Portals
of Perception
| About "Portals of Perception"
Why do things happen the way they do? Why do some individuals seem to live a life relatively free from tragedy, while other lives seem to be fraught with despair? Why can some people weather the storm, while others never seem to be able to raise above the emotional scars? This work does not provide answers to these questions. It does, however, present the story of a woman who weathered the emotional storms in her life and rose above them and their pain. “Portals of Perception” is a work of fiction, based on a novel in progress. In it you meet, Tami, a thirty-something single mother. Three excerpts are presented here, adapted for this web site. These sections, titled “Life and Death,” “Broken Hearts and Shattered Dreams,” and “Out of the Ashes,” represent three episodes in Tami's life. Additionally, there is a fourth section, “Into the Garden,” which presents the Tami's philosophy. As you explore each area you will experience that episode in Tami's life. Narrative text is combined with visual graphics, audio clips and animation to help present the information in a life-like and entertaining way. Both internal and external links are used to help bring the information and the era to life. The biographical incidents are not designed to be read chronologically, but each incident provides a jumping off point. The site is designed to be interactive, enabling the reader to choose between several links on each page, thereby creating a personal path in which to follow the story. The paths can be followed through their natural progression, eventually navigating to “the end”; or you may choose a different path. The links are designed to have several different “ends” depending on the links selected. Therefore the site can be visited, and navigated, several times without experiencing exactly the same story. The nodes are interconnected through hypertext links, both internal and external. The external links are designed to create atmosphere by relating “real-life” events into the context of the story. The internal links are designed to create depth by illustrating the Tami's development and interests or to depict other related incidents in her life. Each node should be viewed as a “snapshot”, not an all inclusive narrative, of that stage in her story. No matter where you choose to begin, you may, at times, find yourself propelled forward to some point further in the story. Or you may find yourself sent back in time to relive another relevant incident. At any given point, you may find yourself, “in the garden,” where the Tami has a chance to share a portion of her personal philosophy. There is an additional goal of using this site as a marketing
tool in the event of the novel’s publication. By giving these “snapshot”
images of the character’s life I hope to generate interest in the story
and motivate the readerto purchase the book in order to get the entire
story. I hope that the internal, as well as the external, links contained
within the site will be useful to the readers, not only for illustrative
and textural purposes but as “jumping off points” on a journey to explore
some of the topics raised.
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