I want to read novels like they're visual novels! Without making them visual or anything.

May 26, 2012 10:51 AM

The Internet having destroyed my abilities of concentration, I'm looking for anything, preferably a web app, that can help me read large texts, like novels on a sentence-by-sentence basis.

I am not looking for page-by-page, paragraph-by-paragraph or the one-page-a-day-email services.

The inspiration for this idea comes from visual novels, which I've been exploring lately. I really dig the idea of sentences being revealed one by one, and I was wondering if there's an app that does that for any text you give it. The 'scrolling reveal' effect would be preferred, but not necessary.

If you don't know visual novels, think old-timey games, especially old Japanese role-playing games, where you had sentences shown slowly, one at a time.

If you still can't seem to grasp what I mean, watch a video of a visual novel in action.

posted by Senza Volto to computers & internet (6 answers total)

Watchbook is an iPhone app that does something like what you are asking for, I think.
posted by ManInSuit at 11:59 AM on May 26, 2012

Hmm, for clarification, I have neither iOS nor Android, so web or Windows apps only. Do throw in any mobile suggestions you have though, I can probably use them as starting points to search for alternatives. :)

Watchbook looks really cool, by the way, I wish I had an iPhone!
posted by Senza Volto at 12:08 PM on May 26, 2012

The Ace Reader speed reading software has this function (it’s called the expert mode).
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 1:55 PM on May 26, 2012

Zapreader may be useful to you.
posted by milestogo at 3:27 PM on May 26, 2012

You might like the reading machine emulator at readies.org. It's worth reading the history and context too; they're fascinating.
posted by dizziest at 5:04 PM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Have you considered getting a pen and some nice ruled paper and copying stories out long hand? The method wouldn't be so practicable for longer works, of course, but it would improve your reading focus without making you even more dependent on computers.
posted by Iridic at 9:41 AM on May 27, 2012