PS: DFW apparently had another novel in the works before he committed suicide. Pity he never finished it. =(

It is not only the non-linear experiment that begs exploration in online fiction, but the simultaneous development of plot and character. Just to send readers from one link to another doesn’t cut it. If there is to be such a thing as “electronic literature,” readers must be able to immerse themselves in a fictional world through linking. Depth cannot be sacrificed for surface area.

Thanks for directing us to the article, Eli. Like you said it does give some decent history, although I’d imagine a lot is being left out. For example, more recent online novels such as “Simon of Space” and “Dead Flowers.”

And it is funny and interesting to think that our community, which we consider to be significant, is completely unknown to other sectors of the Internet. That’s when you know the galaxy is big, when vast swathes of the populace have not met each other yet.

Anyways. Here’s my take on the article. The examples of e-literature is pre-blog revolution. They follow a certain old paradigm, within the limits of whatever technology was available to them at the time.

Last night, I was watching the interview with David Foster Wallace and Charlie Rose (I highly recommend it to all writers). What Wallace said at one point was how in Infinite Jest he was trying to fracture the narrative with endnotes and footnotes. He wanted to explore the possibilities of narrative in non-linear ways and that’s what really interested him stylistically.

If Wallace was writing now, he’d be using the Internet.

One worthy pursuit for online fiction is what David F. Wallace was interested in. How can a narrative have more than one “doorway” per say and what are the limits of an open narrative with many entry points and various non-linear paths. This to me is the future of online fiction. If online fiction is not compelling yet it is because this experiment hasn’t been fully realized yet.

The blogging revolution brings us closer to the possibility of this reality. Blogging is all about linking. The interconnectedness of the web has grown exponentially since blogs and blog directories such as Technoratti and others came along.

Let me count the ways the online novel can be read. This is the future of fiction.