Pause & Effect Ch. 1 Summary
To begin with, the first few sections were quite interesting in relation to Giotto's paintings. Giotto was quite the mastermind in incorporating perspective into his paintings. I found it nice how he tends to paint his pieces based on his actual perception so it's like we are looking at that very scene through his eyes. Besides the dimensional perspective, his capture of emotions is really great and very distinguished.
Subsequently, the chapter moves on to discuss narrative. We have already discussed a part of this section in class referring back to Freytag's Triangle. However, the narrative is actually a lot more complicated than several steps on a triangle. "A narrative is built, symbol by symbol, brick by brick." (Meadows, p. 24) Moving on, reading inbetween the lines just explains how every story and even every sentence has a beginning, middle, and end, while at the same time containing interactive elements that are determined by the user. Readers can control the pace, the level of participation, and the dwell-time, which is key to be aware of when creating a story. The audience likes to be in control. Furthermore, Use-Case Scenarios are used to help supplement these interactions, but what really distinguishes a narrative from just a lot of soft-ware related writing is the opinion in the story. Narrative requires opinion.
Next, it goes on to explain the importance of metaphors and imagery in narratives. I must assert that imagery is probably one of the most important elements in telling a story. If a reader can't imagine the scene and be immersed in it, much of the key interaction is lost. Speaking of interaction, there are four main steps to it including observation, exploration, modification, and reciprocal change. Although reading about it seems strenuous, these four steps always occur even if we don't realize it.
Finally, the three different structures of interactive narratives are discussed which include the nodal plot structure-- a series of noninteractive events. The modulated plot structure--plots that still support the dramatic arc, and lastly, the open plot structure which is basically a road map of events. In retrospect, I never realized there were so many elements to a narrative but reading up on these will definitely help in writing our story.
Subsequently, the chapter moves on to discuss narrative. We have already discussed a part of this section in class referring back to Freytag's Triangle. However, the narrative is actually a lot more complicated than several steps on a triangle. "A narrative is built, symbol by symbol, brick by brick." (Meadows, p. 24) Moving on, reading inbetween the lines just explains how every story and even every sentence has a beginning, middle, and end, while at the same time containing interactive elements that are determined by the user. Readers can control the pace, the level of participation, and the dwell-time, which is key to be aware of when creating a story. The audience likes to be in control. Furthermore, Use-Case Scenarios are used to help supplement these interactions, but what really distinguishes a narrative from just a lot of soft-ware related writing is the opinion in the story. Narrative requires opinion.
Next, it goes on to explain the importance of metaphors and imagery in narratives. I must assert that imagery is probably one of the most important elements in telling a story. If a reader can't imagine the scene and be immersed in it, much of the key interaction is lost. Speaking of interaction, there are four main steps to it including observation, exploration, modification, and reciprocal change. Although reading about it seems strenuous, these four steps always occur even if we don't realize it.
Finally, the three different structures of interactive narratives are discussed which include the nodal plot structure-- a series of noninteractive events. The modulated plot structure--plots that still support the dramatic arc, and lastly, the open plot structure which is basically a road map of events. In retrospect, I never realized there were so many elements to a narrative but reading up on these will definitely help in writing our story.
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