Hypercompendia

There is a certain sense of organized fluidity in writing hypertext in Tinderbox that keeps one busy in a creative manner while narrative comes out in its own pace of choice.

Maybe it doesn’t work as well in outline or chart view, but I’m so settled into the mapview of Tinderbox that I develop a pattern that’s pleasing to the eye even as it it planned around the paths of story. It’s almost a musical blending of notes.

This story came out of a dream about blueberries and it’s been influenced perhaps by reading Adrienne Eisen’s Six Sex Scenes. I really needed to loosen up a bit and let some human sexuality into the story that brings out the human drama and reality of our lives. Maybe a blueberry isn’t really a blueberry.

I like the process of writing hypertext narrative; it’s a constant rereading and picking up of clues and wanting to find answers to questions.

In writing this morning I tweaked the first few lines of a new story (which is another great thing about hypertext; you’re continually going back and reading what’s gone before, giving you that editorial chance at refining language) and easily selected three possible trails of story.

“I dreamt of blueberries, brown bags full of berries as large as apples. I still catch their cool scent, feel their plump bodies in my hands.

Blueberries smell of morning breeze and sex with white curtains blowing out open windows.”

“Dreamt” is a natural; it can be the psychology of the narrative. It will give me the poetics I am feeling for this story. While it was a tossup between “bodies” and “hands” I chose “hands” to explore the reality of this character’s life. It also allows a more physical, textured path that may bring in the conflicts. “Sex” is the other trail that will lead into the possibilities of intimacy with the reader.

This is the way traditional story telling rolls out too, it’s true. But the choices of which in what order, and the ability to go into greater depth than linear often allows with backstory or asides in the jumping of borders of time is something that hypertext does best.

The Mating Ritual of The Modern Man

This came out different than planned and not quite as focused, but I doubt that anyone will realize or care.

What inspired the story was the reality television shows such as The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, More to Love, etc. All those “true love true story” shows that are recognized by their overuse of the word “amazing” when describing the rejectees.

I am more intrigued than ever by the hypertext form of narrative and yet it’s still so damn hard to convince others to read much less write in this style. I’ve used Storyspace for the first couple of stories, but have used Tinderbox for all the rest and have paid homage to this exciting software by Eastgate in this last story of the 100 days.

My thanks and appreciation to all who have taken on this 100 Days Project. Now I suppose we all shall be busily writing our first semester compositions on “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.” After that, I may just have to take my hypertext show on the road.

Oaks and Acorns

As we’re winding down to the end of the 100 days of summer stories, the relief is mixed with a dash of desire to shine. To include what could be the best of our narratives, the working of words and images and hypertext to its finest.

But it’s all been a learning process and that won’t stop at the 100-day mark. This story is a more tender, gentle tale of a father and son. The bridging of time and space between generations. The hypertext is a series of alternate paths that lead through the woods to the pond.

Perks

What set me off on a trail from Steve’s story this morning was the idea of things. Little things carried back and forth. Things that we accumulate to make a home, a life around us. Things that change a person’s character to make him rationalize and justify.

The course is one that may go around and around, but then, the lexias are short and emphasize a building process. “Perks” here indicates the perquisites that one may have become too used to in this new economy. All that’s going to change, I’m sure, and it too will become as obsolete as the concept of hard work and the reward of the good life we may have known.

The Scent of Sundays

This is the fourth attempt at yesterday’s story and completely different from those I’d halfway finished and tainted by a restless night of visiting ghosts.

It is an unhappy story, yet one all too often suffered by so many. The mapping is random though I believe that the story is contained within any of the multiple paths that lead through the narrative.

Feeling rather melancholy tonight, thinking of the last four stories to write yet in this 100-story saga. I have six color themes left–geared that way so that I still have a choice of colors to blend with the tone of the hypertext. Not that I haven’t tweaked some changes even after I think I have the right colors.

Big difference from a few days ago when I really didn’t want to write another word. I mean, really didn’t want to write, not one more word. Stoicism and being true to my word, along with a touch of the masochist indeed made me push myself every day to produce when it was even physically painful to do so.

Now the focus is on what do I want to say, what do I want to leave within this legacy or better, what is it that is important not to leave out?

It’s going to be an interesting next four days.

Dimensional 2

Just a continuation of hypertext #10 Dimensional. I’d written just a couple of spaces of this story right after I finished the first installment back in early June (day #10!). I’ve been wanting to explore the world of Jam and Jane as Jane’s world level is destroyed in a loose translation of string theory. This also covered the idea of their dual identity and where each fit in the space of time they inhabited. What, I wondered, will happen when both are in the same time zone?

Links are included within both stories.

Ambitions

Actually, if you follow your gut feeling in clicking links here you’re probably most likely to get the full impact of the story. I like this one. It’s probably one of my strongest metaphorically disguised political statements which is something that’s always fun for a writer to do when it combines with a futuristic outlook of society.

Or, it could just be fun.

Concurrent Continuity

Just an exercise in hypertext pathmaking.

This is a pattern that works well in the hypertext form; similar to the movie Sliding Doors where one little change leads the character on a different course in life.

So while the threads are linear, they are simultaneous–or as much so as I was mentally up to preparing. It doesn’t quite have the impact that I would like, but it is open to rewriting and further exploration of this literary device so readily available in hypertext.