Rachel Final

(align:"=><=")[Rachel Final Presentation] (align:"=><=")[ [[Start]] ]

Digital media is a term mainly used for pieces of work made with digital mediums or presented digitally. There are many well known digital mediums out there, though most people tend to think of digital art or video games. One digital medium I have been actively learning about is writing. You might think of writing with digital media as simply typing words on a computer. But it is way more than that. Writing with digital media can be immersive, interactive, engaging, and it can involve programming and art. Today, I will tell you about the possibilities, challenges, and responsibilities of writing with digital media using the digital writing tool, Twine! I will also demonstrate the features of Twine and how it can be used to tell a digital story. [[Let's go!]]

Click on something you want to learn about! [[Possibilities]] [[Challenges]] [[Responsibilities]] [[Conclusion]]

Many digital writing platforms, like Twine, can provide many opportunities to bring digital writing to life. To demonstrate what I mean, I must have you make a simple choice... Pick a hand. [[Left hand]] [[Right hand]]

Of course, with every creative medium comes many challenges. While creating in the digital age makes it easier to tell stories, there are still some obstacles writers must face while creating with digital mediums. Even Twine has its own limitations and flaws. I will go over a couple of [[examples]] you might come across when you write a story with digital media.

All forms of writing require one thing, and that is, well, writing. But what makes writiing with digital media distinct from other forms of writing? The most common form of writing that has been around since the beginning of time is with a pencil and paper. The method is simple: write words on the paper. But there is one thing that other forms of writing lack: interactivity. While there are such things as books where you can choose your own path, the reader still has little control in what happens in the end. Books also sometimes lack the visual components of [[digital media.]]

I open my left hand to reveal a tiny grasshopper, or so you think. The grasshopper then unleashes horror beyond your imagination. Clearly, this grasshopper is aggressive. What do you do? [[Run away]] [[Fight the grasshopper]]

Congratulations! You got a piece of candy! Now, what do you want to do with this candy? [[Eat it]] [[Throw it away]]

You open the candy and pop it into your mouth. You let its flavor melt in your mouth before chomping down on it. You toss the wrapper in a nearby trashcan. satisfied with your decision. And that's a wrap! You just got a special ending to a story with your choice! [[Click here to go back!|back]]

This candy was not one you were particularly fond of. Surely throwing away one piece of candy would not cause too much harm. You toss the candy into a trashcan and walk away as I look on, sad and disappointed. And that's a wrap! You just got a special ending to a story with your choice! [[Click here to go back!|back]]

Not wanting to fight such a powerful creature, you dart toward the nearest exit and make your way to safety. And that's a wrap! You just got a special ending to a story with your choice! [[Click here to go back!|back]]

The grasshopper puts up a tremendous fight, but you put up even more of a fight. You are able to defeat the grasshopper with one whack from a rolled up newspaper. And that's a wrap! You just got a special ending to a story with your choice! [[Click here to go back!|back]]

As you can see, Twine can be used to tell stories that give users a choice with multiple possibilities. In other words, it is like a choose-your-own-adventure. This is an example of how writing with digital media can be both engaging and interactive by giving the reader many option that can change the story's [[direction!|Let's go!]] Video games are another example of this, but they tend to lean more toward the interactivity.

Firstly, when working in a program like Twine, you are bound to run into some limitations of the program. For example, things in Twine can be customized, but they require some knowledge of Javascript and CSS. While this is not necessarily a limitation, it can limit the user's ability to customize the look of their story if they do not know a lot of Javascript. The Twine website has an extensive list of tutorials, but there are also multiple ways to use the codes like Harlowe and SugarCube. Another digital storywriting program called Bitsy also has limitations, such as the color limit and amount of pixels you can paint for sprites and blocks. These are just some of the [[flaws]] for certain digital programs. Many other programs require a bit of programming, but they also have tutorials that can be followed while working.

Another challenge people may come across while writing with digital media is the possibility of a software malfunctioning. When it comes to technology, it cannot always run how it is supposed to. One moment you are working peacefully on your story; next thing you know, the program glitches out and you lose half of your progress. A simple glitch in a program can destroy a story's work very easily. Computers can also update at any moment, which can also cause you to lose your progress. While some programs have an autosave feature (like Twine), it is important to save your work constantly when you work with [[digital mediums.|Let's go!]]

In conclusion, the main distinction between writing with digital media and other forms of writing is how a user or reader is supposed to engage with it. The storytelling potential of digital media is mainly focused arouund the interactivity and the engagement, while a book's potential is more based on the writing and its ability to immerse the reader in its world. This is also inportant with digital media, though arguably, digital media has the ability to do more with Immersiveness. The difference is not just the physical part of the mediums, but also how the author uses them to tell stories, as well as how the programs tell the stories. That is what makes writing with digital media truly unique. The End!

The other reason why writing with digital media is very distinct from other mediums is because traditional mediums only take one form: books and paper. With digital mediums, the possibilities are endless. The reader could control a charatcer through a vast landscape and interact with the environment or click on the page to watch visual effects happen while also following along with words. With digital media, you can add components to a story that could never be possible with a book. A book cannot move its pictures or play audio when words are clicked; and while many people have found ways to add some of these aspects to other forms of writing, digital media can perform these tasks with [[ease.|Let's go!]]