storytelling

Interactive Noveling

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Experimenting with a new way of storytelling

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

I remember the You Say Which Way and Choose Your Own Adventure books from when I was younger. There was nothing more exciting than to be able to have an impact on the story I was reading.

I still remember the thrill of controlling the choices the characters made.

These stories used to be purely in book format, and at the end of a specific segment, it would give you two (or more) choices, and at the end of each, would be a page reference for you to turn to so that you could continue the adventure.

Nowadays, with the advent of ebooks, the ability to add hyperlinks and graphics is a game changer.

Books can become like an RPG game. These can appeal to all ages, and genders. They can be used in any genre, and can appeal to even the most reluctant of readers. These books make reading more accessible.

They are usually written in the second person, (you). This makes the reader a direct participant. Suddenly, you aren’t reading about a character, you are the character.

There are an increasing number of adult versions of the interactive novel, which rely heavily on the use of QR codes, and hyperlinks. These make the possibilities of storytelling even more endless.

Recently, I have been reading and playing about with an app named Twine. It is a bit of freeware, which is used to create RPG games, but can also be used to create interactive stories. The software itself is relatively simple to use, with only a small amount of coding (trust me, if I can work it out, you can!).

I am in the process of planning a middle grade novel, which I would like to turn into an interactive story. The main character is a dragon, who just doesn’t quite fit in to his world.

The thing about interactive writings is that they could be applied to anything. You could even start a blog series with different options for the reader.

The possibilities are literally endless!

And, as long as you have an idea, you can write one too.

If you’d like to get updates from me once a week, you can click here… 🙂

Li Carter is a writer, artist and crafter. She lives in South Wales, UK, with her family, and five rescue dogs. She’s on Twitter @rbcreativeli , Facebook: Rainbow Butterfly Creative, and Instagram @rainbowbutterflycreative and is the author of My Only True Friend: The Beginning. She is currently working on a new series titled The QuickSilver Chronicles. She is the original Rainbow Butterfly, and wants to fill an ever darkening world with a little bit of beauty and creativity.

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The Thrill And Terror Of All Hallows And That Fateful Night

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A snippet from the year that she stepped beyond her own limitations: a fictional tale



Photo by Chris Gallagher on Unsplash

I’ve never really liked Halloween. That’s not true, I didn’t mind it, but it was never a truly central holiday in my mind, not like my Birthday, or Christmas. It wasn’t until I was 15 that Halloween became a big thing for me.

It was on that night that he came for me.

The day started calm and fairly normal. I would be staying home, watching TV with my family, nothing unusual. It wasn’t even until bedtime that it happened.

Halloween was almost over, when I heard a knock at the door. My dad answered it, and called me down.

It was him.

I’d seen him around.

I always saw him around.

He acted like he didn’t really see me, but I knew he did. He made sure I knew it too.

That night, he looked at me differently. He talked normally, but as he did, his neck twisted, and before I could do anything, he grabbed me, and pulled me out into the night.

The door swung softly closed behind me, and I was left alone in the dark with him holding me tight. I couldn’t scream, it was as if I was paralysed, and my chest wouldn’t force out the sound.

He looked at me, and I could see the moon reflected in his eyes. “I knew I’d get you eventually” he whispered; hungry. I still couldn’t speak, my thoughts racing with what was going to happen next.

He pulled me out of the garden and down the road, and before I knew it, we were hidden behind the Chapel at the end of the street. The old lady who looked after the building had clearly gone to bed hours before, leaving us entirely on our own, with no-one to miss us.

I didn’t want to think about what he was planning to do to me. I certainly would never have predicted what had happened next.

“I’ve been watching you” he said quietly, “As soon as I saw you, I knew you were the one”

I looked at him. I still didn’t trust him. How could I even think of it? Somehow, I didn’t think I had a choice.

He let go of me, and I shrank back.

I couldn’t run, my legs seemed to have turned to jelly, and I fell to the floor.

Standing over me, he smiled, and said 
“After tonight, your life will never be the same again”. I felt fear creep all over me, as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. 
“Wh… what do you mean?” I found my voice. He smiled again and bared his teeth.

At what I saw, I tried to scream, but it came out as more of a whimper. 
“Don’t be afraid. I’ve been watching you. I know it might seem hard, but this is your path” he said.

I felt numb.

All alone in the churchyard, I knew that I had no choice. He knelt down and leant over me, brushing the hair from my face and neck; caressing me gently.

I began to relax, before gasping, as pain shot through me, and tears began to fall, the night faded from my eyes, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

When I awoke, he was gone.

I didn’t see him again for a long time, but what happened that night was to change the course of my life for ever.

I’d never been anything special. I never thought I would amount to anything. Most people thought the same thing, but that night changed it all.

When I awoke, he was gone.

So was the night.

I was left lying in the damp dewy grass. It was foggy, and raining a damp, misty rain that soaked everything. Getting to my feet, I felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I felt strong.

Powerful.

And I knew that nothing would ever be the same.

If you’d like to get updates from me once a week, you can click here… 🙂

Li Carter is a writer, artist and crafter. She lives in South Wales, UK, with her family, and five rescue dogs. She’s on Twitter @rbcreativeli , Facebook: Rainbow Butterfly Creative, and Instagram @rainbowbutterflycreative and is the author of My Only True Friend: The Beginning. She is currently working on a new series titled The QuickSilver Chronicles. She is the original Rainbow Butterfly, and wants to fill an ever darkening world with a little bit of beauty and creativity.