Ascent: Guided Narratives

Learn by Example

A guided narrative is a storytelling structure in which the reader directs the protagonist. This conveys a sense of agency and exploration while the story path is linear toward the destination. The narratives are written in the first-person, present tense, in a self-aware style, be it gritty realism, satirical wit, or surreal introspection.

Guided narratives blend traditional story elements with interactive fiction. This hybrid leverages the illusion of choice, direct reader engagement, and meta-narrative elements to create a compelling, immersive experience. Let’s have a quick example.

Cloak of Darkness, written in 1993 by Roger Firth, is the standard for showcasing a particular approach. The protagonist starts in a dark foyer wearing a wet cloak and navigates various rooms, such as a bar and a cloakroom, finding light to reveal a message that declares victory. GN Cloak of Darkness shows how it might appear as a guided narrative. The sci-fi Epsilon Artifact showcases guided narratives with a more immersive and engaging experience.

The next part introduces the guided narrative form and function. Subsequent chapters examine the challenges ( puzzles, obstacles ) that typically drive guided narratives. This collection includes two dozen guided narratives demonstrating each canonical challenge.

AmberPendant, TheSandstands, 1953

Art of the Possible, PortSpindrift, 1995

BloodMoon, FoxgloveCounty, 1988

Day in the Life, BrindlePond, 25 May

EclipsedManor, Aldridge, 1887

Follow the Light, Redstone, 2025

Holmes’ Poultice, London, 1895

InitiationRite, Hawthorne, 2018

KeepingWatch, NewArcadia, 2002

KidClown, Quinlan, 2020

LastCommute, Fallkirk, 1989

LastHeist, AloraCity, 1988

LostColony, EpsilonEridani, 2147

MidnightMatch, NewArcadia, 1947

Parables of Elián, WestIsland, 1923

Patterns of Deceit, London, 1999

Phantom of Bryston, Bryston, 1999

PrimeNavigators, PortLyndora, 17th Tide of the CelestialCompass

RevolutionAfoot, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1781

RidgeRescue, AugustForest, 1914

Show of Hope, Caldwell, 2022

TheHelm, PortEldoro, 1715

TheWillowWeeps, Village of Blackwood, 1923

VanishWithoutTrace, RuddyRiver, 1934

GN Cloak of Darkness

The City, 1993

Opera House Foyer

The foyer’s dark and empty. There’s no one else around. My shadow is my company—and echos, the only sound.

I’m standing here with a wet cloak on my back. Wet from the rain, the kind that soaks you to the bone and makes you wonder why you ever left the house. I see doors to the south and west. There’s an exit north.

Try the north door.

It’s locked. Figures. Nothing ever opens up when you need it to. I’ll try the door south of the foyer instead.

The Bar

At least, I think it’s a bar—too dark to be sure, but sure to make me stumble. I’m going back.

Foyer

Ah, the foyer, where emptiness is an old friend.

Head west and see what’s there.

Cloakroom

Looks like a closet. There’s a small brass hook here, gleaming like a promise no one ever kept.

Hang your cloak on the hook.

Good idea, let it hang dry. But I’m not hanging around to watch. Besides, I see a light back in …

The Bar

More than light, there’s a message in the sawdust on the floor:

You have won!

Won what? Life’s a game where the rules change whenever you think you’ve figured them out. But for now, I’ll take it.

Epsilon Artifact

Epsilon Null, 2145

Transporter Exit

The transporter narrows to a vertical line. It vanishes with a pop. Epsilon Null, little more than a rock, is lost in space and time.

The only sign of life is in the research facility, digging up long-deceased referred to as the great ones because of their skeletal size.

Facility Entrance

The air is filled with the hum of machinery and a faint scent of antiseptic. Technicians move about as security cameras sweep the area. The main lab lies to the north.

See what you have in your suit.

I have a keycard, gloves, and my retinal scanner—an electronic notebook with data about the facility.

Make your way to the …

Main Lab

It’s a hive of activity, filled with equipment and researchers engrossed in their work.

Dr. Harris, lead scientist

Good, you’re here. We need that artifact to complete our research. It’s in the facility, but we’ve had no luck finding it.

This artifact, could you be more specific?

It’s a rod rounded at the ends. Small, but don’t touch it.

And the rod could … what, be anywhere in this facility?

I suspect one of the techs went rogue and hid it in a secure lab. To access them, you need to bypass the system.

Examine the security systems.

Security is retro, at best. Nobody expects theft on a remote rock in a distant solar system. Access requires a combination of a keycard and biometric scan. There’s also a central control that monitors all activity.

Head to the …

Control Room

There are monitors and control panels. A security officer named Titus is stationed here, watching the facility.

Examine the monitors.

They’re all virtual but appear solid. I might have more luck talking with Titus.

We’ve had some issues with the security systems lately. Help me fix them, and I’ll give you access to the secure labs.

Trading access for a favour, Titus could be the rogue technician—report him.

I’ll see how this plays out and take it from there.

turning to Titus

Sure, I can help you fix it or at least try.

Great. And just call me Ti. The main issue is the biometric scanner. It needs recalibration.

That entails a trip to the …

Scanner Room

It’s off the main lab. The scanner is a complex device, and the malfunction prevents access to the secure labs. Titus is right—the calibration does appear to be off. It needs a specific code to reset it, which might be in the technician’s office.

With stealth, circle back to …

Ti’s Office

The space is cluttered with tools, manuals, and notes. A terminal on the desk might have the reset code.

Search the terminal.

It requires a password. A sticky note on the monitor reads:

Favourite Element

Titus, Ti. I’m sensing a pattern. Enter Titanium

The terminal unlocks, and I find the reset code on his screen in plain sight. I enter the code in the scanner room, and the device recalibrates with a soft beep.

Titus, over the intercom

You fixed it! As promised, here’s access to the secure labs. Lab A is on your right.

Why go in order? Begin with …

Lab B

There is little of interest here except for a locked cabinet requiring a keycard and a code.

Use the keycard.

Tried that. As I say, the keycard grants access but still needs a code.

Check your electronic notebook.

Ah, I didn’t think it would have codes to secure labs on this rocky outpost, but right you are.

Lab B locker: GR81Z

Great ones—of course, the ancient indigenous.

Enter the code.

The locker pops open, revealing a rod with rounded ends. I put on my gloves, then lift out the artifact.

Main Lab

Dr. Harris, smiling

You found it! And so quickly.

I found the artifact—but also a suspect.

I recount events and my suspicion.

Titus did not hide the artifact well and gave you access to the labs. Did he want it found?

She calls him down and demands an explanation. Titus appears surprisingly unsurprised.

I took it but hid the artifact where it would be found.

Then, why take it at all?

To expose flaws in the facility’s ancient security systems. We need better security.

My retinal scanner signals an alert. A small rocket has launched, yet there is no security alarm.

Or you took it to divert attention. A rocket just launched, and it’s headed toward Earth.

That isn’t me, I swear. This ancient system was an accident waiting to happen.

If it was an accident. Right now, we need to stop that rocket. Dr. Harris, what are the options?

Drones, I suppose. Or hack the rocket’s navigation. Or signal distress to the nearest orbital station.

Prove yourself, Titus. What do you recommend?

… drones

The facility’s defence drones are outdated and unreliable. I doubt they can intercept the rocket in time, even if they don’t malfunction first.

… hacking

Hacking into the rocket’s navi system requires precise timing and advanced hacking skills. If we fail, we lose our only chance to stop it.

… signal

Our best bet is to signal ENOS, the nearest space station. They have the resources to intercept the rocket.

Dr. Harris nods in agreement. Titus sends the distress signal, providing the coordinates and details of the launched rocket. We wait anxiously for a response.

Part Two

Guided Narrative

Elements of GN

The guided narrative style uniquely combines the illusion of choice, direct reader engagement, and linear storytelling to create an immersive, engaging reading experience. It challenges traditional narrative structures while maintaining a coherent and compelling storyline.

The Illusion of Choice

One of the defining characteristics of guided narrative is the illusion of choice. While the narrative remains linear, readers are presented with decision points that create a sense of agency and control over the protagonist’s actions.

This technique draws from the principles of interactive fiction, where player decisions shape the story’s progression. However, unlike traditional interactive fiction, GN maintains a single narrative path, ensuring coherence and simplicity.

To compensate, a directive can offer a choice ( e.g., talk with the witness or examine the crime scene ), or the protagonist can invent an option ( e.g., Grog? The parrot is hungry, not thirsty. I’ll feed it the pistachios instead. ).

Reader Engagement

Mieke Bal’s work on narratology emphasizes the importance of reader engagement in storytelling. She argues that narrative is a way of structuring human experience and making sense of it ( Bal, Narratology, p. 5 ). GN capitalizes on this by structuring the narrative around reader choices, enhancing engagement and immersion. The illusion of choice keeps readers invested and encourages them to participate in the story actively, blurring the line between the reader and the protagonist.

Participatory Story

Guided narrative often addresses the reader directly, creating a pseudo-participatory experience. This direct engagement is reminiscent of the techniques used in digital storytelling, where interactivity is key to maintaining reader interest.

Carolyn Handler Miller notes that interactivity is the defining characteristic of digital storytelling, setting it apart from traditional forms of narrative ( Miller, Digital Storytelling, p. 15 ). GN bridges the gap between traditional and digital storytelling by incorporating direct reader engagement, offering a fresh and dynamic narrative experience.

Meta-Narrative Elements

Moreover, GN frequently employs meta-narrative elements, making readers aware of their role in storytelling. This technique, known as metalepsis, involves the transgression of narrative levels, where the boundaries between the story world ( diegesis ) and the real world are blurred. For example:

Breaking the FourthWall: Characters directly address the reader or acknowledge that they are part of a story.

NarrativeIntrusion: The narrator or author directly intervenes in the story, breaking the illusion of separation between the narrative world and the real world.

OverlappingWorlds: The narrator and protagonist become intertwined, collapsing the boundary between their worlds.

Julian Hanebeck explains that metalepsis challenges the conventional boundaries of narrative levels, inviting readers to become co-creators of the story ( Hanebeck,