|
|
If you ask the experts, hYpertext is a dead form...
The old adage goes "children shouldn't play with dead things," so why am I bothering to kick at this particular equine carcass?
Because, like most of the hYpertext creators that have come before me, I get the feeling that there is more to this format than is readily apparent.
Writing a story is fun, but the power of a hYpertext is in the PRESENTATION. You don't just get the tale handed to you in a snappy, paperback binding... Oh, no! If you want MY story you're going to have to work for it!
I love the idea that only a portion of the text comes directly at you. If you want to go on with the tale, you've got to "click." You've got to find a link that interests you. You've got to WANT to see what happens next... Chances are, you've already stopped reading this page, so I can go anywhere I want with this now...
Let's say you are a person, almost at the age where you're ready to leave home... You know that your family has some ties with cult worship (although you wouldn't have called it that without getting a slap in the mouth!), but, until now, you've been too young to join in the fun.
Then the day arrives...
You are oiled up, kept hungry, and dressed in a snazzy robe, then taken to a cave where it's very dark, very hot... You hear voices from deep inside, singing, stomping, or is that moaning??? You can't quite tell. Your aunt and uncle, who agreed to be your sponsors, give you a large bowl of sour tasting liquid... You gag on it, but drink it down. It burns your throat, feels very heavy on your empty stomach... Then you sink into the cave... Into the dark...
The person who comes out looks like you... but doesn't feel like you anymore. The world has changed, and nothing... can ever be the same... Just like the Time Warp from the ROCKY HORROR, baby, and once you've been initiated, you can never go back...
And, that's pretty much why I decided to do a hYpertext...