Initially, I thought this narrative would be difficult to convert into a piece of E-Lit; but after mulling over the possibilities, I realized there are a lot of elements of E-Lit that would add substantial depth to the story.

Because this story is about a race, it would be ideal to have it formatted similarly to The 21 Steps. Allowing the reader to see where the competitors are at all times on a map would heighten the sense of urgency the narrator tries to convey. The map would have to be a much smaller scale than that of The 21 Steps, as the runners only cover a span of about 3 miles, and there would have to be two paths to follow instead of one–but the paths will be very close since the runners are neck-in-neck. Every several hundred feet they move, more blurbs of text will show up, continuing the story.

Next: audio. A major example of imagery in the story is the description of the sounds the narrator’s shoes make as he runs. “Squish. Thud. Squish. Thud.” I can image how effective it would be to have that sound sequence playing while the reader reads. The sounds could easily be synthesized and played in a loop which would begin the moment the page was opened, diving the reader straight into the action. The pacing could speed up when the reader reached the part of the story where the runners reach the final half mile of the race and accelerate.

Another element would be hyperlinks. These would be especially effective in construing the backgrounds of and the relationship between the narrator and his main competitor Derrick Smalls. A link on Derrick’s name could take the reader to a page with Derrick’s profile, listing all of his (fictional) statistics, honors and awards. Since the reader really does not know anything about Derrick other than he is fast and he beat the narrator in the previous year’s race, this would allow the reader to gain some information about why Derrick was such a fierce competitor and why it was so important to beat him. The same would be done for the narrator. What would be most sufficient would be these links opening up sidebars on the screen, so the reader may still “watch” the race as he or she reads up on the runners’ stats.

Video would be a fourth E-Lit device that would transform this story. A video that shows (probably in animation) the race from last year when narrator lost to Derrick by two mere seconds would give the reader stronger contextual insight.

The final E-Lit feature would be a choose-your-own-adventure ending. When the reader gets to the part where Derrick trips and falls, the reader then will be given two choices: continue the story with the narrator going on to win the race, or, the actual ending,with the narrator forfeiting and helping Derrick get up.Two very different morals can be achieved this way.

A mile and a half to go. Each step feeling increasingly heavier than the last. By now, my breathing was so dense I felt like my lungs would never forgive me.

Squish. Thud. Squish. Thud. Each time the shoe on my right foot hit the cool pavement it sounded like wet sponge being squeezed. As much as I hated myself for running through that puddle, I could not help but find some calmness in the rhythm.

Derrick Smalls was still ahead, but not by far. Images of the race last year surged through my head. We had been neck-in-neck throughout the entire race, and as we neared the final half mile we both dedicated our last drops of adrenaline to accelerating to the finish. He was taller than I was, and more lean. His leg span exceeded mine, and although I was quick, I could not cover the same distance in the same amount of time. He won by two seconds.

This was my chance to redeem myself.

I ran the back of my hand across my forehead. The sweat dripping down my face was starting to trickle onto my eyelids. I could hardly distinguish the colorful blurs of people standing on either side of the path. They might have been cheering, but I heard no sound coming from them.

Squish. Thud. Squish. Thud.

The checkered banner in the distance was growing larger. With less than half a mile to go, I gave one last push. I was not sure if I was running or flying. My feet were moving so rapidly I could barely feel the ground below. Derrick Smalls was directly to my left now and I could hear his panting. I needed to beat him. I needed to prove myself.

And then it happened.

I heard a rippling thump and saw a flash of color fall to the ground next to me. Derrick was down. Derrick was down. He was done. The finish line was just a couple yards away. If I kept going, I would not only take first, but I would beat Derrick’s record time. I would be the ultimate victor.

At last, the cheers from the crowd rushed into my ears. They knew what I knew.

I bent down and reached out my hand.

Well hello there! I am Alexis Anthony. I am currently a sophomore journalism major, but will be switching to public relations and minoring in survey methodology. I’m from Columbia, MD and graduated in 2011 from Oakland Mills High School. I love working with people (I just went through two weeks of team builders for my job training and I was in heaven) and problem-solving. I really enjoy writing, too, hence being a journalism major and taking this class. I’m very excited to expand my storytelling skills to different forms of media in the semester.

Hmmm, what else? I love to sing. I LOVE to sing. Probably too much, but that’s beside the point. Also, I love all of the colors of the rainbow; yellow has my heart, though. Therefore, my Avatar is an adorable little yellow bow, which symbolizes my bubbly personality and bountiful cheerfulness.

I fee like I need to expand this little biography more, but I really can’t think of what else to say. I am a Community Assistant for the Department of ResLife and I work at the Queen Anne’s front desk. I’m a human resources assistant for DOTS. I also spent my summer working for Merriweather Post Pavilion, where I have been working the past four years. I love all of my jobs; the people make the job and I adore all of my coworkers.

I like to go to the gym. A lot. And as a girl, you’d think I was intimidated by the big burly men lifting 400 lb. weights as I try to bench the 45 lb. bar,  but I could care less. The guys are too concerned about looking macho to judge my laughable routine. So I just keep on keepin’ on.

All right. I’m out of material. But by now I should have been able to paint some kind of picture of myself (which is necessary since my avatar does not actually look a thing like me. I mean, c’mon. I’m not a bow).