via GIPHY

Digital literature, like everything digital, is in a continual state of evolution.  In my reading to discover information/evidence of developments and new directions in digital literature I came across many examples of incredibly creative work being produced (see my resource page).  What has struck me is that I have never seen many of them before.  Unlike traditional literature, where if you want something new to read you can go to a bookshop (if you can find one) or your local library and peruse the shelves, digital literature seems like you stumble upon it, or get introduced to it, before you even know it is a thing.

 If you would of told me a month ago that if I wanted something good to read that was interactive I should go to the app store and look under games, I would have been dubious.  Yet, there is an abundant array of fantastic apps that provide you with your literature fix in this interactive format.  “Device 6” is one such app I am working through at the moment.  My teenage daughter gets her fictional b-grade romance fix from an app called “Choices” (I am hoping it is a phase).  One of the articles I found which was extremely enlightening was an interview between Jake Offenhartz and Leonardo Flores, the treasurer of the Electronic Literature Organization in an article, “Electronic Literature in 2016: Definitions, Trends, Preservation and Projections” which covers everything its title suggests.  The blending of augmented reality and digital literature is fascinating. The use of twitter, snapchat and Instagram to create digital stories is being utilised by many of our younger generation, who do not see themselves as producers of literature.  The issue of preserving digital literature is going to be the issue that will continue to plague this new evolution of literature as the platforms, programs and devices we use continually evolve at a rapid rate.

This technological age we live in is offering us extremely creative ways to engage and produce literature.  At them moment finding where and how to access them is proving a challenge for me being a non-social recovering technophobe who is trying to engage with all things social and technological at once.  So if you are like me sites like the interactive fiction database  and the Electronic Literature Organization’s Electronic Literature Collections are a good place to start.

Electronic Literature Organization [Web log post]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://eliterature.org/#!showcase/27

Entropy. (2016, February 1). Electronic Literature in 2016: Definitions, trends, preservation, and projections. Retrieved from https://entropymag.org/electronic-literature-in-2016-definitions-trends-preservation-and-projections/

Play App Tube. (2016, August 26). Choices: Stories You Play – The freshman #1 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/KByyssr-LWI?list=PLCXnFTrLzGoJSJYKpP_IWFiI6vc8-S_im

Simogo. (2013, October 16). Device 6 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/-qKqsg9KiBA