Abstract
To better understand how serious interactive fiction (IF) fits into creative writing pedagogy, we first consider how interface offers both affordances and constraints to the writer. Second, we discuss the ways teaching serious IF foregrounds the benefit of digital tools for creative writing. Third, we examine the interrelationship among research, interface, and procedural rhetoric. Fourth, we present findings from our research study by summarizing and discussing examples from roundtable feedback. We focus on students’ perception of serious IF’s affordances, concluding with how serious IF provides productive constraints for creative writing practice.
Recommended Citation
Terry, Robert and Dusenberry, Lisa
(2018)
"Serious Interactive Fiction: Constraints, Interfaces, and Creative Writing Pedagogy,"
Journal of Creative Writing Studies: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 10.
Available at:
https://repository.rit.edu/jcws/vol3/iss1/10
Figure 1: Screenshot of Twine interface Story Layout from the writer/designer’s view
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Figure 2: Early choice in our student's customer service IF
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Figure 3: The limited choices of Depression Quest
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Figure 4: Distance's hourglass structure
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Figure 5: Distance's in-game interface
Included in
Creative Writing Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons