Writer/Reader as Performer: Creating a Negotiated Narrative

The continued and extensive studies of Aristotle (Laurel 1991; Kallay 2010) in the digital age suggest there is still a close relationship between drama and writing for the screen. However, others suggest the need for new forms of writing (Millard 2014; Murray 2012; Riggs 2019). This chapter asks what forms and processes are useful for new media forms. Using examples from my own work and the work of other writers and performance makers (Robin MacNicholas, IOU, and Blast Theory), I argue that writing which is informed/influenced by performance (and, therefore, the writer/audience as performer) is an understudied area of concern. This chapter will explore performance in new forms of visual production and suggest that improvisational techniques and negotiated narratives are likely to be important aspects of a writer’s toolkit in this new media age, especially in relation to interactive, participative or immersive forms of production.