Cross-Strings

by Fizza Younis, Kalam Babu, Lavanya Nukavarapu

An interactive novel is driven by the reader’s choice between interlinking threads/sub-plot of the story as to which story s/he wants to pursue. Though we can have as many threads as possible or subplots, we have limited to four only.

The traditional form of writing a novel is based on an author’s imagination and the plot and is based on how the author wants to take the reader through the journey. We have been doing this form of writing for centuries. In this format, the reader has no option but to follow the author’s journey. Wouldn’t it be nice if the reader can decide what course of action the characters of the story take? The reader would feel more connected with the story and can take the story to a conclusion based on what he or she thinks. This is the concept behind interactive novels.

In today's world, we say that the customer is the king but in the writing world, this wasn’t the case up till now. Interactive novels are the best way to provide the reader's discretion – to allow the reader a choice in the novel's world. In an interactive novel, the reader chooses where to go next in the novel by clicking on a piece of hyperlinked text, such as a page number, a character, or a direction. While authors of traditional paper-and-ink novels have sometimes tried to give readers, the random directionality offered by direction like go to page 34. This approach was not completely feasible until the development of hyper texting popularly known as HTML.

There are a few examples of people making attempts to write an interactive novel – both print and web-based, successfully so, but nothing like this happened been attempted in India.

This is our humble attempt to branch out the story and offer the readers different flavours within the trope of the Internet and social media. The reader can choose any storyline or jump to another story and jump back to the story he was reading or read all the threads of the story. It is totally up to him / her. Our interactive novel gives alternative stories like parallel worlds and gives an option to the readers to course through any of this world or walk between the story worlds through the bridges we built at different levels. Currently, we have four genres – Crime thriller, romantic thriller, fairy tale, sci-fi fiction blended with Utopia, and a techno-fantasy thriller.

573 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 22

About the author

Dr. Fizza Younis is from the vibrant city of Lahore, Pakistan, where her journey through life has been as diverse as her country. She had a Ph.D. in economics, but the enchanting world of fiction and poetry has captured her heart. As a dedicated indie author and ardent reader, she revels in the art of storytelling, crafting narratives that transcend the boundaries of her academic pursuits. Rooted in the principles of minimalism, equality, and harmony, her writing reflects her steadfast beliefs. Her stories are both mirrors of her philosophy and windows into the lives of intriguing characters navigating the labyrinth of existence. In her world, characters come alive, and their misadventures resonate with humanity's shared joys and tribulations. She sprinkles love and encouragement with every word, creating a cocoon of empathy and connection that envelops her readers. Though she might describe herself as an average person leading a mundane existence, Fizza is nothing short of spectacular in the world of fiction. Join her on a journey through the written word, where ordinary lives take on extraordinary hues, and the essence of humanity is distilled into every sentence.