The Adaptive Process of Multimodal Composition: How Developing Tacit Knowledge of Digital Tools Affects Creative Writing

Many creative writers are turning to digital media and multimodal composition as an emerging genre of storytelling; many, however, do not have sufficient familiarity with digital tools to compose digital texts. Digital literacy is still an emerging area of pedagogy; online literacy and multimedia composition are becoming more prominent in classrooms, and deeper understanding of the effects of these tools on individual students and their work is crucial to development of teaching practice. Tacit knowledge of written narrative alone does not permit the creative writer to fully realize the narrative possibilities inherent in the multimodal form. This paper communicates the results of a practice-based research project, Færwhile, conducted expressly to examine the changes wrought in the creative writer’s process and understanding of narrative by shifting to a multimodal, digital composition process. In this paper, I analyze my creative works prior, during, and after development of explicit knowledge of digital fiction and digital composition tool, and discuss how internalizing this explicit knowledge alters the creative composition process. These conclusions, drawn from an in-depth experimentation for the express purposes of research, have implications not only for individual creative writers, but for students and teachers moving into multimodal forms of digital communication

Dissonant Fabulation: Subverting Online Genres to Effect Socio-Cognitive Dissonance

“Dissonant fabulation” describes an emerging genre of fictional narratives in online spaces whose generic conventions construct expectations of realism. This genre is defined not as a form but as a mode of written communication that uses its genre’s conventions and expectations even while subverting them to inspire social and political questions and discourse. Two case studies are analyzed for their creation of socio-cognitive dissonance leading to social discourse: Amazon.com reviews of BIC Cristal For Her pens and the faux Target customer service Facebook profile “Ask ForHelp”. The genre of dissonant fabulations is discussed and contextualized within critical digital intertextual discourse and fictional narratives

Innovation origins

The book establishes digital fiction in a foundation of innovation, tracing its emergence in various guises around the world

You and CO2: a Public Engagement Study to Engage Secondary School Students with the Issue of Climate Change

School students are growing up in a world with a rapidly changing climate, the effects of which will become increasingly apparent during their lifetimes. We designed and pilot tested “You and CO2”, a STEAM program designed to encourage students to reflect on their personal impact on the environment, while also appreciating their place within society to bring about positive societal change. Over three interlinked workshops, students analyzed the carbon footprints of some everyday activities, which they then explored in more detail through interacting with a bespoke piece of digital fiction, No World 4 Tomorrow. The program culminated with students producing their own digital fictions, allowing them the freedom to explore the themes from the previous workshops with a setting and focus of their choice. We reflect here on the experience of running the You and CO2 program and on the themes that emerged from the students’ original digital fictions

Applied E-Lit as Participatory Research-Creation for Social Change

Revised format for virtual conference: Each paper (20 min presentation time) will be submitted in video format and as written up scripts (for accessibility) prior to the event. We would expect our attendees to come to this session prepared, having read or watched the full versions of each contribution; 60-minute synchronous virtual roundtable at the event, featuring: 5-10 min summative flash presentations of each paper (30 min max.), followed by Online discussion and Q&A with the audience (30 min.) To enable all panelists to present at a humane time of the day (Zooming in from Canada, South Africa, and the UK), we would like to suggest scheduling the live panel for around 11 a.m. local time in Orlando. Panelists (in alphabetical order): Dr. Astrid Ensslin, University of Alberta (Canada); [email protected] Dr. Franci Greyling, North West University (South Africa); [email protected] Dr. Lyle Skains, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK); [email protected] Gustaf Tempelhoff, North-West University (South Africa); [email protected] Christine Wilks, Bath Spa University (UK) / University of Alberta (Canada); [email protected] Abstract This tri-continental panel explores methods of applied electronic literature research (Ensslin et al. forthcoming) that involves participatory research-creation with the intent to facilitate mental well-being, equity, and social change. We critically evaluate key methodological and ethical concerns relating to EDI-oriented participant sampling and digital narrative design by focusing on three social justice informed research projects: (1) The “Writing New Bodies” project, presented by Ensslin and Wilks and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, is developing a digital fiction “world of stories” for body image bibliotherapy aimed at young woman-identified and gender non-conforming individuals with body image concerns. (2) The “You and CO2” and “Infectious Storytelling” projects, presented by Skains and supported by the Welsh Crucible, are using creative media to engage secondary schools with the issue of climate change, and to effect positive behaviour change regarding antimicrobial resistance, respectively. (3) The “Byderhand-Pioneer” project, presented by Greyling and Tempelhoff, is a collaboration of the North-West University and a school for visually impaired learners in South Africa. It facilitates the creation and experience of locative literature through accessible interfaces. Ensslin’s and Wilks’ joint paper will introduce the digital fiction resulting from the participant research done in Writing New Bodies (Ensslin et al. 2020). It will discuss the strengths and shortcomings of using Feminist Participatory Action Research (Gustafson et al. 2019) with a group of young, woman-identified and gender-non-conforming participants (ages 18-25) who were involved in critically co-designing and testing a digital fiction for body image bibliotherapy. We will reflect on the creative process, from its basis inspired by the results of participant research to ludonarrative and interface design and software development. Video link to Astrid\u27s and Christine\u27s paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyFBC7Dq2w4&feature=youtu.be Skains’ paper will present two pilot studies (You and CO2; Infectious Storytelling) on utilizing reading and/or writing digital fiction to effect positive attitude change regarding, respectively, personal contributions to climate change and actions leading to antimicrobial resistance. The studies presented are an examination of the efficacy of entertainment media, specifically digital fiction, to purposefully effect positive behaviour without resorting to obviously “edutainment” games that audiences receive negatively. This paper will discuss the practice-based exploration of writing digital fiction to (educational) spec, including the creative challenges posed by writing for specific audiences/age groups, to specific lengths, with specific technological considerations, for specific educational and psychological effects. Video link to Lyle\u27s full paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBpKOD2KKew&feature=youtu.be Greyling and Tempelhoff will contextualise the participatory dynamics involved in the co-creation, development and implementation of accessible locative literature in a multisensory garden at a school for the visually impaired. The Byderhand-Pioneer project comprises multimodal and multilingual poems and stories written mainly by writers with visual impairment. We will illustrate how collaboration and user centred design resulted in the development of an inclusive multi-layered interface consisting of tactile, audio and graphical interaction. Finally we will discuss how the installation contributes to an enriched learning environment as well as deepened experiences of place and literature. Video link to Franci\u27s and Gustaf\u27s full paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-XpA9IaNRc&feature=youtu.be Works Cited: Ensslin, Astrid, Carla Rice, Sarah Riley, Megan Perram, Hannah Fowlie, Lauren Munro and Aly Bailey (2020) “These Waves ...:” Writing New Bodies for Applied E-literature Studies,” electronic book review. Gustafson, Diana L., Janice E. Parsons, and Brenda Gillingham (2019) “Writing to Transgress: Knowledge Production in Feminist Participatory Action Research.” Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 20(2), 1-25. Skains, R. Lyle, Jennifer Rudd, Carmen Casaliggi, Emma Hayhurst, Ruth Horry and Kate Woodward (forthcoming) Choose Your Own Global Future: Using Interactive Digital Narrative for Science & Health Education. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing

Immersion, digital fiction, and the switchboard metaphor

This paper re-evaluates existing theories of immersion and related concepts in the medium-specific context of digital-born fiction. In the context of our AHRC-funded “Reading Digital Fiction” project (2014-17) (Ref: AH/K004174/1), we carried out an empirical reader response study of One to One Development Trust’s immersive three-dimensional (3D) digital fiction installation, WALLPAPER (2015). Working with reading groups in the Sheffield area (UK), we used methods of discourse analysis to examine readers’ verbal responses to experiencing the installation, paying particular attention to how participants described experiences pertaining to different types of immersion explicitly and implicitly. We explain our findings by proposing the idea of a switchboard metaphor for immersive experiences, comprising layers and dynamic elements of convergence and divergence. Resulting from our analysis, we describe immersion as a complex, hybrid, and dynamic phenomenon. We flag the need for a more discriminating treatment of specific types of immersion in medium-specific contexts, including a distinction between literary and narrative immersion, and collaborative and social immersion (Thon 2008). We argue that literary immersion is needed as a separate immersive category because it differs from narrative immersion, and is far more linked to the activity of cognitive word processing. Similarly, we introduce collaborative immersion as an additional immersive category to reflect attention shifts towards site-specific, human interactions. Finally, our data shows the importance of site-, situation-, and person-specific constraints influencing reader-players’ ongoing ability to establish and retain immersion in the storyworld

Exploring digital fiction as a tool for teenage body image bibliotherapy

This article reflects on the findings of the interdisciplinary ‘TransForm’ project, which ran between 2012 and 2014 and aimed to explore how reading and writing digital fictions (DFs) might support young women in developing frameworks for more positive thinking regarding their body image. The project comprised the following stages: (1) a review and compilation of DFs thematising and/or problematising female corporeality; (2) a series of cooperative inquiries with 3 groups of young women (aged 16–19 years) over a period of 5 weeks, examining participants’ responses to a selection of the previously compiled DFs, as well as the challenges these young women face in relation to body image and (3) an interventionist summer school in which participants aged 16–19 explored body image issues via writing DFs. This article reports on the main observations and findings of each stage, and draws conclusions for future research needs in this area

Playing for Change: Teens’ attitudes towards climate change action as expressed through interactive digital narrative play

We designed and pilot tested “You and CO2”, a STEAM program designed to encourage students to reflect on their personal impact on the environment, while also appreciating their place within society to bring about positive societal change. Over three interlinked workshops, students analyzed the carbon footprints of some everyday activities, which they then explored in more detail through interacting with a bespoke piece of digital fiction, No World 4 Tomorrow. Previous papers have discussed the feasibility of the program and student engagement with the concepts (Rudd, et al. 2019; Ross, et al. 2021). This paper presents analysis of the playthrough data as each participant in the program played the IDN to completion, examining trends in story selection choices for how they reflect students’ understandings and attitudes toward climate change and their own ability to make a difference in matters large and small pertaining to climate change

Discourse or gimmick? Digital marginalia in online scholarship

Marginalia has been studied as discourse, as historical documentation and as evidence of reader response. As many academic texts are now available electronically, it seems a natural step to incorporate the interactive, social functions of the Web 2.0. Digital marginalia in an academic publishing context has been a largely unsuccessful venture to this date, yet there are several promising developments. Tools have emerged that enable readers annotate online texts in an approximation of paper-based marginalia, with the additional affordances of two- (or many-) way discourse, digital archiving, and the ability to hide the annotations. This article reviews the contemporary practices of digital marginalia, narrowing in to focus on digital marginalia as a form of academic discourse and peer review. I analyse several case studies of digital marginalia and discourse within this context, including Nature’s trial of open peer review, Wellcome Open Research, PLOS ONE and PubPeer’s systems, as well as my own experience using open peer review with Hypothes.is in a special ‘disrupted’ issue of the Journal of Media Practice. The article examines the relative success of these initiatives, attitudes toward open peer review and concludes with some promising developments for the future of digital marginalia and discourse in academic publishing