ABSTRACT
Major elements of interactive narrative that must be understood by the writer include: the role of the player, character development, structure, exposition, plot points, scenes, pace and time, and dialogue and other sound. Writer Matthew Costello, who has written successful films, novels, and computer games, points out a key difference between linear and interactive narrative. Characterization in an interactive narrative is vastly more complex than in a linear narrative because of the role of the player. The player is only one of the characters in a program. Many others must be set up, but the demands of the interactive narrative do not make it easy to bring them to life. Linear structure is frequently used in narrative multimedia to set up the story. A string of pearls architecture is a linked series of worlds structures connected by plot points or tasks that the player must accomplish to move forward in the narrative.
