Back to Part 1

Q. In reality do you think hypertext fiction is more of an experiment for the writer than a satisfactory reading experience?

I think it often is but it doesn't have to be. Personally I dislike much "experimental" flat text because I don't find it a satisfactory read. When that's the case a linked structure isn't enough to draw me in.

The other phenomenon the web has created is the "Under Construction" plague. It's really annoying to get involved with something only to reach a message which says: "Sorry, we haven't written this bit yet. Come back in fifty years." It's one of the classic traps for writers, to start with great enthusiasm, lose it, then fiddle about without ever finishing your work.

I'm as guilty as anyone else here - "Ashes" is far from finished. But I saw the problem coming and tried to address it. I held off publishing the pages until there were enough to make the story interesting, and until there were two different endings. I also try to give it closure at each stage, although that isn't always ideal; currently it loops at one branch and I don't like that much. I do try hard to make "Ashes" a good read, and I'm not that interested in experimentation for its own sake. My prime concern is that readers will enjoy the story.

Q. How much feedback have you got from people who have read your work on the web and has it affected your writing?

I get a letter every week or so. I get a nice balance of praise and downright complaints. Some people get frustrated by download times. Others don't like the open-ended nature of the story. I've even had one or two from people who refer to segments which don't exist. That always throws me. Maybe there's some cyber spirit writing new pages overnight and deleting them when I log in.

The feedback which is most useful forces me to see the reader's point of view in a new, fresh way. For instance, at first I had four links from the first page, three of which were dead ends. When you put it that way it sounds awful, but I wasn't thinking of those links as dead ends, more as extra background on particular subjects. I changed things after I got a few objections.

Curiously some people want to read it all, every page that exists. I understand that urge but it seems at odds with my conception of hypertext fiction - a story which can be read and explored in many different ways.

Q. As a writer how do you think you make hypertext fiction catch the attention of a reader and is this different from a linear medium?

Interesting question. I suppose there's two stages - catching the eye immediately and then drawing a reader into the text. I haven't bothered much about the first. My HTML is reasonable and I could make the story look a lot more flashy than it does, but I actually don't want to. There are deliberately no graphics apart from my home page icon. I might change the text and background colour some day but don't hold your breath.

I think the web encourages the state of mind where you click on links without really taking in the content of your current page. The fact there's so many pages with fancy features and zero content doesn't help. That won't work for Ashes, there's a few minutes' read in most pages and no "kewl" reward for going all the way through.

So anyone who gets into "Ashes" is going to have to be drawn by the storytelling. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Linear fiction works in a similar way I think. Although you might be attracted by the cover of a novel, the first few pages are what will hook you or turn you off. In a bookshop you can always click on something else-- sorry, pick up another book.

Q. Where do you think hypertext fiction is going in the future?

I don't think there's much chance of it becoming the norm. I think we may see more multimedia products which explore linear works...I've seen hypertext commentary on works by Jane Austen and James Joyce. I also like what I've heard about the CD-ROM version of Art Spiegelman's "Maus".

I believe there's some fuzzy ground between these "enhanced" linear works and "choose-your-own-adventure" stories which can be occupied by a thriving body of hypertext fiction. I see it having a continuing role, perhaps becoming more popular over time, but with a role similar to 3D films...a novelty, or minority interest, which mainstream audiences can enjoy from time to time.

Gavin Inglis krynoid@tardis.ed.ac.uk
Under the Ashes.