In my previous posts in this series, I covered my interest in using storytelling and more specifically digital storytelling for learning, briefly explored what storytelling actually is and presented my list of guidelines for what a great story must have.
In this post, I’m going to further explore the power of digital storytelling for learning and attempt to simplify the process of writing a story that will be powerful in this context.
Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.
An old Native American proverb
Tell me the truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.
As I continue to look more deeply into storytelling, I’m starting to realise how involved this process can actually be. In this Introduction to Storytelling, Pixar, arguably one of the greatest storytellers of our generation, tells the truth about how long it can take to get a story right.
building a story
Stories should have a structure, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
The Beginning: where we start
The Middle: where we travel through
The End: where we stop
If we expand on the outline structure of the Story Spine to include the core elements of a story, it looks something like this.
This is much easier to understand if it’s put in context with examples as in this Essence of Structure video.
In my next post in this series I’m going to combine this expanded outline with my guidelines on what a great story must have and continue to attempt to simplify the process of writing a story that will be potentially powerful in the context of digital storytelling for learning.
