TwitLit: Will Microblogging Change the Face of the Novel?
In the world of magazines and newspapers where timing is everything, it seems logical that so many publishers are turning to Web 2.0 tools as a way of keeping user-readers updated and engaged with the most current content available. I started to wonder though: are the benefits of social media services just as applicable to the world of book publishing? That is, are tools like Twitter, Facebook, and blogs just as useful to novelists as a primary method of content delivery, not just as a gateway to their printed publications (i.e. as marketing strategies)?
Some writers are starting to experiment with microblogging their fiction on Twitter, either as stand-alone short stories or in installments as a serialized novel. (Twitter messages are a maximum of 140 characters.) This new genre has been dubbed TwitLit.
The Japanese, it’s no surprise, were already ahead of the trend with mobile novels, some of which have become so popular with readers that they’ve been published or made into movies. Authors deliver their stories a few lines at a time and then readers send them feedback about what direction they want the plot to turn. Wired covered the craze way back in 2005 and it continues to receive media attention.
The microblogging phenomenon has spread to North America, and it has sparked interest not just in would-be writers but some seasoned professionals as well. For example, in August 2008, Matt Richtel, a journalist/novelist, announced in an article for the New York Times that he was experimenting with Twitter, for his next thriller—what he calls a Twiller. He currently has 919 followers and 220 updates to his Twiller. TwitLit extra-short story challenges have also garnered some publicity, like the one sponsored by CopyBlogger‘s Brian Clark in May 2008.The winning story, by John Gould, is a perfect example of the impact a good author can pack into the TwitLit form: “‘Time travel works!’ the note read. ‘However, you can only travel to the past and one-way.’ I recognized my own handwriting and felt a chill.”
It’ll be interesting to see if microblogging becomes a more mainstream way for writers to compose fiction and for readers to access it. The brevity and real-time spontenaiety of the new medium could really open up a lot of creative possibilities. But the thought of authors incorporating feedback from their followers into their stories also raises a lot of issues about how we define creative integrity.
Do you think microblogging will transform the way we experience fiction? Is it just another fun way to waste time online or will it become a creative pursuit in its own right?
Very interesting topic! I like the question too. My answer: I don’t think microblogging is, for serious/visionary users, a means of wasting time. While mainstream users may not have a sense of how to use these things beyond a “play” space or means of distraction, hard core tech and creatives, wired academics and others are actively finding ways use these tools for existing purposes. Twitter is currently being used by magazines for brand extension and a means of community building. Many companies are using Twitter as a means of developing consumer relations and transparency. There are a lot of different ways these tools are being used beyond play.
Melanie
March 5, 2009
Thank you for your very thoughtful answer. It’s interesting how our mediums for not only news but for fiction have changed over the centuries and the unease that accompanies every change. It occurred to me that serialized novels were all the rage in the Victorian era and that the reading experience with the novel we take for granted as a given today didn’t always exist!
farrellmag
March 6, 2009