A Writer's Notebook, Day Seven-Hundred-And-Eighty-One

 I was reading some discussions about video games as storytelling devices, and one thing that I began to consider was the question of why writing is not often seen as interactive in a deeper sense.  I acknowledge it is not, in traditional form, responsive to the reader in the same way as most would think essential for interactivity, but a piece of writing is capable of being interactive with a reader in very deep ways.  This is a core concept, for me, in how I consider my writing.  My goal in creating in piece of writing is to craft an experience that is not the writing itself, but the response inside those receiving that piece of writing.  In some sense, it is the way a playwright is not creating the play, but a blueprint for the creation of a piece in performance.  I am crafting words as a way to create a response for the reader.  Now, if I am smart, and I am able to create aspects.of that experience that feel immediate and relevant to the reader, and I create a connection with them, I can give them a meaningful sense of involvement beyond just feeling as if they are watching.  It is an experience that great books can create for a reader, of being inside of them, a part of the adventure, not just a spectator.  It is not often achieved, and is hardly universal as a response to a single book, but that alchemy exists, and I tend to believe it can be cultivated, if one considers it with care.  Of course, much if this is just thought, at present, but I do believe that I have some concept of what I am speaking about, and some success in my explorations as well, which keeps me optimistic about the direction in general.