More frequently than in the writings on any other text, the ideas of creativity and fun emerged while reading Patchwork Girl, though not in a chorus of instant acclamation. X noted, "Instead of hypertext 'killing the author', perhaps it inspires the reader to use some of their creativity." O said "I saw there was the ability to do what I wanted with the story. " R saw the "reader's own creativity interact with the book." And others: "I think it's a great way to keep people interested"; "I got to be creative."; "With your imagination, you put it together how you like."

In Of Two Minds, Hypertext Pedagogy and Poetics, Michael Joyce highlights the work of Artificial Intelligence researcher, Natalie Dehn. Her model of creativity includes:-

1) Sensitivity to unforeseen opportunities, when one has the good fortune for them to arise
2) Willingness to be distracted from what one was doing, if something better comes up
3) A process of successive reformulation, dramatically increasing the probability that useful opportunities will arise
4) A sense of direction that serves both (a) to keep the author usefully occupied in progressing towards her goals, and (b) to provide a new environment in which fortuitous opportunities are likely to arise. (167)

Patchwork Girl seemed to offer students of all abilities these preconditions to creativity. The text's absence of pre-determined connections forced students to invent bridging hypotheses, test them against the fresh evidence that appeared with each new text block read, constantly revise hypotheses (this I who is speaking is the leg…no, it's the foot…no, it's the maker of the monster) and establish structural and thematic connections between literally dispersed texts.