Dross and drivel abound in web serials

"Robin slowly lowered his arm to his side. Puzzlement tussled vexation for control of his features, with neither emerging a clear winner, and both choosing to camouflage behind sarcasm as he coolly observed, 'That's very gallant of you to accept all responsibility, but I'd like to presume I had a little something to do with where matters led last night. I was also in the room, after all' ... "

You can catch more of Robin's moody antics in the "all new romantic serial exclusively on the web".

Or for something more wholesome try Cathy Gillen Thacker at Harlequin: "If there was one thing her aunt and uncle, parents to four boys, could be counted on to understand, it was children. Additionally, their work as medical professionals made them conscious of the effects of trauma on a family ... "

But did they know about the effects of trauma caused by reading too much drivel? The above are just a tiny sample of the dreck to be found by typing the phrase "online serial" into any search engine. I'm sure there is something good to read out there, but I haven't found it yet. Perhaps it's because on-screen reading can be taken in only short bursts that the serial is making such a comeback online.

The form of writing is certainly not new. At one site, I rediscovered William Makepeace Thackeray's enduring Vanity Fair and spent far too much time downloading a scanned version of the 1860 first volume released as a serial - as were the works of countless other authors of that era.

But the episodic nature of some online versions can also be directly traced to TV and in particular, the soap. I learned about Footprints, which had its web debut in October 1997 and has been going ever since. There you read acres and acres about the Fisher family and the world of King's Bay.

If soaps are your thing then you should find plenty to satisfy at You should probably also check out The Webisodic! - an online magazine that provides "a place for web soap producers, and readers alike, to interact and hear the latest news regarding the genre."

There you might learn - as with the TV kind - that all soaps must pass and that one of the longest running, NewportSoapOpera.com, is no more:

"Although both our creative product and our website have earned critical acclaim and an enthusiastic reception from soap fans, we have not yet been able to attract the venture capital necessary to do the national advertising and promotion campaign we had planned ...

"This setback has cut off the revenue stream we had anticipated from advertisers, and without this source of income we can simply not continue in operation."

Such is life's rich tapestry. But there are some on the web who believe they can go on for ever: "I am inviting you to submit additional episodes to the story to make "Binary Light" into the most awe-inspiring piece of ongoing web-based science fiction ever."

The only drawback here is that the guy running the site has editorial control - "to ensure that the story continues properly, and does not descend into a series of flame messages and nonsense from people who cannot write creatively and just wish to abuse the system provided." Fair enough too.

But sites like freelancewriting.com do the opposite, allowing anyone and everyone to add his or her own paragraph at the end. I was intrigued by a paragraph by "Laura/Tzitzakion" at another never-ending story site:

"With a small hesitant step, she started toward the rabbit. Surprisingly, the rabbit did not run off, but stared at Carmen with curious eyes."

Here, surely, was an opportunity to put everyone out of their misery: "Quickly and without thinking Carmen shot the rabbit and then herself ... "


Links:

Romantic serial on the web

Harlequin

Thackeray online

Footprints

Soaps online

The Webisodic!

Binary light

Freelance writing

Neverending story