Comments on: A nonlinear storyline http://nocategories.net/writing/a-nonlinear-storyline/ Rants, raves, and writings for your reading pleasure. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:10:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: dylan http://nocategories.net/writing/a-nonlinear-storyline/#comment-37 dylan Sat, 18 Sep 2004 20:25:25 +0000 //?p=#comment-37 >the whole story seems so fluid up until the point the >reader is given the choice A or B. "fluid", i think, is an odd word for it. Do you really think that the reader will feel a fluid transition between ever-increacingly distant, and mirror-opposite pieces of a chronology? I think that would be great! The way i had framed the idea though, it wouldn't seem very fluid to the reader. Jarring could be a good thing. i guess i could be way off on that though, huh? I figured, if the whole things is stop-and-start, then the jarring ending wouldn't stand out too much. you might be right though. <b>I can think of two solutions.</b> -1- add the choice of before/after to the end of each section of the story. that really scatters the "ripple effect" but may end up being more interesting in the long run. say you chose before, and then after, so that you could revisit a differet account of the same moment. Mybe the end could be determined by whether the reader has preferred "before" or "after" (either right from the start or overall) -2- remove the choice of before/after from the end of the whole story.the story could jsut have two final sections. you read one of them before the other one. I think of it like examining a string, starting in the center. there are two ends of the string, but they get tied together, so that they are the same end. I really am stumped for a good way to bring an end to a story with a structure like this. I would like to think of one moment that can be shown to be its own moment (the center), and also to let that same moment be the cause of itself (one end of the string) and also let it be the result of itself (the other end) and then of course a moment can't be its own cause and its own effect and still be itself, so its as if the string is tied in a knot. I want it believable, as much as that is possible. I don't want to employ any kind of mechanical time travel or anything like that. >the whole story seems so fluid up until the point the >reader is given the choice A or B.

“fluid”, i think, is an odd word for it. Do you really think that the reader will feel a fluid transition between ever-increacingly distant, and mirror-opposite pieces of a chronology? I think that would be great!

The way i had framed the idea though, it wouldn’t seem very fluid to the reader. Jarring could be a good thing. i guess i could be way off on that though, huh? I figured, if the whole things is stop-and-start, then the jarring ending wouldn’t stand out too much.

you might be right though.

I can think of two solutions.

-1- add the choice of before/after to the end of each section of the story. that really scatters the “ripple effect” but may end up being more interesting in the long run. say you chose before, and then after, so that you could revisit a differet account of the same moment. Mybe the end could be determined by whether the reader has preferred “before” or “after” (either right from the start or overall)

-2- remove the choice of before/after from the end of the whole story.the story could jsut have two final sections. you read one of them before the other one.

I think of it like examining a string, starting in the center. there are two ends of the string, but they get tied together, so that they are the same end.

I really am stumped for a good way to bring an end to a story with a structure like this. I would like to think of one moment that can be shown to be its own moment (the center), and also to let that same moment be the cause of itself (one end of the string) and also let it be the result of itself (the other end) and then of course a moment can’t be its own cause and its own effect and still be itself, so its as if the string is tied in a knot.

I want it believable, as much as that is possible. I don’t want to employ any kind of mechanical time travel or anything like that.

]]> By: Adam http://nocategories.net/writing/a-nonlinear-storyline/#comment-36 Adam Sat, 18 Sep 2004 20:21:50 +0000 //?p=#comment-36 I love this - the ripple effect is gorgeous. While I hate going back to wireless all the time, a mate of mine gave a presentation at GDC about designing adventure games for mobile phones. He suggested mapping temporal slices as opposed to locations. The only question I have with the structure is over the ending - the whole story seems so fluid up until the point the reader is given the choice A or B. Is there any way it could be smoothed down? So the story flows into one option or another? I know it'll come down to the story told and how it's written but the way it's described just sounds...jarring I love this - the ripple effect is gorgeous. While I hate going back to wireless all the time, a mate of mine gave a presentation at GDC about designing adventure games for mobile phones. He suggested mapping temporal slices as opposed to locations.

The only question I have with the structure is over the ending - the whole story seems so fluid up until the point the reader is given the choice A or B.

Is there any way it could be smoothed down? So the story flows into one option or another?

I know it’ll come down to the story told and how it’s written but the way it’s described just sounds…jarring

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