Parser IF as a poetic form or mode of visual rhetoric?

I've been writing about Portrait with Wolf ^_^ for a while now. I see it as a poetry project these days. As you can see from the image, typical parser games have a recognizable format:

1. bibliographical info (title, author, etc)
2. preamble
3. room description
4. action
5. action feedback
6. ending

In poetry, we might a text with these features (both content and appearance on the page) a "form." Some familiar poetic forms include sonnets, haiku, limericks, and sestinas. Elsewhere, the practice of creating and experiencing texts in terms of nonverbal features is called "visual rhetoric."

It shouldn't be controversial or strange to think that the features of a parser game could be written and arranged in a way that could feature strong visual and verbal elements. This is what Portrait with Wolf ^_^ is: an attempt to write parser poetry. In honor of the parser form, I've decided to include input and variability. If you've been keeping up with Let's Make IF lately, I've been talking about the way there.

I've come to realize that it might be interesting for other people to write their own. If we really are talking about a poetic form, then perhaps it should not belong to me specifically. Anyone can write a sonnet, after all, and I don't see why this form--I don't know what to name it yet--should be different. Therefore, I see three things coming out of this project:

• a "game" that is uniquely mine, whose working title is "Portrait with Wolf ^_^"
• a template that anyone can use without requiring programming knowledge (just enter text in tables)
• blog posts documenting the form's technical construction

So far as the current state of the project goes: things are moving along. The "game" has proven challenging, as I've never written anything like this, text-wise, and there are craft problems I've never dealt with before. I worry that it will work as a proof of concept, but not as a poetry collection. That's my current priority right now: trying to find the poetry in this form and realize it. I'm hoping to get it in front of some testers soon. Does that interest you? Get in touch.

The template is developing nicely. I've been doing two posts a week at Top Expert, trying to get it shaped up and ready for people to try. If you enjoy creative writing and would like to play with it, let me know! You'll need the Inform 7 IDE (programming environment), but no actual programming should be needed. It's meant for anyone to use. Think about it! I'm guessing it will take two weeks to get it ready.

Thanks for your interest in my work! Hopefully we can come up with some good stuff.