fictionwhile

Fictionwhile is a term used in literary criticism to denote a narrative technique in which a text interleaves fictional narrative with explicit commentary, reflection, or meta-textual asides that address the act of storytelling itself. The effect is to create a layered reading experience in which the boundary between fiction and authorial presence becomes porous, inviting readers to consider time, pacing, and the illusion of realism within the same work.

Origin and usage: The term emerged in digital literary discussions in the early 2020s as readers described practices where authors interrupt fiction with narrator commentary or footnotes that discuss time and structure. It is not tied to a single author or canon and may describe a range of metafictional devices employed across different works.

Form and devices: Fictionwhile can appear as direct-address narration, marginalia, footnotes, or asides that reveal the construction of the narrative. It often involves flexible timelines, visible editing marks, or deliberate interruptions to simulate the process of storytelling. It may function to foreground themes about memory, the labor of writing, or the instability of narrative truth.

Reception and examples: Critics view fictionwhile as a tool for highlighting fictionality without fully disengaging readers from the story. In practice it appears across genres, including postmodern novels, experimental short fiction, and digital storytelling. Specific exemplars are varied, and the term remains a descriptive label rather than a fixed genre.

See also: Metafiction, Self-referential writing, Fourth wall, Narrative frame, Metalepsis.