Sardinia. Azure water, limestone cliffs, evening light turning Olbia into something from a postcard. Perfect antidote to Moscow’s intensity.
The quiet here is productive in ways city noise never allows. Been mapping out alternative endings for the interactive novel whilst watching fishing boats drift across the harbour.
Digital analytics coursework finally clicking into place. All those modules on user journey mapping and decision tree optimization suddenly make sense when applied to narrative branching. Reader choices aren’t just story elements – they’re data points creating unique pathways through psychological terrain.
The abyss novel needs at least six distinct endings, each requiring different moral compromises to reach. Traditional plotting won’t work. Need to think like a game designer whilst writing like a psychological horror author.
Been sketching choice architectures on hotel napkins. How do you guide readers towards specific emotional states without making the manipulation obvious? Where do you place the points of no return?
The Mediterranean has this timeless quality that helps long-term thinking. Waves don’t care about user engagement metrics or conversion funnels. They just know their rhythm.
But rhythm is everything in interactive fiction. Pacing the revelations, controlling information flow, creating inevitable momentum towards each ending. It’s horror meets UX design.
Tomorrow’s ferry to mainland Europe, then back to Brighton for final year prep. The novel framework is solid now. Just need to fill the abyss with proper nightmares.
Sometimes the best technical solutions come when you stop trying so hard and let the unconscious mind process.
Daria Ryzhikova Writer