Resource Name: InkleWriter

URL: http://www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter

Uses: Write Together, Interact Socially, Publish Online

Description: Most of us recall the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, where the reader would periodically be offered choices in the plot, and would then turn to an indicated page to continue reading. In this way, the same story could have several possible plot lines and outcomes, allowing multiple unique readings.

InkleWriter works in the same way, allowing writers to create online interactive stories with forking plot lines. See an example to better understand how it works.

Sample Applications for the Reading/Language Arts Classroom:

• Students can create original stories that change genre depending upon the story forks taken.
  
• Students can engage in paired readings of books, and fork off with opposing views/opinions about what they've read.
• If your students are unfamiliar with the Choose Your Own Adventure genre, then certainly sign out a bunch of the older titles from your favorite library. Let students peruse them for ideas of not only formatting, but also possibilities of storyline. You can also let them check out this type of storytelling via online versions; Internet resource superstar Larry Ferlazzo has compiled an insane number on online Choose Your Own Adventure-type sites. A great place to start!
• If students need a quick idea, or one that's incredibly random, they should check out Brainstormer. This cool web app (shown below) generates a unique combination of protagonist, theme, and setting with every push of the Random button.
  

Notes and Caveats:

• Since planning a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure type story is key to its success, I recommend using a sports tournament type bracket which is then inverted. This allows you to begin with the main action, and then branch off, leading ultimately to many sub plots and multiple endings.
• The bracket shown to the right can be downloaded as a pdf and then turned around to create a story template for InkleWriter. You can search Google Images for "blank brackets" if you need more branches.
  

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