. Spinning .

Been doing some short–8 to 10 lexias–hypertext stories and while much of the basic elements of writing are of course the same, some things to point out the differences.

In hypertext, there is a movement between segments of reading that in some cases might simulate turning a page. There’s one quirk however in hypertext; one normally will, after reading a writing space, will finish by looking at the entire space as a whole, as an image. Whether looking for links or just as a finished area, the space being smaller than a page, we look at it as something that we will be leaving behind, knowing the nature of hypertext is to move forward. But isn’t that what we do with a page of a book as well? We have no intention of rereading a page again, yet don’t have the same feeling of leaving it in the past. Is it the physical property of a paper page then that dispels that reluctance to leave it behind?

There’s another thing I’ve noticed–and much of this I’ve previously covered in a presentation on how hypertext changes the writer–and that is the relative freedom the need for concise sentences proposes to the writer. Can restriction offer freedom? Yes, in that it eliminates much of the unnecessary detailing of movement and environment that we try to keep out of all of our writing. In a post today, Steve Ersinghaus notes how his attention is drawn to the best use of each word and sentence and element to force them into doing double duty.

Likewise, in White Dwarf, conflict is “suggested” or “restricted” by dialogue, the source of which the reader can infer.

“Look how the water explodes from the sole’s of his sneakers after he walks through puddles on stormy days. They needed four grown men to pull him from the concrete he stepped into. The ferry rides low, you know the work day’s done.”

In this section, I was trying to get a large amount of data to the reader with as little narrative insulation as possible, using dialogue as the sole device of carrier of conflict, character, and time.

Each writing is an experience and yet there is so much more to learn.

Back in March I mentioned that I would be taking part in a group project over the summer whereby a number of artists, writers, coders, photographers, musicians, etc. would each be producing a piece of work on a daily basis for 100 days starting May 22nd, 2009. I had done some experimental pieces, then tried to make the move from Storyspace to Tinderbox as the program to write in and then also learned some css and such to make the move from Typepad here to WordPress and figure out how to export the hypertext to work here (at my Hypercompendia site) and in some fancy schmancy colors as well.

Since then, I got interested in a few more projects and tried to meet deadlines for submitting short stories and plan out some rewriting of the old, some starting basics for the new. When May 22nd came along, I found myself in a real blue funk of self-doubt and didn’t feel ready to step up and join the talent that was forming itself into a collage of creativity. I made a last push to create a few hypertext stories as the project got started just as practice to follow along. Seeing that hypertext was not represented in the the project, I’ve decided to rejoin and was accepted into a very energetic and eclectic group of ambitious and talented workers.

Each individual produces his or her work on an individual website, but a central point has been established by the instigator of the project, Steve Ersinghaus, at 100 Days: Summer 2009 (linked also at the top right of this page) that links to all the separate sites by their feeds. I’m currently using Hypercompendia as a point of entry since it seemed that the relativity of the hypertext medium didn’t warrant the extra work of creating a separate weblog at this point, and also have a separate page for the hypertexts at Hypertext under a Flash Fiction page.

Haven’t gotten much reading time in, but I have been writing, both straight text and hypertext. I’ve finally overcome my fear of Tinderbox–not that it’s at all a difficult program to learn, but rather that my assurance of comfort within Storyspace stood as a discouragement to learning something different when I was looking to do no more than what Storyspace already handled for me.

Been trying to read more poetry to get me in the frame of mind for brevity and sharper imagery, and some more contemporary stories online to get me up to speed with the trendy language of today’s writers. I need this for all my writing, but even more particularly when writing hypertext short shorts that need be almost self-contained stories within each lexia. I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things and have been learning more about the hypertext form and purpose as well. Still not great at it, but then my straight text isn’t all that hot either.

…the publication of Steve Ersinghaus‘ new hypertext Poem, That Night, in the 10th Anniversary issue of  Drunken Boat.

Congratulations to a fine poet and friend.

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.

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) over at Hypercompendia 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.

Steve Ersinghaus reminds us of the late June Hypertext '09 conference
to be held in Torino, Italy. Steve will be part of the program committee and headed
a workshop at the Hypertext '08 event in Pittsburgh, PA this past
summer. Mark Bernstein of Eastgate Systems is once again chairing the Hypertext and Community Track.

Deadlines
are fast approaching for submission of papers so check out the site for
information if you are planning on submitting a proposal or attending
this exciting event.

Out of war come stories, those of horror, those of courage, those of love. My grandmother, as did many grandmothers and grandfathers, repeated them often enough to ensure that their survival served a purpose. They needed to show the evil side of human nature as a warning, but also to reveal the good so that it did not get burdened by the one to overwhelm the other to the point where hope was lost. My grandmother told the story of how kindness had saved her from the gas chamber. It was only as an adult that I discovered that it was all a lie.

This opening that comes to me in the dark hours of a predawn cup of coffee comes with a plot that leads it to a dramatic arc–unusual for me since I very rarely see the story laid out until I’ve started writing it. But even at this stage, only minutes old, I see the telling of it, the twist. And there’s something else that becomes clear; it could well prove best told in the form of hypertext.

It seems that the theme of perception guides my use of hypertext as a medium; when I find two strong characters it seems that there will automatically be two points of view that intertwine and parallel themselves to possibly different ends. This was the secondary basis of my first story written in hypertext–the main being the choices made that bring about different conclusions. Still, I’m not proficient enough with the hypertext medium–even with the marvel of Storyspace that makes organization of story lines so much easier–to make full use of the form.

With the above beginning, the natural inclination is to return to the past via the grandmother’s story and to show as well the reality of an opposing point of view, a version that includes the events that grandma didn’t witness that would change her small segment of experience of WW II considerably from one of kindness to one of biased hatred. That would be, of course, the story of the German officer who she considers her savior, but who in fact selects her in particular, as a Polish friend to Jews, for death. What saves her is not him, but a more intricate series of events played out in careful time.

My task now is to either let the story play itself out in traditional text form, or to toss this opening paragraph into Storyspace and see if I can learn the patterns that would tell it perhaps in more depth.

Space as character–this is an important statement by Charles Deemer in his Nuts & Bolts section of the hyperdram which tells us how the idea of hyperdrama came about and moving it from live performance stage to the film medium.

Live performance interestingly keeps audience and actors in the same real time whereas film must manipulate the set and actors.

Giving us the technical side of it, including the software involved, Charles makes a quite complex undertaking seem a lot easier than it is.

One week away from the Hypertext 2008 Conference in Pittsburgh, PA and I’m pretty much ready for that with a presentation for the workshop headed by Steve Ersinghaus where I’ll be showing the process of my work with Storyspace and Hypertextopia. I’ll be happy to finally meet Mark Bernstein, Juan Gutierrez, Mark Marino, Chris Crawford, Alan Bigelow, and so many of the other hypertext celebrities I’ve only known through their work and websites.

I’m also getting a lot of the picture framing done, cleaning the
house, and making sure my husband has enough ironed shirts and slacks
to last until he meets a new woman in case something happens to me.

While my ultimate goal is to write a story in Macromedia Flash or Storyspace, you’ve read here that I have been working on a project called, "Pseudohyperfiction" which incorporates the idea of hypertext links that the web allows (as well as the availability in CD or DVD format).  Well, I scrapped the original story group temporarily because I couldn’t see where they were going and instead dug up some starters and added a couple of new ones to come up with four interrelated stories to play with. 

It’s not my best work, and unfortunately I had to commit the ultimate sin of submitting something that was not fully polished, but as editor, I had a deadline, and as writer, I was forced to accept that deadline.  Luckily, until we have a more discriminating staff working at otto than just me, I accepted it for inclusion in the Spring/Summer 2006 issue.  But this decision was not based on graft or connections, nor even lack of material; it was honestly based upon the desire to fulfill a commitment I had made to make otto the first to present story in this format.  Besides, nobody else would likely print it.

So If you’re curious at all as to what writing I’ve been up to lately, you’re welcome to check this project out at Pseudohyperfiction:  The Paths.  In time, I hope to present this or a better story in true hyperfiction form.  An outstanding example of this form can be seen at Stoning Field, a story written by Steve Ersinghaus.