faaside

Faaside is a neologism used in discussions of narrative technique and digital publishing to denote a specific kind of aside embedded in the principal text. It describes a brief, self-contained commentary directed at the reader, delivered in the voice of the author or a narrator within the prose and typically set apart from the main narrative by formatting cues, punctuation, or typography. The device functions as metafictional commentary or as a reader-facing note that pauses the ongoing story to offer context, irony, or authorial reflection without resorting to traditional footnotes or parentheses.

Origin and usage: The term faaside is not widely attested in formal lexicons. It appears in contemporary discourse around experimental writing and online essays as a coined term—perhaps a blend of faux outside aside or faux aside—though its exact etymology is not standardized. It remains a niche concept, used mainly by writers and critics exploring breakage of narrative boundaries.

In practice, faaside is used to create a dialogue with readers, to signal a deliberate digression, or to draw attention to form, tone, or ideology. It is most common in experimental fiction, digital zines, and long-form essays where authors experiment with casual, direct-address interruptions within the main text.

See also: aside, metafiction, fourth wall, editorial aside.