Hey friends,
Welcome to another edition of Tell Us Something We Don’t Know… where we ask our favorite literary experts about their specialist subject.
In Part 2 of our Q&A on Alternative Writing Forms, we’re talking all about the magic that happens when you create work that engages directly with audiences through performance, live readings & interactive fiction.
The Takeaways:
How to build performative work from the skills and niches you already have
Why interactivity (and breaking the fourth wall) is so much fun
How including the audience in the process can transform your art
Different approaches to writing with performance in mind
Why collaboration is one of the most valuable things you can do as an artist
And, by the end of this Q&A, perhaps you’ll have a few new ideas for bringing your writing to life as an interactive performance…
Meet the experts:
Representing the world of audio fiction is Joseph Fink, co-creator of the hit fiction podcast Welcome to Night Vale and the Audible Original Unlicensed. He is also the creator of Alice Isn’t Dead and a NYT bestselling author. Joseph says the model for Night Vale’s unique approach to narrative was inspired by off-Broadway black box theater in New York City:
There’s not really money for set, costumes, or much of a cast, so it all comes down to: “How fully can you be transported by just a person standing on stage and telling you a story?” And often the answer is: “Very!” So that’s what we try to replicate with our audio fiction: doing as much as possible with the simplest ingredients. With just a voice telling you this story, can we fully transport you to a different place?
Since 2012, the podcast has gathered a cult following and critical acclaim, taking the fictional radio show on the road with tours across the world:
“Night Vale’s unforgettable live shows bring the audience into the story in surprising and thrilling ways. Over the years, our live shows have become the heart of the Night Vale experience. They are unique theatrical evenings that take you to our weird little town in a way you can’t get from listening to the podcast at home.”
And our interactive fiction connoisseur Katy Naylor is the founder & Void in Chief of the Voidspace, a community platform for interactive fiction, performance and playable art. She describes her work as “a playable literary medium” — think branching narratives and choose-your-own-adventure:
Storytelling and quality of writing are front and centre, but equally important is that the reader is given agency in some way. [And] because audience agency is at the heart of interactive fiction, I’m always thinking about the audience’s journey and how that perspective can change how they will perceive the piece.
Building on the success of Voidspace Lit, in 2023 Katy launched an annual festival of live events, narrative games and experimental performance pieces — which is exactly what we’re going to talk about today!
Find out more about Katy and Joseph’s work (along with comic essayist Aubrey Hirsch) in Part 1 of Writing Alternative Forms here:
And read on to find out how these creators write with a live audience in mind…
