Typically, this principle is embodied by texts that have a dense mythology, allowing the narrative to gradually release bits of information from one episode (or transmedia extension) to the next .  Likewise, part of the pleasure of consuming serial narratives comes from participating in the knowledge communities that form around them. 

 

Henry Jenkins wonders what a "classroom cliffhanger" or a "semester story arc" might look like.  It is likely that most scholars design their courses to be serial in form, even if we don't actively discuss them in these narrative terms.  Ideally, syllabi present weekly critical "chapters," building on the content of previous weeks, and encouraging our students to construct this content into a meaningful whole by the end of the term.

Many scholars take a serial approach to scholarship, whether it be breaking a monograph into chapters, or writing a blog post that is further developed in a conference paper and ultimately becomes a journal article.  In either of these cases, ideas build on previous ideas and evidence is gradually released in order to arrive at a satisfying climax/conclusion.  Within transmedia scholarship, this process might look similar, albeit with an eye towards releasing each of these serial "installments" on different media platforms in a strategic manner that acknowledges (rather than elides) the ways in which the idea or argument was developed over time.  Moreover, each of these serial releases should afford an opportunity for readers to provide feedback and inform the "writing" process, regardless of the form that writing takes. 

Jason Mittell's "book in progress" in Media Commons Press