The New Digital Storytelling project is to set up support for writers: we can set up a website for you to develop your story, show you how to establish a namethrough the use of social networking websites, reach your readers through blogs and twitter, broaden your following through videos, animations and podcasts. However, you want to make money and while Web 2.0 storytelling can bring you digital readers there is a limit to the amount of money to be made through advertisting, so even as a new digital author you will have to write for the traditional media. So you will need to write, write, write. There are many opportunities to be found on the internet, here are a few I have found (but by the time you read this blog these may have past so look for what interests you).
Ten Minute Playwright
Deadline: 31 December 08 - The Panoply Arts Festival in Alabama are looking for ten-minute plays.
The Westminster Prize
Deadline: 12 January 09 - Soho Theatre are looking for short plays from people who work, live, or study in the borough of Westminster.
FeatureLab
Deadline: 16 January 09 - B3 are looking for writers, directors, or writer/director teams, and are particularly interested in people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Page One
Deadline: 29 January 09 - Screen Yorkshire want to help residents of Yorkshire and Humber develop projects for Rollem Productions and Warp X
Red Writers
Deadline: 31 January 09 - Red Ladder are looking for new writing talent. Three writers will be paid to write treatments, one of which will be commissioned for £1,500
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Telling a good story in a blog
Zoe Margolis started a blog over 4 years ago: girl with a one track mind. It is a hugely popular blog and was picked up by Ebury Press to be published as a book. My blog isn't to write about the success of this digital storytelling, my blog is to look at what makes her popular.
Topic: Girl with a one track mind is a kiss and tell tale of the sexual activities of Abby Lee. I have a wonderful book on my shelf called: Diary of a Seducer. It is a story about a man deliberatly arousing the passions of a young society girl written by Soren Kierkegaard (1813 to 1855). My point is the topic is not new to storytelling.
Length: Girl with a one track mind has diary entries which are quite short and easy to read. I have read lots of blogs and no matter how dedicated I am to the blog I have a limit to the length of story I can read onscreen. As long as digital stories are being read on computers and laptops authors will have to work with short concentration spans. Blogs are good for delivering short pieces of information, Twitters are better (for those who can write stories in 3 lines). The difficulty with a blog is there is no real way of bookmarking the story you are reading and digital readers who miss a few blogs when they take their summer holiday may not return to your story.
Style of Writing: Zoe Margolis writes in a humerous and interesting way. There are many styles of writing that work in new digital storytelling, read good books to refine your own style.
Plot: Girl with a one track mind has a simple plot following Abby Lee's life and the characters in her life. A simple plot works better with a blogging format for storytelling as digital readers are likely to miss blogs.
Character Development: The main character Abby Lee develops through the story as do the minor characters. The way these characters develop is key to the story as it allows the digital reader to empathise with the characters. Again, this is a standard storytelling technique - it is not knew to digital storytelling.
Oh, look. The things a new digital author needs to think about are pretty much the same as the things authors have been thinking about since stories began. If you want to write good digital fiction, read good fiction and learn from the masters of story telling.
One last thing: Jakob Nielsen's site: useit.com is aimed at internet professionals working with commercial sites, but is worth a wander through as he has very useful information about what people do on websites: what is the best font, how many clicks visitors will do, what is the best styles of writing, how many words digital readers read, etc.
Monday, 8 December 2008
Accessibility is key to digital storytelling
Penguin books invested in digital storytelling earlier this year, I would like to reflect on one of their stories: 21 steps by Charles Cummings. This is a good digital story primarily because this is a good story. It is a thriller based on the 39 steps told in energetic bursts of writing that keep the reader interested. Now for the bit that interests me: What makes this good DIGITAL storytelling?
Charles Cummings has used a digital device in everyday use to tell the story: Google maps. The story is told through notes attached to Google maps and the journey the protaganist takes in the story is shown on the map.
Why is this good digital writing?
I find this an exciting and interesting use of digital writing as the digital reader is familiar with maps thus giving them a familiarity with the story. Charles Cummings has already hooked the reader when the first screen opens thus allowing all the short concentration span of the digital reader to be given to the storytelling and not to build up.
Accessibility is more than just a technology buzz word
A key to ditigal storytelling is for the digital reader to be reassured that they will be able to access the story and should invest their time in reading the story.
Charles Cummings has used a digital device in everyday use to tell the story: Google maps. The story is told through notes attached to Google maps and the journey the protaganist takes in the story is shown on the map.Why is this good digital writing?
I find this an exciting and interesting use of digital writing as the digital reader is familiar with maps thus giving them a familiarity with the story. Charles Cummings has already hooked the reader when the first screen opens thus allowing all the short concentration span of the digital reader to be given to the storytelling and not to build up.
Accessibility is more than just a technology buzz word
A key to ditigal storytelling is for the digital reader to be reassured that they will be able to access the story and should invest their time in reading the story.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
About Jules Artvan
(about myself)
In 1996 I started an ezine publishing poetry and short stories under the name NAIL's Lunch Break using the name NAIL Ideas & Icons. Now the ezine only exists on a hard drive I have in my cupboard. Since then I have carried my interest in publishing literature online though the jobs that I have held in publishing and education. I have been tracking and watching what is happening online and feel that Web 2.0 is ready for a new genre of storytelling but no-one is being innovative enough to develop the exciting opportunities.
I am now back as an online publisher with the new name: Jules Artvan. This blog is my record of developments of the New Digital Storytelling project and a record of resources and online developments in storytelling for Web 2.0. I will be posting a new blog once a week summing up the weeks developments and interests.
When I am not an online publisher I am an artist and a house dad.
In 1996 I started an ezine publishing poetry and short stories under the name NAIL's Lunch Break using the name NAIL Ideas & Icons. Now the ezine only exists on a hard drive I have in my cupboard. Since then I have carried my interest in publishing literature online though the jobs that I have held in publishing and education. I have been tracking and watching what is happening online and feel that Web 2.0 is ready for a new genre of storytelling but no-one is being innovative enough to develop the exciting opportunities.
I am now back as an online publisher with the new name: Jules Artvan. This blog is my record of developments of the New Digital Storytelling project and a record of resources and online developments in storytelling for Web 2.0. I will be posting a new blog once a week summing up the weeks developments and interests.
When I am not an online publisher I am an artist and a house dad.
Friday, 28 November 2008
Notes on How to Create an Interactive Story Website
Dreaming Methods explore ways in which stories can be told through websites. The key lessons to learn from the stories they have are:
1. The combination of images, sound, effects and words
Their clear objective is to tell stories not to create a game, but they have learned valuable lessons from games. The online reader of their story is hooked through simple visual effects delivered through the Flash interface. The method of moving through the story mimics the way a gamer moves through a game: draging the screen left/right and clicking on something to move in.
2. Reducing the number of words
The digital reader has a shorter attention span than the book reader. Dreaming Methods provide an image for the reader to explore after reading little more than a paragraph. When preparing a story for the internet the number of words are limited and should be carefully chosen.
3. Ensuring the hyperlinking is part of the story
The internet allows the user to interact with the story, Dreaming Methods have used hyperlinks to great effect by ensuring that everytime the reader clicks they are drawn a little further into the story and every hyperlink is an integral part of the story.
I recomment reading the stories on their site to learn about how to make a story interactive.
http://www.dreamingmethods.com/
1. The combination of images, sound, effects and words
Their clear objective is to tell stories not to create a game, but they have learned valuable lessons from games. The online reader of their story is hooked through simple visual effects delivered through the Flash interface. The method of moving through the story mimics the way a gamer moves through a game: draging the screen left/right and clicking on something to move in.
2. Reducing the number of words
The digital reader has a shorter attention span than the book reader. Dreaming Methods provide an image for the reader to explore after reading little more than a paragraph. When preparing a story for the internet the number of words are limited and should be carefully chosen.
3. Ensuring the hyperlinking is part of the story
The internet allows the user to interact with the story, Dreaming Methods have used hyperlinks to great effect by ensuring that everytime the reader clicks they are drawn a little further into the story and every hyperlink is an integral part of the story.
I recomment reading the stories on their site to learn about how to make a story interactive.
http://www.dreamingmethods.com/
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
The Naked Author
The digital author needs to be brave, much braver than the traditional author. New digital authors will develop and produce their stories in the public view of the internet. They will bear their artistic souls. They will need to be as brave as a naked author.
Stripping the Story
When a new digital author is sitting in the cafe, drinking espresso and jotting down initial thoughts for their story idea, the author needs to break the story into small parcels of information. Each of these parcels is a small coherent idea, much like a paragraph. Alexander & Levine define these small pieces of information as microcontent (Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a new Genre). Microcontent differs from a paragraph in 2 main ways. Firstly, microcontent is not restricted to writing: a picture, a short video, an animation, a podcast are all ways of presenting these small parcels of information. Secondly, the author needs to work out how the story will be affected if the microcontent is read out of the ideal order. The majority of information on the internet is found using search engines. The digital reader may happen upon any of the microcontents from the story (possibly from the digital author or from another digital reader's response). The digital reader may now follow the author's directions for reading the story, or may even establish an alternative set of directions for other digital readers to follow.
When a new digital author is sitting in the cafe, drinking espresso and jotting down initial thoughts for their story idea, the author needs to break the story into small parcels of information. Each of these parcels is a small coherent idea, much like a paragraph. Alexander & Levine define these small pieces of information as microcontent (Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a new Genre). Microcontent differs from a paragraph in 2 main ways. Firstly, microcontent is not restricted to writing: a picture, a short video, an animation, a podcast are all ways of presenting these small parcels of information. Secondly, the author needs to work out how the story will be affected if the microcontent is read out of the ideal order. The majority of information on the internet is found using search engines. The digital reader may happen upon any of the microcontents from the story (possibly from the digital author or from another digital reader's response). The digital reader may now follow the author's directions for reading the story, or may even establish an alternative set of directions for other digital readers to follow.
Employ Characters
Digitally, life can be given to any character. The fastest growing area on the internet is the social networking sector. The digital author needs to develop their audience and the best way to do this is through online social networking and through viral marketing. Developing audiences online is a major business which commands high professionalism; however, the amateur digital author has the advantage that people love supporting the underdog. To establish an online audience the digital author needs to take the following steps. Firstly, establish links with a digital publisher to provide the technical support and marketing guidance - New Digital Storytelling is a project that can provide prospective authors with this support. Secondly, work in multi-author teams. Maintaining multiple characters online personas will take considerable time as will producing simple videos, podcasts, etc.
Finally the story
A digital author (author team) following the steps above will find that the story jotted down in the cafe in paragraph 2 will be changed by the ideas and feedbackreceived. This feedback will come in 2 ways: directly from the digital reader (emails, comments on blog posts, etc.) and indirectly from the digital readers (reuse and parody of the author's ideas, writing and microcontent). The digital author (author team) following this process will produce a better story through this process but it is a difficult process to follow. The author (author team) must have enough self belief to survive the critisism and enough self confidence to understand the reason they will succeed and not the unscrupulous people who steal their ideas is the quality of their writing.
A digital author (author team) following the steps above will find that the story jotted down in the cafe in paragraph 2 will be changed by the ideas and feedbackreceived. This feedback will come in 2 ways: directly from the digital reader (emails, comments on blog posts, etc.) and indirectly from the digital readers (reuse and parody of the author's ideas, writing and microcontent). The digital author (author team) following this process will produce a better story through this process but it is a difficult process to follow. The author (author team) must have enough self belief to survive the critisism and enough self confidence to understand the reason they will succeed and not the unscrupulous people who steal their ideas is the quality of their writing.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Call for Authors
The way we look for information has changed. The way we look for entertainment has changed. The way we tell stories is changing. Traditional publishers are reducing their risks, they will only take on authors who already have an audience. But how does an author reach their potential audience online? New authors will need to:
- write a blog,
- utilise social networking site,
- bring your ideas to life in pictures for flickr, etc.,
- record podcasts,
- prepare videos for u-tube, etc.,
- pull all these ideas together in a website.
The way we tell stories will change to include all the forms of media you will need to reach your audience AND it will change to allow for the feedback your audience will give you through blogs, emails and their own responses on the internet.
New Digital Storytelling is a project at the cutting edge of these changes. Our team has the expertise to deliver the technology support needed for blogs, social networking, image, podcasts, videos, animations, and websites. We have understanding of storytelling developed through working for traditional publishers. We have experience of online marketing from the 1990 to now.
Are you an author with an idea? Are you struggling to find a publisher? Be prepared for the future and join our team. Email jules.artvan@googlemail.com with an outline of your idea and a sample of your writing.
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