Author David Nygren released an experimental spreadsheet short story, “Under the Table”–stuffing the plot, dialogue, and characters’ thoughts into the cold, hard lines of an Excel page.
The one-scene story follows a disastrous dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, and the boozy interaction between couples creates a curious tension with the spreadsheet columns. Download the story here, and add your thoughts. Nygren encourages readers to join his experiment.
Here’s more from the post: “The first worksheet of the Excel file has the ‘raw data,’ the story itself (8 columns x 30 rows). The easiest way to read it is to click on the first cell and then use the arrow keys to move to the next cell you want to read … I encourage everyone to read the story in its electronic format. I’ve turned on ‘Track Changes,’ thereby cordially inviting you to collaborate with me on this short story spreadsheet.”