Wow, Thanks much everyone for all the great input on the interactive fiction idea! You guys didn't cop out with the "good idea" two-word comments, either! Very useful input, everyone!
I still have a lot of work to do on the site and need guidance! Speak up anytime!
- I do have several screens worth of story at the beginning, since it's the intro and I wanted to establish the setting and characters before the first choice. It's hard to make a decision with no perspective at all, you need to have something to base it on. Like the fact that Harry has a wife and kid, which effects the first choice and is information that isn't revealed until just before the decision point.
- As for decisions as minor as jacket color, that's not really the level of detail I'm going for. I want to keep it simple. To allow decisions to that degree - especially when it does not serve the story and just reinforces the illusion of control - is more work than it might be worth. Javascript would be the best way to go, but this is going to be a low-tech version of the idea.
- 9 screens is certainly too much before the first decision. I need to balance my need for an intro with the reader's desire to interact. However, I have to hope that anyone willing to read an entire interactive novella will have the attention span to read a page or two of introduction. It seems longer than is due to the many line breaks/new paragraphs.
- I really hope to keep the layout clean, and that means avoiding pop-ups and expanding menus. But if the animated pop-up "click here to make a decision" button looks really cool, does that make the writing any better? Art is great when it serves the story. If I had any art skills at all, it would be nice to provide pics of characters, settings, clues, and the like.
It was the desire and attempt to create all that cool stuff that has led to the years of delay in actually getting the site done. I had all sort of art, crime scenes you could search with your mouse, and on and on. I want to get at least one story done in the simple format. Plus, I have no skills for the dynamic code or art. Perhaps in reading the storys, an interested artist will feel compelled enough to want to collaborate, who knows.
- I agree that many people enjoy reading porn online. In fact, when I first talked to my wife about the idea, she said "do erotica!" and that would probably be the most popular genre, if they were all available to choose from.
It's silly, but even though I plan to provide erotica stories eventually, I didn't want that to be the first genre active. I didn't want "a porn site" but a fiction site. So erotica would be like the third or forth genre I would tackle, probably.
- Writing all the stories myself will probably be the reality of it, at least at first. I'm still figuring out the design, really. If people show some interest in contributing, I'd definitely be interested.
- How is my version different from an online role-playing game? It's not clear if you mean the real-time version where live people stay in character and describe their actions as the game master describes the environment and activity, or an actual video game.
I don't hope to compete or compare to World of Warcraft.
If you mean the former, then my version is different because it's not live. (which doesn't make it better) You can read through paths not taken the first time, and enjoy new twists that weren't there before. You can't rewind a live rpg. And arguing with a group for your decision, your viewpoint to be followed can get old, especially when the majority wants to go the goofy route when you're in a serious mood.
The interactive fiction route, you don't have to convince anyone, you're in charge. If you're goofy, then so be it. If not, so be it.
Yeah, everybody wants visuals online. But we don't seem to mind when we read a regular novel that each character doesn't have pictures, each clue doesn't have a picture, and we have to read hundreds of pages to get to the end. The internet has taught us to be impatient, but a lot of readers still enjoy working their way through a book.
What does this genre of writing have to offer over online rpg's? There's no group to annoy you with stupid suggestions, breaking character, disappearing for half an hour to go on a beer run or to the bathroom. You don't need to wait for the group to arrive to be able to begin. You just go when you want, stop when you want, and finish at your leisure.
Thanks much for all the input!
I still have a lot to figure out, a lot to consider, I need lots more reader input, and I have to learn to listen because I'm stubborn.
And I have a lot of writing to do. The number one question that needs to be resolved is, - is the writing decent enough? Cause if it sucks- even pretty, dynamic art and web design can't rescue it.
I still have a lot of work to do on the site and need guidance! Speak up anytime!
- I do have several screens worth of story at the beginning, since it's the intro and I wanted to establish the setting and characters before the first choice. It's hard to make a decision with no perspective at all, you need to have something to base it on. Like the fact that Harry has a wife and kid, which effects the first choice and is information that isn't revealed until just before the decision point.
- As for decisions as minor as jacket color, that's not really the level of detail I'm going for. I want to keep it simple. To allow decisions to that degree - especially when it does not serve the story and just reinforces the illusion of control - is more work than it might be worth. Javascript would be the best way to go, but this is going to be a low-tech version of the idea.
- 9 screens is certainly too much before the first decision. I need to balance my need for an intro with the reader's desire to interact. However, I have to hope that anyone willing to read an entire interactive novella will have the attention span to read a page or two of introduction. It seems longer than is due to the many line breaks/new paragraphs.
- I really hope to keep the layout clean, and that means avoiding pop-ups and expanding menus. But if the animated pop-up "click here to make a decision" button looks really cool, does that make the writing any better? Art is great when it serves the story. If I had any art skills at all, it would be nice to provide pics of characters, settings, clues, and the like.
It was the desire and attempt to create all that cool stuff that has led to the years of delay in actually getting the site done. I had all sort of art, crime scenes you could search with your mouse, and on and on. I want to get at least one story done in the simple format. Plus, I have no skills for the dynamic code or art. Perhaps in reading the storys, an interested artist will feel compelled enough to want to collaborate, who knows.
- I agree that many people enjoy reading porn online. In fact, when I first talked to my wife about the idea, she said "do erotica!" and that would probably be the most popular genre, if they were all available to choose from.
It's silly, but even though I plan to provide erotica stories eventually, I didn't want that to be the first genre active. I didn't want "a porn site" but a fiction site. So erotica would be like the third or forth genre I would tackle, probably.
- Writing all the stories myself will probably be the reality of it, at least at first. I'm still figuring out the design, really. If people show some interest in contributing, I'd definitely be interested.
- How is my version different from an online role-playing game? It's not clear if you mean the real-time version where live people stay in character and describe their actions as the game master describes the environment and activity, or an actual video game.
I don't hope to compete or compare to World of Warcraft.
If you mean the former, then my version is different because it's not live. (which doesn't make it better) You can read through paths not taken the first time, and enjoy new twists that weren't there before. You can't rewind a live rpg. And arguing with a group for your decision, your viewpoint to be followed can get old, especially when the majority wants to go the goofy route when you're in a serious mood.
The interactive fiction route, you don't have to convince anyone, you're in charge. If you're goofy, then so be it. If not, so be it.
Yeah, everybody wants visuals online. But we don't seem to mind when we read a regular novel that each character doesn't have pictures, each clue doesn't have a picture, and we have to read hundreds of pages to get to the end. The internet has taught us to be impatient, but a lot of readers still enjoy working their way through a book.
What does this genre of writing have to offer over online rpg's? There's no group to annoy you with stupid suggestions, breaking character, disappearing for half an hour to go on a beer run or to the bathroom. You don't need to wait for the group to arrive to be able to begin. You just go when you want, stop when you want, and finish at your leisure.
Thanks much for all the input!
I still have a lot to figure out, a lot to consider, I need lots more reader input, and I have to learn to listen because I'm stubborn.
And I have a lot of writing to do. The number one question that needs to be resolved is, - is the writing decent enough? Cause if it sucks- even pretty, dynamic art and web design can't rescue it.
Sounds like a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI actually started my blog because my computer became too unreliable to work on my book (currently over 1.4mb and no CD writer..boo. Oh, and I once lose 90,000 words when my usb 'dongle' decided not to work.) Blogging is a great way to keep the writing mucles in shape!
From reading your blog, the writing will be good enough, I think time may be your biggest problem, rather than any creative issues.
I can't wait to see the results. I'm one of those rare people who would rather read than watch TV. No matter what form it's in- comic books- cereal boxes, on the net, in book form, anything EXCEPT tech manuals.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the best way to go would be an online version of the old 'Which way' books. You know "If you want to attack the dragon, go to page 253"
ReplyDeleteIn other words, If I can give any advice for the first one...keep it fairly simple. Offer a max of 3 options at the end of each section.
I had to write one of these for Narrative Theory class at uni, and it's amazing the sheer amount of copy you have to write (In excess of 200,000 words), for the equivalent of a 5000 word short story.
Even that is a like a 'pyramid scheme. Every option opens three more, each of which has three more options. I don't wanna scare you, but with just 10 sections before the end of the story, that's 19683 sections, unless they 'cross over' (You can get to the same section via a different route.)
I'd keep the decisions the reader has to make 'big', ones that affect the outcome, rather than what colour jacket to wear.
It's not un-doable, but it's gonna be a lot of work!
Hey - here you are! Why didn't you tell me you were here, Mr Mysterio? Instead I have to use my expert dectective skills and now I look like a stalker.
ReplyDelete