Blog Fiction

Introduction


Blog fiction is defined by DustinM as "serialized literature published to a blog that is written in a diary format. Often, but not necessarily, the fictional writer of the blog will interact with its readers." DustinM makes blog fiction seem to be a multidimensional form of fiction with a wide array of elements. However, in his article, he breaks down very clearly the dynamic of differentiating blog fiction from another form of writing on the internet. If you follow his descriptions of the characteristics, one should be able to figure out exactly what they are reading, a normal blog, "Blog Fiction", "Blog Novel", or some other form of writing. According to Wikipedia blog fiction is noted as a small portion of the community in reference to the entire "world of blogging". It also stated that, "although it has generated some literary critical interest, it remains isolated."

A History of Blog Fiction
The art of blog fiction is an innovation of the original web blog, which was discovered to be a very powerful tool for accessing a large online audience. The original web blog came about in the 1990’s and was facilitated with the development of new blogging software. Blog users wrote of their interests and utilized the blog as a sort of diary, which readers could comment on and share ideas with the authors. The rise in popularity of blogs led to bloggers creating fictionalized worlds, characters, and storylines and posting them to their blogs.

Major Features of Blog Fiction


Blog fiction is not just in the form of multimedia, music or videos. It is primarily digital writing in the form of text. Blog fiction is serial, meaning it is not relayed to the audience all at once. Instead it is written like a diary and there is a time and date for each blog post. This adds to the believability of the fiction, but sometimes it causes readers to confuse blog fiction with reality, thinking that what they are reading is based on truth. Some critics condemn blog fiction, saying that it is of substandard quality to other literary works, but b log fiction provides a communication bridge between the reading community and the author. Traditionally, authors do not get any reviews or critiques until their novel or story is published and place on the bookstands, but blog fiction authors receive feedbacks and responses as soon as they post their story chapter by chapter on the Internet. Blogs have become the new publishing platform for authors to reach out to their audience. According to Jim McCellan from The Guardian, because of how the stories are constructed, even though the readers don’t have the direct control of the storyline, the response from the readers does have some effect on where the direction the story will go, because the author would like to keep the readers engaged and interested. This is an interactive experience for both the readers and the author that a traditionally published book does not have. The blog fiction authors are also then given the option of incorporating visual graphics and music into their stories because of the advanced development of the Internet blog forums provides.

Awakening Tension (Callanan)
Urban Dictionary is a Blog Fiction website with a whole array of different stories and fictional tales, and "Awakening Tension" is just a small portion of this website. DustinM defines blog fiction as "serialized literature published to a blog that is written in a diary format" and furthermore the article by Dustin goes into detail about the different forms of blog fiction, and "Awakening Tension" fits into the "Blog Novel" criteria.

"Awakening Tension" is a blog fiction novel that jumps right into story when you first start reading. The story gets intense and catches your attention within minutes. The awakening is an unknown phenomenon to the immortals in the story but secretly one of their own kind is helping create this catastrophe. This is a rather short story, but within the story there is a lot of impact. Throughout the story I could feel the tension between the characters and the uncomfortable feeling between them. There are endless amounts of secrets and sneaky actions between both Marcus and the narrator. The story ends rather abruptly with no closure about the awakening or trying to stop this from happening. This story made me want to read-on and learn more about the characters and the situation they are in.

With Urban 30, there are multiple stories written by many different authors. The Website has a page that gives a brief description of all of the authors. Sometimes two authors collaborate with one another to incorporate

a different, established, character into their story. Having multiple authors and multiple characters involves more readers and broadens their fans. The website is also user friendly in the fact that they allow readers to comment and message the directors or authors with suggestions, reviews, or questions. This is much different than a book, in the sense that if someone wants to contact the author of a book it takes longer for a response, if they get one at all. Reading an online fiction, particularly blog fiction, allows a quicker response if contacting the author. In addition, it seems to be a frequently updated blog website with new stories all the time. However, with so many different authors and story lines, it is not necessarily the same author updating the site as the one you read prior. If someone runs out of stories to read on Urban 30 (which does not seem possible), they have a page that you can go to that has multiple links to "their friends" pages with more blog fiction stories. This is a great asset to the website as well. It is like a list of references to other stories and websites you might like, without having to go and search for them yourselves, it is laid out right in front of the readers. Some new paper back books have a page at the very end which recommends similar books, but not all have that feature, showing this is just another benefit of electronic literature. One might think that Urban 30 is just a blog fiction website, but it is much more than that with a lot of other user-friendly features. The website is clearly very user-friendly with a link for pictures, videos, and a place to get to know both the characters and the authors.

"Using weblogs to explore various possibilities for constructing fictional works, blog fiction is a burgeoning format for creative digital writing and distribution on the Internet." Wikipedia describes blog fiction in such a way that shows the true benefits and pleasure of this form of literature. It is a rather new form of literature that a lot of people are unaware of, but it is definitely a growing sensation and there are so many different stories and forms for the readers. It is great to have all of this at your fingertips, without downloading, going to the library, or bookstore. It is so easy to access and there is such a wide variety of different stories that it should be able to attract the readers. "Awakening Tension" grabbed my attention and it was one of the first ones I looked at, so no one has to look hard or far to find something to hook them right into the blog fiction world.

The Apocalypse Blog (Maino)
The Apocalypse Blog is a completed blog fiction project by Melanie Edmonds that chronicles the life and adventures of a 22-year old girl living in a post-apocalyptic world. The blog is accessible exclusively through its website and, since the story is completed, there are no more published blog posts. Edmonds writes in an amateur fashion but her work is recognized as a product of modern electronic literature.

The blog documents the experiences and travels of Faith MacIntyre, an “ordinary 22-year old girl trying to live her life” as the world around her falls apart upon the dropping of a bomb. It follows the traditional format of a weblog where the author writes in first-person, like a diary mirroring the Anna Frank spirit. Her daily weblog stories evolve into a survival diary after the apocalyptic event. Her world is suddenly changed by the event and becomes confused when it occurs:

''“We’ve been attacked. I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know if it’s just the city, or the state, or the country. I don’t know if it’s war, or terrorists, or something equally awful. It’s all such a mess right now.''

''There was a bomb, a few hours ago. The central business district is falling down. I can’t even think about how many people were hurt. Nothing is working – my phone is dead, there’s no power anywhere. I only turned on the laptop to see if I could, and I can. There’s no internet, though. Is the world still out there? Do they know?”''

The narrative is outlined in a fifteen category format recording Faith’s accounts and encounters with other survivors from December 17, 2008 until December 31, 2009. She calls the remaining survivors The Seekers. Among them is Matt, who becomes her love interest and together they conceive a child. The story itself provides a sense of immediacy, as the reader is drawn deeply into the darkness of Faith’s story. Panic and remorse are the prevalent motifs in Faith’s discourse exemplified by her confession

''“I killed someone. I think I killed myself too.”''

Faith’s quests include those for food, shelter, and finding means of organization.

The format and set-up of the blog is outlined in a simple manner inducing a sense of immediacy. Colors used on the blog are black and gray, which reflect the grim mood of the story. Unlike Melanie Edmonds’s other fictional blog—Starwalkers—Apocalypse Blog is better organized and easier to read. Contrary to Apocalyse Blog which has been completed, Starwalkers is still in development.

As one scrolls down, it is easy to become distracted by the PayPal donation link as well as one advertisement, which is pretty modest considering Edmond’s is not being payed for her work. In addition, after every post there is an option to share the section with others via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Furthermore, there is a plethora of links on the right hand side that give access to a list of the blog’s cast and more information on the format of the writing. Unlike traditional blogs, readers are not allowed to comment on any individual post but instead are suggested to email the author. Instead of feedback, Melanie Edmonds encouraged guest posts for the story. I was surprised to find only two guest posts published. It seems as if the author was not very keen about receiving constructive criticism while developing the blog.

The plot brought to mind ideas of nuclear disarmament as it outlined a potential ramification, through the eyes of the protagonist, of having such powerful weapons. It constructs a possible scenario of what could happen if our governments and scientists do not disarm.

The blog itself brought to mind the film I Am Legend, where the main protagonist, Dr. Robert Neville, narrates his day to day activity, in a post-apocalyptic world, in a diary format; the same manner Faith does in The 'Apocalypse Blog.

The 'Apocalypse Blog qualifies as a piece of blog fiction by telling a story and using the innovation of the weblog as a medium for the narrative.

Starwalker (Massaro)
Starwalker is a blog fiction novel written by Melanie Edmonds. The blog fiction novel follows the log entries of three unique characters, the captain, the main engineer and the main character, the ship. The logs of the three characters tell a great story and go in depth about the experiences of the entire crew on the ship. Starwalker is the name of the AI vessel that is accidently fused with a human brain. Starwalker, the ship itself, accounts for most of the log entries. Starwalker has the same human traits as the other crew members. Starwalker follows the journey of Starwalker and its crew as they go on an experimental journey. The journey is full of obstacles ranging from pirates to people who want to put an end to their experimental "star stepping", a revolution in space travel. Every obstacle the ship is faced with is overcome because of the intelligence of Starwalker and the poise of the crew. At the end of the blog fiction novel, we learn that a solar flare has been released that destroys mercury then hits earth as a result of this "star stepping". Starwalker concludes with the ship and crew hiding out in an effort to avoid blame for the catastrophe that transpires. This marks the end to Book One of the blog fiction novel Starwalker.

The blog fiction novel Starwalker consists of different categories, each containing a series of log entries of the three characters. Each log entry has a time and date. All the reader has to do to get to the log is click on the category, then on the log entry. The log entries record the events from the ship and crew's departure from earth to their hiding. This is an awesome format that could only be done through electronic literature. The "blog" format of the writing in Starwalker makes it so much more exciting to read. The recorded times and dates of the log entries almost make it seem like the Starwalker saga is actually reality. The "blog" format also makes it easy to operate and navigate. Starwalker utilizes blogs to tell its story through the eyes of more than one character. Blog fiction allows the story to flow very nicely between each blog entry without a narrator.

Starwalker is a distinctive piece of electronic literature. The blog fiction novel is serialized and allows its readers to comment on each separate log entry, of which there are many. This gives the author, Melanie Edmonds, an opportunity to get input from her audience. This is a major aspect of blog fiction. The audience has constant communication with each other. They have an ability to express their emotions towards the works and characters of the novel. This forms a community of readers. With old technology, books and magazines, authors cannot get input from anyone but their editors. Starwalker is also a free novel accessible to everyone with a computer. The reader does not need to leave the house or download anything. Electronic leterature provides a way for an author to get his work out to his audience quickly and cost effectively.

The Legion of Nothing (Nesline)


The Legion of Nothing is a blog that chronicles the adventures of Nick Klein, the grandson of a WW2 superhero named the Rocket. Nick is a high school kid with no particular interest in becoming a hero himself, but his friend Cassie, the daughter of another superhero Captain Commando, and Daniel, grandson of the Mentalist, convince him to take up their parents' mantle in the Grand Lake Heroes League and defend the city from supervillains. Nick has no superpowers of his own, but when he wears his grandfather's armored suit, he gains super speed and strength, the ability to fly, and some sonic blast abilities. Unfortunately the new League almost immediately gets in over their heads against the Grey Giant, an incredibly strong, almost invulnerable super-villain who can grow to over 40 feet tall. Nick tells a story about him, explaining the threat he poses:

"When working for other people though… He killed two supers in Seattle three years ago—Lightweaver and the Shield. From what the article said, it wasn’t malice. He just hit them too hard. That doesn’t even count the normals who died when he knocked out a load bearing wall on a five story building.

In the end, they needed half the North Pacific Defenders to take him down."

After the group is saved from the Grey Giant by a group of superheroes from Chicago, Nick and the rest of the Grand Lake Heroes' grandchildren decide to get serious about being superheroes and protect the city.



Each post is set up similar to a chapter in a book and is written with Nick acting as a narrator for the story. The blog is updated twice a week, with a new portion of the story put out each Monday and Thursday. This style of storytelling in parts helps to create a greater sense of anticipation than a normal book could. In a book, the story continues on the next page, but in this style of electronic literature the reader is limited in how far ahead in the story they can read, forcing them to take time to stop and think about what's been happening in the story.

This speculation is evident on the Legion of Nothing's Facebook page, as well as in the comments section of each post, where other readers pick apart the story to try and pick up on foreshadowing or other minor details that flesh out the story. The author of the web series, Jim Zoetewey, also participates in the comments and directly interacts with the readers as well. For example, in one post he asks for suggestions of where to advertise the first traditional book he has written containing many of the Legion of Nothing stories.

This also affords the author an opportunity to truly understand what his readers think of his work by asking them questions about it and hearing their thoughts in a space directly below the story itself. This also benefits the readers by allowing Zoetewey to explain any plot holes or questions they had. The readers can go directly to the source of the story to rid themselves of any nagging plot-holes and instead focus on the story itself.

The Legion of Nothing takes advantage of many of the aspects of blogs and integrates them into the traditional book format in order to create an improved method for portraying the story envisioned by the author.

The Legion of Nothing (Peng)
"The Legion of Nothing" is on online superhero fiction series written by Jim Zoetewey. At first when Zoetewey decided to compose "The Legion of Nothing" and post it on his blog, he only had the intention of the series ending at eight chapters. Yet, numerous amount of readers appeared and appreciated his work, so as of today, as he is encouraged, the characters and the story are still going strong.

"The Legion of Nothing" is a story of Nick Klein, who is the main character of this entire superhero series. Initially, Nick Klein had no business in being a superhero, but with the death of his grandfather who happens to be a superhero during the World War 2 through the early 1980's, things become different under such circumstances. Then the story goes on when Nick taking on the identity and powered armor of his grandfather with his friends who are the grandchildren of his grandfather's team members. This story consist of a journey and experiences of these group of teenagers bringing back the Heroes League that their grandparents built back in the day. Obviously, I great story that attracts the readers is constructed with many exciting events and conflicts, in this case, because of Nick's decision to restart the Heroes League, his grandfather's unfinished businesses and old enemies comes back to haunt them.

Although this is a fiction series, it still has elements that are captured from real life. For example, the fact that Nick and his superhero friends actually go to college and attend classes just like most of the normal teenagers. This provides the young readers something to relate, so it keeps them more engaged in the story. There is also the government aspect involve throughout the series. In one of the chapters called Being Watched, the conversation exchanges between the characters reflect the corrupted side of the politics "A bunch of superss kids are going through as part of a political deal" "That's the way these things get done, everybody cuts a deal". The passage reminds us of the reality of the political conflict we face today, the news we see and hear every once and a while on how politian and the government could potentially do in exchange for their own benefits. This series contains some serious and some humor elements. There is one issue I find it worth noting, even though the story has mostly been non-violent so far, and the young superheros are just protecting their friends and family, it leads me to think that what happens if one day they actually have to kill someone? The new Hero League is filled with young members, they will be caught confused between what is right or wrong. 

"The Legion of Nothing" is considered as Electronic Literature falling under the category of Blog Fiction. The blog is updated twice a week with new sections of the story, and the readers anxiously keep revisiting. It has a clear and defined storyline that allows the author to engage the audience. Also, the blog provides the opportunity for the author and the readers to communicate. Another evidence that this is a literature rather than art is that the first volume of "The Legion of Nothing" is officially published on Kindle, which tells us the success of this series and the approval of the audience.