Text Talk Novels Overview

Study Notes

Stories are told almost entirely through dialogue, mimicking social network interactions.
A story written using short text messages on a messaging app. It's a new form of writing.
Originated in Japan and gained popularity internationally, particularly in China, the US, Germany, and South Africa.

Literary works originally written on a mobile phone using text messaging.
Popular in Japan, with popularity spreading to other countries, including China, the US, Germany, and South Africa.
Typically consist of 70-100 words per chapter due to character limitations.
First cell phone novel, "Deep Love," published in Japan in 2003 by a man named Yoshi, detailing a teenager's "subsidized dating" experiences.

Initially focused on young women and romantic fiction (relationships, love triangles, pregnancy); later expanded to broader themes.
Delivered directly to readers via email, SMS text messages, or subscription websites (chapter-by-chapter).
Often feature forged identities and pen names.
Popular themes include romantic fiction, which became broader in scope.
Formatting differs from traditional novels. They are often presented as a series of text messages.
Published in three different digital formats (WMLD, Java, TXT) by 2007. This led to their publication in book form.

"Koizora" achieved 12 million online views.
One example of a popular phone novel, which was turned into a movie, is "Koizora".
Five of the top 10 bestseller novels in Japan in 2007 were originally cell phone novels.

An online romantic series written by Jenny Ruth Almocera.
Consists of screenshots of chat and text conversations.
Focuses on a young man (Vince) who bravely texts his crush (Kath).
Contains escalating challenges including relationships, infidelity, trauma experiences, and the recovery of the protagonist.
Character identities are often deliberately obscured.