WFOM 06 - Narratives etc

Writing for Online Media

Professor Nicholas Leshi

Midterm Assignment(Written Reviews of Classmates’ Blogs)

Short Written Reviews of Classmates’ Blogs

Length – About One Paragraph for Each Blog

What’s great about each one?What can be improved?

What works, what doesn’t?Be specific, provide examples.

Be concise and interesting.

Due on February 25Please bring a hardcopy to class

andEmail an electronic copy to [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Opinions

“Opinions are like @$$holes. Everyone has one, and everyone thinks everyone else’s stinks.”

Opinions

“To escape criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”

Opinions

“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”

How to Tell the Difference Between Constructive Criticism and Trash Talk

Consider the source.


What is the critic’s intention? Is he or she trying to build you up or tear you down?


Look at the criticism objectively.

How to Accept Constructive Criticism

Listen respectfully.


Be sure you understand.


Acknowledge the critic’s point of view.


Don’t become defensive.


Avoid escalating tensions.


Follow up with positive action.


Take the initiative.

How to Deliver Constructive Criticism

Be honest.


Give specific examples to support your opinions.


Share the positive along with the negative.


Offer specific suggestions for improvement.


Present your opinions in a strong manner. Be confident, consistent, and non-hypocritical.


Let your personality shine through, while staying professional.

Guest Post Assignment

Options Include:

Write a blog entry for a classmate’s blog on a topic that you pitch to them and they approve

Write a blog entry for a classmate’s blogon a topic that they assign to you after you express interest

Write a blog entry for another blog or Web site outside of class (same criteria as above)

Approach Prof. Leshi for a guest blog entry assignment if you cannot secure one on your own

Guest Post Assignment

Email your assignment to [email protected]

BEFORE APRIL 1

Include a link to your online Guest Post on our Class Wiki

as soon as it is available

mailto:[email protected]

Editing Tips

Editing Tips

Read out loud

Editing Tips

Cut, don’t add (especially unnecessary adjectives and adverbs)

Editing Tips

Add only if needed to answer “who, what, where, when, how”

Editing Tips

Avoid passive sentences(use strong active verbs)

Editing Tips

Remember those common mistakes

Editing Tips

Spellcheck is your friend(but don’t be a slave to it)

Editing Tips

Read out loud

Cut, don’t add (especially unnecessary adjectives and adverbs)

Add only if needed to answer “who, what, where, when, how”

Avoid passive sentences(use strong active verbs)

Remember those common mistakes

Spellcheck is your friend(but don’t be a slave to it)

Definition of Narrative

Narrative is a story or account of events and experiences, whether true or fictitious. It is the process or technique of narrating.

Narrative Structure in Various Media

Different media develop different narrative structures.

Intentional and Unintentional Narrative Structure in Online Media

Some blog themes, such as personal diaries, lend themselves very well to serial narrative structures.

Even blogs without a specific narrative goal might be viewed as having some narrative structure when viewed as a whole.

“The most obvious difference between narrative in a blog and in (other media) is that the stories in blogs are told in brief episodes.

Each post in a blog has a beginning and an end, and can in principle be read on its own.

Read together, the posts create a larger story.”

– Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

“Blogging is an episodic style of writing that leads to particular kinds of narrative structure.

Both diaries and earlier hypertext fiction are antecedents of this narrative structure.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

Diary Narratives

Famous diary narratives in history include authentic diaries by Anne Frank and Helen Keller, and fictional diaries such as Flowers for Algernon, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Nonlinear Narratives

In print, writers, editors, and publishers have experimented with nonlinear “gamebooks,” usually targeted at the children’s market, with each story written from a second-person point of view as the reader assumes the role of the protagonist and makes choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. One of the most popular was the Choose Your Own Adventure book series from the 1980s and 1990s, selling over 250 million copies.

Hypertext Narratives

Hypertext fiction is a literary form that began to develop in the late 1980s. Like a blog, it consists of many small pieces of narrative, called nodes or lexias, which are connected by links, enabling nonlinear story-telling to a much greater extent than the print equivalent, such as the Choose Your Own Adventure book series.

Some examples include Afternoon: A Story by Michael Joyce, Patchwork Girl by Shelley Jackson, and The Unknown by William Gillespie, Scott Rettberg, and Dirk Stratton.

Differences Between Blogs and Other Narratives

Unlike traditional diaries or early hypertext fiction, which were available as downloadable software or on CD-ROMs, blog readers cannot know when or even if a blog narrative will end. Even when a blog does end, questions are not necessarily resolved for the reader.

Narratives on the Internet

Episodic narratives are particularly well suited to our style of reading on the Internet. Users don’t read on the Web as they do in print materials. Instead, they scan and skim. But readers are spending more and more time with text on screens than any time in human history. We spend hours reading and moving between fragments.

Fragmented Narratives

The most obvious difference between narrative in a blog and in a novel is that the stories in blogs are told in brief episodes. Each post in a blog has a beginning and an end, and can in principle be read on its own. Read together, the posts create a larger story.

Serial Narratives

Each blog post is far briefer than most episodes of serial fiction in other media, and there is not always a clear sense of continuity between posts as there is in more traditional serials.

Real-Time Narratives

Blog narratives tend to progress in “real time,” paralleling the reader experience of hours, days, weeks, months, and years.

Goal-Oriented Narratives

Some blogs do have a very clear dramatic narrative arc, as when a writer starts a blog with a defined project in mind. There is a goal that is clearly expressed when the blog is started, and the blog will end when, or if, the goal is achieved.

Goal-Oriented Blogs

Blogging as a literary form supports the idea of eventual success. We read with a certainty that there will be an end and that, when we have reached it, we will be able to look back and see the whole.

Each post makes sense in itself, but read together the posts tell a larger story.

Self-Explorative Narratives

Blogs act as mirrors. We create a reflection of ourselves through a Web log.

Self-Explorative Narratives

Blogs act as veils. Blog writers do not tell all, but present only certain carefully selected aspects of themselves to their readers, even often using pseudonyms.

“(Online writers) simultaneously use their blogs as mirrors and as veils – exploring themselves, hiding parts of themselves, and looking through the veil, to communicate with their readers…a flirtatious game of peek-a-boo, showing but not showing all.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

“Most blogging is to some extent self-representational, and as such a form of life-writing or autobiography.

But sometimes blogs that are written as though they are authentic turn out to be fictional.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

Narrative Blogs as Hoaxes

Some fictional narratives and characters have been presented and interpreted as being real, such as the video log (vlog) of Lonelygirl15.

Most of the fiction we encounter in other media is obvious. On the Web, fiction is not always marked as such.

Narrative Hoaxes in Other Media

On October 30, 1938, many Americans believed Orson Welles’ CBS Radio broadcast adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds was reporting an actual alien invasion.


Television has experimented with faux-news narratives, such as NBC’s Special Bulletin in 1983, HBO and CTV’s Countdown to Looking Glass in 1984, and CBS’s Without Warning in 1994.


A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, an alleged non-fiction memoir, was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her popular Book Club, but it was revealed that many of the incidents written in the book were fabricated.

Backlash Against Narrative Hoaxes

When a narrative hoax is revealed or discovered, people feel tricked and sometimes betrayed. The emotional protection of knowing that something is make-believe isn’t there for readers and viewers (and participants) who truly believed that the stories they experienced were real.

Elements of a Good Story


Strong ThemeWhat are you trying to say? What’s the point?

Everything in the story should fit the overall theme.


Engaging PlotHow does the story unfold?

Convey exposition in an interesting manner.How do you reveal the conflict and resolution?

Are you building to a climax?


Fitting StructureAt the beginning, jump right into the action (start late).

At the end, wind up the story quickly (leave early).Choose first, second, or third person for your voice.

Decide on the present, past, or maybe even future tense.String it all together to keep your audience’s attention.


Relatable or Recognizable CharactersIs there a protagonist?Is there an antagonist?

Are all the characters clearly defined?


Well-Defined SettingWhat is the place and time of your story?

Provide sensory descriptions wherever possible.


Appropriate Style and ToneChoose the language that is right for the story.

Use strong words and phrases.Illicit the desired emotional reaction.


Strong Theme

Engaging Plot

Fitting Structure

Relatable or Recognizable Characters

Well-Defined Setting

Appropriate Style and Tone

Best Blogs(according to Time magazine)

Zenhabitshttp://zenhabits.net/

The Internet might be driving down our attention spans and turning us ADD, but Zenhabits is a friendly reminder to disconnect and unwind. Offering everything from productivity tips to ways to beat writer's block, the blog has several years' worth of guides to help you live a more efficient life — as soon as you step away from the computer.


PostSecrethttp://www.postsecret.com/

PostSecret’s premise is old by now — anonymous people send in secrets on postcards that are scanned and posted online. But the endlessly fascinating array of responses makes this blog worth a return visit. PostSecret has even branched out beyond the Web with printed book editions, etc.


Climate Progresshttp://climateprogress.org/

Climate Progress began as a hobby but quickly became a full-time passion for Joe Romm, a physics Ph.D. from MIT who worked for the Rockefeller Foundation during the Cold War, focusing on global security threats, and later at the Department of Energy. After Romm's brother lost a house during Hurricane Katrina, Romm took it upon himself to research whether his brother should rebuild in the New Orleans region. He has been writing about the topic ever since. Viewing climate change through the prism of national security, Romm analyzes breaking energy news and the relevant research, but most important, he challenges the beliefs and conclusions of the mainstream media on climate-change issues.


Cake Wreckshttp://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Think of this blog not just as a collection of baking disasters but accidental art in the kitchen, at once spectacular and bizarre. Cake Wrecks also pays homage to those cakes that are so beautifully elaborate that they earn our admiration and even envy. Finally, the wreck photos often come with hilarious stories. Above all, this blog never lets you forget that failure can be fun.


$#!+ My Kids Ruinedhttp://www.shitmykidsruined.com/

Touting dizzying images of destroyed houses and cars and broken electronics and toys — and the occasional poop disaster — which are submitted by horrified mothers and fathers, the blog offers definitive evidence for just how careless, and costly, kids can be. But look closer at many of the woe-is-me captions and there's a lighter side — a cheery recognition that boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Beyond all the stuff that was destroyed, what is a parent to do but shrug, laugh it off and share the pics with fellow parents who can now nod along in bemused sympathy?


Deadline Hollywoodhttp://www.deadline.com/hollywood/

It's the breadth, depth and immediacy of Deadline Hollywood’s coverage that has made Nikki Finke's blog a must-read for those in search of the latest news on the sets of Hollywood. Covering everything from industry promotions and famous deaths to film development, casting news and box office reports, it has emerged as an expansive 24/7 operation, spanning high-brow acquisition talk and low-brow Oscar gossip. What has set the blog apart is the rigor of its reportage. As the industry trade publications slash staff, Finke's 24-year career in journalism as a Hollywood columnist and media-business reporter for LA Weekly provides the kind of access and insight that up-start bloggers can only dream of. Deadline Hollywood, often first out of the gate with breaking news, is able to gather the sort of analysis and attributable quotes that are woefully lacking from other celebrity-oriented blogs.


Everything Everywherehttp://everything-everywhere.com/

In 2007, Gary Arndt — onetime Internet consultant and online gaming devotee — decided to pull up his roots and set sail around the globe. Determined to travel expansively, he started posting his experiences online. The result is a widely followed blog, Everything Everywhere, that is anchored by his inimitable personality. In the three years since he left the Midwest, he has ventured to over 60 countries, posting photos, stories and recommendations along the way. It has become a full-time endeavor, and he now uses podcasts, Twitter and even Foursquare to share his tales. His blog is part photo album, part travel guide, and part experiential public diary.


The Sartorialisthttp://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

The blog that spawned a thousand fashion-blogger wannabes, Scott Schuman's the Sartorialist is still the best chronicle of street fashion. The premise is simple: well-lit photos of well-dressed people, accompanied by minimal commentary. But it is the looks that Schuman manages to collect from all over the world that makes his blog a winner.


Information is Beautifulhttp://www.informationisbeautiful.net/

These days, most blogs trade in snark and wit, so it's refreshing to find one that blatantly relishes in numbers and analysis. On Information is Beautiful, you'll learn about the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico or find a topographical map of narcotics use in San Francisco or see a carbon-dioxide graphic contrasting the way America drives now vs. a possible electric-car future. Overseen by David McCandless, a writer and designer based in London, the blog's clean design, probing nature, and impressive number crunching keeps readers coming back.


The Daily Kittenhttp://www.dailykitten.com/

Kitten videos have always been popular on the Web. But it wasn't until October 2008 that the full potential of animal videos as workplace distraction was realized. The Daily Kitten has emerged as a daily, dependable onslaught of cuteness. Every day at precisely 10:07 a.m. E.T., a new photo is posted. But even more touching are the stories that accompany the photos and the board discussions that run alongside the daily updates — chat rooms that touch upon everything from animal health to adoptions. The Daily Kitten has grown in scope to be a respite for the animal lover and an indulgence for anyone addicted to cute.


Apartment Therapyhttp://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

An Architectural Digest for the young, trendy studio dweller — or the eco-minded, two-bedroom couple — Apartment Therapy is a how-to guide for restructuring one's life on a smarter, cleaner, hipper scale. Visitors get to see how others have done up their apartments — from decor and green space to child gear, tech hookups and cool furnishings. As the blog's mission statement proclaims, "A calm, healthy, beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world."


Double Xhttp://www.doublex.com/blog/xxfactor

It doesn't take a gender expert to know that the nation's news is still being reported, edited and broadcast mostly by men. But on Slate's blog Double X — an extension of the site's XX Factor blog — the day's news is run through a frank and thoughtful female perspective. Serving as everything from a virtual book club and sex-discussion group to a parenting chat room, Double X's many contributors are acutely aware of any story that marginalizes or stereotypes the lives of women.


Strobisthttp://strobist.blogspot.com/

Everyone has a good digital camera these days. Strobist teaches you how to be a good photographer. The project of a former photojournalist, Strobist explains techniques beyond point and shoot, with an emphasis on lighting on the cheap. Think cinematic-type images on a film-school budget. Even if you're loath to venture beyond taking pictures on your phone, the blog's collection of photographs is fun to flip through.


Roger Ebert’s Journalhttp://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/

Since the mid-2000s, Roger Ebert has been unable to eat or speak, following complications from cancer surgery. Thus Roger Ebert’s Journal — not to mention his Twitter feed — has become a space for the film critic to discuss a mosaic of topics beyond the movie theater. He has also written extensively — and bravely — about his medical problems, detailing how his writing has improved since he lost his voice and how blogging has replaced the role of dinner conversation in his life, offering the sort of communal back-and-forth that he misses. His readers and followers have responded in kind, flooding his posts with appreciative, analytical and argumentative replies.


GeekDadhttp://www.wired.com/geekdad/

There's no better mix of cool stuff and nostalgia-inducing throwbacks online than on GeekDad. Targeted at fathers with a nerd bent, this blog from Wired includes creative, kid-friendly projects and shares how to relive your impoverished youth. The blog's strength is that it doesn't try to be anything it isn't. GeekDad is laser-focused on the father who wasn't the cool kid in high school but is now the envy of every dad on the block.


Freakonomicshttp://freakonomics.com/

Freakonomics, originally part of the New York Times' blog network and now independent, easily stands on its own by dint of insight and wit. The writers, Stephen Dubner and economics professor Steven Levitt, penned the best-selling book Freakonomics, and keep the contrarian ball rolling in their blog. The blog truly tackles "the hidden side of everything.” It's a daily reminder that many popular notions about economics and consumer behavior are just plain wrong.


Gawkerhttp://gawker.com

This is the blog that turned snark into success. Gawker's relentlessly critical, headache-inducing cynicism about practically everything, would seem downright mean if it weren't for its usual juicy targets: the self-important boobs that rule Manhattan media and high society. Or think they do. Founded in 2002 by "journalist" Nick Denton (Denton would enjoy the quotation marks), Gawker is all about bringing pain to power. The formula has proven so adaptable that Denton's Gawker Media now comprises more than a dozen blogs, each with its own area of meanness (Defamer-LA; Wonkette-Washington D.C., Valleywag-Silicon Valley .)


The Big Picturehttp://www.boston.com/bigpicture

Since 2008, the influential Boston Globe photoblog the Big Picture has been running news images from sources like the AP at a width of 990 pixels — by Web standards, practically the equivalent of Imax. Whether the pictures in question depict epic destruction, national celebration, or dogs in the news, you learn things from them that you wouldn't if they were displayed in typical itty-bitty dimensions. The blog is now available in app form for the iPhone and iPad, where the pictures are less expansive but still eye-opening.


OKTrendshttp://blog.okcupid.com

Dating site OkCupid's avowed purpose is to "use math to get you dates." Its blog, OKTrends, uses math to make dating fascinating. Blogger Christian Rudder posts only once a month or so, but each item is a wonder, packed with creative analysis and infographics based on data from questionnaires the site uses to match prospective lovebirds. “Don’t Be Ugly by Accident!” for instance, looked at photos members uploaded of themselves, the cameras they used and the reactions of other users. If you want folks to think you're a hottie, use a Panasonic Micro Four-Thirds camera and shoot in the late afternoon or late at night. And whatever you do, don't use the flash.


Videogumhttp://videogum.com

A spin-off of independent-music site Stereogum, Videogum is devoted to mischievous coverage of the wide world of TV, movies and viral Web videos (a.k.a. "Webjunk"). More than most blogs, it feels like an ongoing collaboration between the bylined writers (Gabe Delahaye and Kelly Conaboy) and the inventive community of readers (known as Monsters), whether they're reviewing Bridesmaids or providing captions for Harrison Ford’s cover photo on AARP: The Magazine. Also featured: Gabe's fan fiction about celebrities, like the moving story of Oprah closing her Blockbuster Video account after 25 years.


The Hairpinhttp://thehairpin.com

The Hairpin is chock-full of beauty how-to videos, advice columns, dating tips and fashion picks. But don't compare it to Cosmo. Its mission statement calls it a "general-interest blog" that covers every topic; it's a women's site only in that it's run by women and has mainly female readers. Though many topics are decidedly girly, the Hairpin's writers and commenters offer enough intelligence, humor and down-to-earth charm to set the blog apart from the magazines it sometimes spoofs. Reading it is like hanging out with a few close female friends — the kind who would shudder at a Sex and the City comparison, then grudgingly accept that the show was pretty great in its day.


By Ken Levinehttp://kenlevine.blogspot.com

Ken Levine has had an interesting career as a comedy writer, with M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Everybody Loves Raymond among his credits. He's also had a simultaneous interesting career as a baseball announcer, doing play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. He draws on both of these backgrounds — especially the first one — at By Ken Levine. The site's primary topic is the serious business of being funny, and Levine's posts are serious, funny, sarcastic and contemplative — sometimes all at once. Even an overcovered topic like the Two and a Half Men meltdown benefits from his perspective.


Economixhttp://economix.blogs.nytimes.com

You don't have to think of yourself as being all that interested in economics to like the New York Times‘ Economix. The subject matter indeed includes the stuff you'd assume an economics blog would cover — tax policy, the minimum wage, Pell grants — and the contributors include professional number crunchers as well as Times journalists. But the blog does a great job of explaining, in its tagline's words, "the science of everyday life," like why the majority of people who earn four-year degrees now take at least five years to do so. Economics, it turns out, is all around us.


MLB Trade Rumorshttp://mlbtraderumors.com

In 2008, search-engine marketer and Chicago Cubs diehard Tim Dierkes quit his day job to focus on his blog, MLB Trade Rumors. Dierkes and nine other writers now contribute, sharing scuttlebutt about trades and free-agent signings for all 30 Major League Baseball teams. It's a rich source of relevant information on its chosen subject, and it's admirably fat-free: almost everything is in the form of quick-hit bullet-pointed items. With tools like the Transaction Tracker, which lets you search for deals by player, team and contract value, this site can make anyone feel like a major-league insider.


Get Rich Slowlyhttp://getrichslowly.org

The Web is rife with financial sites that appear to be written by and for people with tiny dollar signs for eyeballs. J.D. Roth's Get Rich Slowly, on the other hand, lives up to both its name and its mascot (a turtle). It's about goals that can take decades to achieve — making a down payment on a home, saving for college, ensuring a comfortable retirement. Everything's guided by the Get Rich Slowly philosophy, which includes such eminently sensible tenets as "Money is more about mind than it is about math." And though Roth says he's just a regular guy, not a financial pro, his advice is full of real-world wisdom. In addition to running this award-winning blog, Roth is also a contributor to TIME’s newly launched personal-finance vertical, Moneyland.

Worst Blogs(according to Time magazine)

The TSA Bloghttp://blog.tsa.gov/

If you have misgivings about the Department of Homeland Security's approach to airport security, visiting The TSA Blog (for the Transportation Security Administration) won't leave you feeling better. Spokesman "Blogger Bob" spends much of his time debunking myths that didn’t need debunking and expressing a peculiar sense of humor. He also manages to ignore most of the questions raised by commenters — an unruly mob whose collective blood pressure seems to rise each time Bob blogs.

http://blog.tsa.gov/


Kirstie Alley’s Bloghttp://www.kirstiealley.com/blog/

Kirstie Alley's official site features a section called Kirstie Alley’s Blog, a title that would seem to suggest that it's a blog by Kirstie Alley. Instead, it features anonymous, monotonous posts that flack for her recent activities: appearing on Dancing with the Stars (she finished in second place) and endorsing the Organic Liaison weight-loss plan. If you want pure, unadulterated Kirstie, you need to visit her over at Twitter.

http://www.kirstiealley.com/blog/


Domino’s Pizza Bloghttp://more.dominos.com/wp/

The official blog of the pizza kingpin Domino’s, called Oh Yes We Did, delivers a combo of defensive video about the quality of is ingredients, uncensored tweets from consumers ("small fatty burned wings") and snipes at archenemy Papa John’s. It may be authentic, but it's also unappetizing. You keep telling us you're trying harder with your food, Domino's — now it's time to try harder with your blog.

http://more.dominos.com/wp/


Dr. Orly Taitz Esquirehttp://www.orlytaitzesq.com/

Lawyer, dentist and ardent conspiracy theorist Orly Taitz is also a prolific blogger. She bills her site as the "world's leading Obama eligibility challenge website," TALKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS, dumps scans of documents into her posts without explanation and seeks donations via PayPal. And it may not stun you to learn that she's absolutely positive that the President's recently released birth certificate is a crude forgery.

Other Popular BlogsAppleInsiderBoingBoingCinematical

CNN Political TickerCounty Fair: Media Matters for America

The Daily BeastThe Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan

Daily KosHot Air

The Huffington PostMashableMediaite

The Official Google BlogPolitics Daily

PopeaterReadWriteWeb

Search Engine LandTechCrunch

Think ProgressTMZ.com’s Celebrity Gossip

Assignments Due Next Class

Post at least one new entry in your blog.

Read your classmates’ blogs and comment where/when appropriate.

Read Chapter 6 of the required text, Blogging by Jill Walker Rettberg.

MIDTERM PAPER DUE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnjZzDeepE8&list=FL_DAG-yK7JThyUZ2LqqQ52g&index=9

ABC’s Nightline report on the LonelyGirl15 Video Blog Hoax

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnjZzDeepE8&list=FL_DAG-yK7JThyUZ2LqqQ52g&index=9

WFOM 06 - Narratives etc

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