Blog Post # 1

Blog assignment: Describe some of the strategies you used to “read” Twelve Blue.  Indicate what you did + what you hoped to achieve- and what you out of doing whatever you did. 

 When I first read the introduction of the story, which seemed to be a “synopsis,” I knew that it would be something I would be interested in reading. It contained many different types of genres such as friendship, love and murder.  When I clicked on “Begin” and saw the page numbers I knew where I had to start, page “1…” After reading page one I didn’t know what to click next because there was no “Next” button or something at the end that could have said “Page 2.”  But then I realized there was a sentence that was hyperlinked, so I figured that it was going be the next page of the story.  Apparently, when I clicked on the hyperlinked it took me to another page, which it wasn’t following the story from page 1 (in my point of view).  It connected to the hyperlinked sentence.  Then page after page there was always a hyperlinked sentence either it started in the beginning, middle or end.  It drove me crazy because I felt as if I wasn’t getting nowhere because I still couldn’t figure out if I was actually reading the story in a sequential order. 

            

Therefore, I needed to find out what to do in order to follow the story correctly.  On the left side of the website there were different colors of strands that looked like a yarn; a yarn that was going over and over (loops).  But I thought, maybe I need to unwind it in order to solve the pattern of the story.  “Where do I even start?” (is what I kept thinking in my mind).  I started to navigate the webpage even more and clicked on the colorful strands, but noticed that whenever I clicked on it, it would take me to a different page. However, the language of the reading was playful and descriptive. It was a language that made me confused and frustrated to not keep on reading. I decided to click on the strand from top to bottom and noticed that the story appeared to be falling into place (or maybe?).  After all, I figured out that by clicking the hyperlinked sentences (on each page) it would take me to a different page that connected or gave a meaning to the hyperlinked sentences.  There were some hyperlinked sentences that led me to an image, but once I clicked the image there it was, another page to read on from the hypertext fiction story.  After all, I have learned that electronic literature hypertext fiction stories can be confusing, interesting and fun to read.  It was a journey for me to find out where I had to start. Even though, I can state that “Twelve Blue” took me on an adventure to explore and find new ways in trying to read the story.  This is what I call “creative writing” in electronic literature (using one’s own imagination of writing). 

*My question is still not answered clearly about the hypertext fiction story.  Where do I even click or begin the story? Or is there no such thing as page after page (order)?   Hopefully, someday I will be able to find the right answer to my question and say, “Ohhhhhh…. now I get it. *