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Web Writer Ian believes the time is right for a new written series to match other phenomenal web successes. The popularity of weekly spoof newspaper The Onion is an indication of just how many web users would be prepared to read quality creative pieces online if they were better designed to suit the real-world browsing experience. Attempts to adapt existing literary forms and styles to the web have been unsuccessful because they have failed to take this as their starting point. Alternatives (left) takes a different approach. For years, Ian has been getting to the bottom of how people actually like to use the web, what they like to read there and for how long. Understanding that is one thing. But providing a concept capable of delivering it on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis is something else altogether. Now though, Alternatives is ready to deliver snappy, engaging daily pieces, and fast-paced, startling drama every fortnight, all from a single body of characters and settings and written by one author, with interactive contributions from readers - who will get the chance to build their own ideal government and test it out. Ian hopes to license Alternatives to online content providers, whose websites need to be constantly refreshed but often lack original and attention-grabbing content - something the series wishes to remedy. A more extensive website for the series will be published here in due course but if you're already interested, email alternatives@iqkennedy.co.uk for details. |
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Ian's first foray into the web was the twisted online satire Trash FM (2000-1, left). This extensive mockery of the media, corporate ethics, politics and other crimes is no less acute and eye-opening than it ever was, though of course the website has dated (which almost suits the setting really) and the domain name has gone unrenewed. But it's still worth a look at www.geocities.com/darchus - especially the Guide to Cookery. What you can see in Trash FM is Ian's growing understanding of how to format and conceive work for the web, even back then. Early pieces were written in other formats and adapted to html, but as the site developed the original material became more and more tuned to the browsing habits and interests of the site's online audience, many of whom responded enthusiastically to the website and visited regularly until Ian ran out of time to expand it. And for a further exploration of Ian's writing for the web, see his personal blog at darchus.livejournal.com... Links: |
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