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Are Narrative Worlds Real? Reflections on Metaphysics

May 22, 2023

creativity, fiction, literature, metaphysics, philosophy, reality

As a child, whenever I got emotionally affected watching a film or reading a story, my folks would try to console me saying “It’s not real, don’t worry”. That didn’t help at all. To me, narrative worlds were real, more real than reality itself. After all, fiction and reality are not antonyms.

When we talk about the reality of imaginary worlds – narrative worlds, in our case – the discussion seems moot. “Of course narrative worlds are not real”, any random observer would likely utter with – not misplaced – confidence.

After all, when you follow the characters of a video game, you can always save your progress and restore if something goes wrong. Similarly, when you read about a lonely female programmer plagued by indecision, her life never leaves the confines of the novel. You can’t meet that woman, her actions don’t dictate yours and can’t change the world.

Or… can they?

narrative worlds real — Are photos real? Even if they are made “traditionally”, using light passing through a lens (rather than being e.g. a computer render), where do we draw the line between “too much post-production” blurring (no pun intended) the lines between being real and being imaginary? Establishing the reality of narrative worlds faces similar puzzles

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Cathartic Endings in Fiction: How (and When) You Need Them

May 1, 2023

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

creativity, ending, fiction, literature, writing

The ending is perhaps the most crucial part of a novel. The reason is of course its role in tying narratively loose threads and overall rendering the narrative sense-making. Moreover, the narrative ending is what the author leaves the reader with as a last impression. And one of the attributes of this last impression is whether it offers catharsis or not. Inevitably, cathartic endings are an important topic in fiction.

Very generally, catharsis in psychology refers to an experience that allows us to express, face, and understand strong emotions – particularly emotions that are repressed.

With this in mind, then, cathartic endings are endings that release the pent-up pressure the narrative has generated – for affective reasons, of course. For example, imagine a narrative where two people have feelings for each other which they keep a secret, because of social or other reasons, but which they reveal to each other in the finale.

So, ultimately, understanding cathartic endings – their dynamics, how you can structure them, how you can use them – allows you to have maximum control of your narrative endings and thus narrative at large.

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The Clock Village: an Interactive Fiction Experience

April 24, 2023

Experiencing, Fiction, Programming

fiction, game, programming, text adventure, video games

The Clock Village, my latest programming project, is first and foremost an interactive fiction experience. Only nominally could one also call it a modern text adventure game, like my earlier Mansion Escape.

In other words, though in this process as a “player” you move around, engage in interactive dialogues, collect and use items, and try to increase the score that will let you get a “better” ending, I prefer to see The Clock Village as something more artistic.

Perhaps it’s a philosophical exploration of self. Or maybe a short interactive reflection of our innermost existential anxieties. Maybe, like true art, it simply is what its experiencer wants it to be

interactive fiction clock village game screen — This is the main screen of the interface. I don’t want to call it “game”; it’s interactive fiction

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