One of the greatest modern technological developments was that of the novel. The novel introduced complex plots, round characters, and sustained suspense where there were none before. The new form of the novel, required writers of the time, most who were by nature poets, to develop new kinds of literary skills and techniques. The novel also demanded that readers adjust to a whole new kind of storytelling.

The novel was not received very warmly. Pamela, thought to be the first true novel written, was parodied almost immediately, by Shamela written by Henry Fielding. Pamela was an epistolary novel designed to show young women how to properly conduct themselves. Coleridge and Wordsworth, only to mention two of the many Romantics who witnessed the advent of the novel felt that it was an inferior form of writing and not to be considered art like poetry could be. Found mostly in the form of the gothic novel during the 18th century, the novel was a written form that was considered loose and unruly. It was thought to be a form of writing used for the entertainment of the uneducated, uncultured, or the uncouth. It was also commonly thought to be a genre written primarily for women, a perception which at the time devalued the novel.

But despite the initial opinion of poets and other novel nay-sayers, the novel has risen to be one of the most popular forms of the written word. The genres of mystery, romance, adventure, suspense, comedy, tragedy, horror, science fiction, children's, and fantasy, as well as many other genres can be found to have been translated into novel form. It is a pervasive force in our society. Our children are taught the form of the novel in school. They are required to read great classical novels. Graduate students studying English and American literature primarily focus their studies on the novel. And novel publications keep growing. The novel is alive and well. It has been embraced and it has changed the way we see and interpret our world forever.

In 2040, a new technology was developed that would help writers to compose their creative works. A room was developed based on holographic technological principles. A writer could enter what has now come to be called "The Composition Room" and experience her novel in the making. A writer could develop character descriptions and have the voice interactive computer, interfaced with the room, display the character described. The author could then modify their description until the character fit their ideal vision of that person. The author could for instance decide to change a character's build, height, posture, or hair color.

An author could also play out scenes from their novel in order to review their effectiveness and their flow. A writer could simply read their material into the computer and instruct it on what to display or they could scan their written material into the computer. Eventually authors were allowed to enter their entire written works into the computer and replay them in the composition room playing them back to themselves over and over again modifying and editing them. Authors, once finished with their works, could choose to publish their works in print, on CD, or in holographic format so that "readers" could experience the novel as an unobserved participant. Eventually, it is assumed that these programs will be modified in order that "readers" would be able to assume character roles in the holographic novel.