Using Meta Information

When readers start a book, they flip open to the first page and the story begins. But with a blog-novel, readers may arrive in the middle of a story already in progress. They may leave for a while and miss important plot developments. Or they may need a quick refresher on a character who hasn't been seen for a week or two.

Blog-novels require meta information--supplemental text that's about the story but isn't part of the story. This might include character guides, plot synopses, frequently asked questions, posting schedules, and information about the author(s). Meta information can appear in the blog's sidebar, in the header, in posts, or in a separate website.

Three weeks into "Giant Girl Rampages," we realized that our meta information would no longer fit neatly into the sidebar. Luckily, we discovered that the blog format also makes for an excellent resource site with virtually unlimited room for expansion.

On our behind-the-scenes blog, "Making Melly Mills," every main character has an entry that can be updated as we learn more about them. And each entry has its own URL, so we can link to them from the story site.

Also, because blog-novels are still so rare, we've included frequently asked questions about what we're doing, why, and how--as well as tips like the one you're reading now, for blog-novelists who want to join in the fun. These resources are available for the reader who wants more background information without bothering some other reader who just wants to get on with the story.