Storytelling

COM597 – 13 Apr 2004Kathy E. Gill

Structure, process, readers

Small group work Discuss selected articles Develop five tips for the budding

digital media writer

Some types of writing

Creative writing – designed to evoke emotionNonfiction – discusses real world eventsProse – any literary work in sentences and paragraphsPoetry – any literary work in lines and stanzas

Some types of writing

Script – any literary work written in dialog and scenes; may be written for radio, TV, film, theatre, AV, Flash, etc.Essay (article) – short work of prose focusing on a specific topicShort story – brief work of fiction, usually less than 10K words

Story structure

BeginningMiddleEnd

Global structure

May differ by type of writing Challenge of hypertext (breaking linearity)Cues (title, abstract, heading, contents, etc)

Visual organization

Spatial organizationTypographic conventionsCoordinated use of color

Words for structure

ParagraphsSentencesSub-headingsTitlesRemember: on screen, content should be more “bite-sized”

Words for transition

Time: at length, finally, immediately first/second/etc. …Addition: again, and, furthermore, next, too, finally, first/second/etc. …Comparison: after all, conversely, nevertheless, however, contrast, on the other hand …Summary: in conclusion, on the whole, thus, as I have said, in brief …

Developing structure

Outline (Word)Flow chart (Visio, SmartDraw…)

http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/centers/flowcharts/tutorial1.htm

StoryboardConcept mapping

http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts/concept.html

Creation process

Is there “one” way to create a story?No – each person’s creation process is unique

Stages of writing

1. Pre-writing 2. Drafting 3. Revising

1. Pre-writing

Thinking about subject/purpose and begin organizing thoughtsResearch, interviews, storyboards … are all pre-writing

Jumpstarting thinking

Journal, notebookTape recorderMind mappingJust start writing

Exercise (1/3)

Look at the phrase on the next slide… you will then have three minutes to jot down the things, people, animals, ideas, experiences and sensations that come to mindReady?

Exercise (2/3)

Things That Are Very Important To Me

(hint: sex, food, sleep ….)

Exercise (3/3)

Things That Fascinate MeThings That Infuriate MeThings That Bring Me JoyThings That Drive Me CrazyThings I LoveThings I …..

Recognize that …

Nothing will teach you more about writing than the act of writingWrite what you would like to read

2. Drafting

Finalize thesisFlesh out the pointsDevelop introduction and conclusionLet others review

Jumpstarting drafting

If the right word/phrase/illustration doesn’t come to mind … skip and and keep goingWrite more words than you need; edit laterRecognize you don’t have to write in order the piece will be read

3. Revising

Review (edit) for completeness, grammarEliminate wordiness, vague sentences, passive voiceSharpen details/purpose/structureProofread

Jumpstarting revising

Set work aside before editingEdit in stages (content first, then proofread)This is not a linear process

Understanding readers

James Souther asked Westinghouse decision-makers what they expected of the reports engineers submitted to them. Of interest to us: how frequently they read summary, introduction, body, conclusion, and appendices.

From: Professional Writing Online

Understanding readers

Understanding readers

Summaries, 100% Introductions, 60%Conclusions, 50%Bodies, 15%Appendices, 10%But ….

Understanding readers

They had advisers read the reports and make recommendationsOut of this came the “two minute read” … multiple audiences … multiple paths

Technical reading process

Putting ourselves in their eyes

Why I would read this report/story/editorial?How might my values be challenged?What I would find difficult, and what aids are available to help me?What I would want to find out over the course of the reading?How might I use the findings (positively or negatively)?

Understanding the web reader

More on that later … but the key factoid is that readers online “skim” even more than they do offline

What is noise?

JargonInappropriate examplesMisspellingPoor grammar

Grammar tips

Use active voiceAvoid mixed metaphors (metaphor compares one person/thing/event to another)Avoid misplaced modifiersDon’t waste wordsUse parallel structure

Use active voice

Writing so that people, organizations, animals and groups do things and act on their environments Pass me the salt … versus … The salt

was passed. All speakers shook their heads …

versus … Heads were shaking around the table.

Avoid mixed metaphors

Two metaphors used confusingly or inappropriately together Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Home is where you hang your hat.

Avoid misplaced modifiers

A modifier is an adjective or adverb – words that add something to other words Chasing a ball into the street, the

delivery truck almost killed my dog. John was convinced on Friday that he

would be picked for Survivor. How to fix?

Don’t waste words

Professor: I believe the lagoon is ripe with savory crustaceans.

Gilligan: Yeah, and it has a lot of good shellfish, too.

Parallel structure

My sister is a poet, a dancer, and she plays the violin.My sister writes poetry, dances, and plays the violin.How else might this be fixed?