Chapter 6

Off the Rails: An Introduction to Nonlinear Storytelling

What happens to content when the linear roadmap is thrown away? Suddenly you find yourself without standard continuity, without narrative editing, perhaps without plot and character too. How do you develop ideas under such circumstances without ending up in the ditch? Is it even possible?

In this chapter, we will discover that not only is it possible but that, in quite unexpected ways, releasing animation from the structure of narrative storytelling can open up a new world of possibilities, some first cousins to linear narrative and others like nothing you’ve ever seen.

What “Nonlinear” Means

The only definitive thing that can be said about the meaning of nonlinear storytelling ...

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