I just played/read/interacted with the interactive fiction piece "Violet" by Jeremy Freese. The protagonist is a PhD student who needs to write a thousand words for his thesis on his birthday otherwise his fiance will leave him. Oh, how I can relate to the procastrination for writing, to what desperate means can be necessary for concentration. How there can be no distractions, and how he threaten himself in order to get the job done. And its funny too!
As a reader you get put in the main characters shoes by needing to type in what he does (like "put gum in ears" or "pee in flowerpot") while interacting with his fictional version of his girlfriend. The roles of the main character, the story teller and the reader works magnificently in this piece of interactive fiction.
Another thing that worked exceptionally well was the chunking of the text blocks, and how the information was revealed: just right in order to be dramatic, and to pace the progress. I found it difficult sometimes to know what to type - it had to be exactly what the system expected, not any alternative formulations. Since it is impossible for the reader know exactly what to type it is necessary to type "hint". Then, the system tells you what to type.
URL for Violet:
http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=4glrrfh7wrp9zz7b
