Interactivity Essay

It takes two forces to tell a story, the STORYTELLER and the AUDIENCE.

There is a subconscious dance that takes place between the two on the page.

This is INTERACTIVITY.

Interactivity is what readers crave.  Strong interactivity will have them TELLING THEIR FRIENDS about your story.

This essay explores that dynamic, as well as techniques to create and boost the feeling of interactivity between the writer and the reader.

WARNING

A lot of the information in this essay is controversial, and runs against contemporary writing advice.

Specifically, I want you to rethink SUBTEXT. 

Chances are what you've learned about subtext in the past isn't helping you.

Subtext is the greatest driver of interactivity.  Rather than 'below', it exists 'ABOVE'.

You may have heard, 'Show, Don't Tell'. 

Well, you can forget that.  Interactivity is better than them both. They are a distraction.

A story has a chance to create a connection BEYOND IMAGES AND WORDS.

If you have a chance to achieve that with your story, you MUST GO FOR IT.

WHEN I RELEASED MY FIRST BOOK, I WAS WORKING AT THE FRED MEYER DELI

Because my graphic novel EARTHBOUND had strong interactivity, word of mouth spread. Eventually Earthbound got in the hands of a big youtuber, who recommended it to all his audience.

From there, the book sold out overnight.

I quit the Fred Meyer deli the next day.

Interactivity is RARE.  Readers will give pause and take note, 'There's something special about this one. Why does it feel different than other stories I've read?'

Sometimes stories will just have ONE scene with strong interactivity. This scene will instantly become the best scene in the story.

Strong interactivity will turn your readers into your own marketing army, and you will find success as a storyteller.

THIS BOOK ISN'T JUST FOR WRITERS

Interactivity has overlaps in human psychology, sales, and even dating.  The techniques in this essay can be applied to filmmaking and public speaking, and persuasion as well as storytelling and writing.

This essay is also valuable to those on the AUDIENCE side who want to explore the dance of interactivity from that perspective. It can help you know what's going on under the hood of a story and enjoy storytelling as a whole.

WHY IS NO ONE ELSE TALKING ABOUT THIS?

Hitchcock used to talk a lot about interactivity, he called it PURE CINEMA.

Francois Truffaut, while talking to Hitchcock, called it 'The Laws of Audience Participation'.

Before them, Eisenstein talked about similar concepts.

Before him, Kuleshov, in 1918.

But the art has been lost.

The controversial secrets in this essay will position you for exponential success as you connect with readers on a DEEPER level for the first time.

WHAT IF THE WORLD ENDED TOMORROW

So many stories would be forgotten, overnight.

The only stories that truly live on are stories that are loved and passed on by the readership. 

READERS ONLY LOVE STORIES THAT GRANT THEM INTERACTIVITY.

All the greatest stories have strong interactivity.

King Arthur.

Robin Hood.

Shakespeare.

Spiderman.

Mad Max.

THIS LONG FORM ILLUSTRATED ESSAY is the only venue discussing the concepts and techniques of INTERACTIVITY.

I AM SO EXCITED TO RELEASE THIS INFORMATION!