Cell Phones Serve a New Purpose for Writers

A new trend is emerging in Japan as writers are finding a new use for their cell phones. Keitai shosetsu, or cell novels, are written entirely on handset and posted online. The novels are written in an autobiographical style and are generally published under pen names.

What makes this style of writing increasingly popular is that writers are able to discretely write their personal accounts from anywhere via their cell phones and publish their writing anonymously. Readers enjoy these novels because they are able to connect with the writers at a personal level and learn things about them that the writer might otherwise be uncomfortable sharing. Sites such as Maho no i-rando (Magic Island) boast billions of readers, and some of the more popular novels have been published as paperback novels.

The emergence of this style of writing is just another example of the shift in the use of technology as a tool to create community and personal connections (such as Facebook and Twitter). Even though these writers are not exchanging dialogue with their users, they are able to share personal information that connects them with their readers.

Here is CNN's article