering two courses devoted to New Media, and many others such as Digital Animation that apply.

Maybe this all goes back to Dene Grigar’s essay on how hypertext, et al, is presented at the academic level, Electronic Literature, Where is It?, and whether it is a discipline unto itself or if its relationship to Literature, etc. is undeniable.

Very good advice from A List Apart this morning on “The Elegance of Imperfection.”

“It symbolizes a crucial lesson about craft: utility is not contingent on perfection of form.”

Even as I fight back the urge to twiddle and tweak till I’m left with a toothpick of story from a oak tree of words, I do realize that editing and going that one step further does most often improve upon form. Utility is fine, but I still can’t help but seek perfection–perhaps as a balance to more natural impulsive instincts.

In working on the 100 Stories Project (which I really shouldn’t be doing, I suppose, until the official start date), I’m playing with colors to stay on track with the project as a whole. It is important, of course, to have something set up prior to the opening bell since there won’t be time later to play when deadlines to produce are more important, but after practicing the hypertext, I had to play with the display. And, after two major rehauls in display just to find something inspiring to write in, there’s still that urge to look further to come up with the perfect playground. In checking out the suggested site, Kular, for color theme, I found this that I do like a lot:

In changing the css color values on a test, I neglected to change the headline colors from a lovely navy and while the values above came out subtle and soft, the navy text fairly popped with class.

Then, of course, there’s thousands of color combinations and I’ll have to explore further before I go changing things again. But the above–with navy text–may show up somewhere someday soon. Like maybe at the Spinning site that’s gotten boring for me.

Satisfied my colorlust once I learned how to put in total background color without blank spaces in bordered areas (in the html template, need to refer to css with a style note, though there’s got to be an easier way, and added 20 px top and bottom padding to the background-color notation) so I changed one of the four hypertext stories to this:

It just seems to inspire me when I’m working in color and that translates to better story. One thing I’ve also found in working on these stories is that I’m working with the Storyspace hypertext format more naturally than ever before. I’m not afraid to go back to the same writing spaces and I’m getting better at using that as an emphasis point and see how it changes the meaning the next time something is read, just for having some new information since the last time.

So glad I agreed to join the 100 Stories Project. Last summer, Steve Ersinghaus and Carianne Mack dedicated their summer break from their usual campus duties at Tunxis Community College to put together an awesome creative collaboration of paintings and poetry as a challenge of one work a day for 100 days. Steve and Carianne are once again planning a project, with stories and visuals, and with the addition of John Timmons on sound and Jim Revillini on drums–no not drums, but the same base, the beat that sets the whole thing to blend in digital presentation. I’ll be expanding on story by offering an interpretation in hypertext.

Steve has already thrown out a few stories in preparation and to get with the idea, I’ve been hypertexting them on a 100 Stories Project Page (Link to the right) here until we have a plan for centralization. Officially the project will begin on May 22nd and run through August. It should be a fun process of learning and exploring creative ideas and interpretations pooled together towards a goal.

Just got the impetus to pick up and fly on short story hypertexts again. Armed with Storyspace and a story, I’ve spent most of the morning playing when I should have been framing…

What are the odds that something like this will happen again (all at exactly 12:19 pm):

1. smgctJust put in another job app: http://tinyurl.com/cwv7x82 minutes ago from web

2. ersinghausIn this context AS3 is just too much food on the table. Can’t eat it all, even though it looks tasty.2 minutes ago from twhirl

3. willienelsonInformation on the cancelled tour http://willienelson.com/ppp…2 minutes ago from twhirl

Tale of Tales is launching The Path in San Francisco today. I’ve looked at the trailer and screenshots of this short game and it looks exciting. The graphics are fantastic as evidenced just by this site image below:

I literally left a woman hanging to channel a renewed energy into this concept of a children’s website that exposes them to hypertext story.  Thinking of a name (Hypertales?) and content (a dozen or so short stories geared toward different age levels and interests) and the funnest part, design. But it all has to start somewhere so I revved up my Storyspace engine and starting writing about numbers and things and a little guy named Darren.

Hmmm. Winding down  from my soapbox delivery of this morning, an interesting trail of thought develops. For a few years now an artist has been suggesting that we get together and write a children’s book that she would illustrate. We even tossed a few ideas around but my self-centered writer’s heart, not being completely exuberant over writing for kids, just left it on the back burner.

But this might turn up the flame; a hypertext children’s book…