Creative Writing adaptation.

1. FOCUS ON STORY TELLING
Adapted from
http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/storymaking.
cfm

2. FOCUSING ON STORYTELLING
The Digital Age is the Storytelling Age... we all get to tell our stories in our
own way on the great stage of the Internet...
Bottom Line: Telling weak stories with technology is like giving a bad guitar
player a bigger amplifier.
Agree or Disagree?
LOUD BAD GUITAR
Similarly, if you have no understanding of how media persuasion works you
do not have the skills necessary to understand the digital world you inhabit.
Therefore, the most important thing teachers can do for students is teach
them how to tell an effective story.

3. THE STORY UNDERSTANDING
PROCESS - BEGIN WITH THE STORY
CORE
No matter what kind of approach to storytelling I am
using, I always being by focusing on the story, not the
technology.
The story core: from problem, thru change, to resolution.
THE STORY CORE - Basic Configuration
To do this I usually tell stories and show stories created
by other students (on DVD), then "find the story core" in
each of the stories. You see the story core depicted
below, as a problem and solution precariously perched on
top of a tipping point, signifying that stories have tension
that give them forward motion as they move from
problem through transformation to solution. This is
explained below, as well as covered in some detail in my
book, Digital Storytelling in the Classroom.
The story core represents only one approach to story and
new media. But suffice it to say for now that the world of
Western storytelling relies heavily on stories with "story
cores," making it recognizable to students. I start with the
core, and see where each project leads me.

4. STORY CORE'S 1ST ELEMENT
The central challenge that creates the story’s tension and forward
momentum. This can be a question, a problem, an obstacle, an
opportunity or a goal that needs to be addressed by the main character in
the story.The challenge creates tension that gives the story its forward
momentum, which in turn produces listener involvement. FYI: the main
character can be anything from a rock, to a group of animals, to a student,
to, in some cases, the audience itself.

5. STORY CORE'S 2ND ELEMENT
Character transformation that facilitates
the response to the challenge.
Transformation is difficult and is often
resisted, a portrayed in the picture below.
Transformation is the essential change that a
character needs to undergo to address the
challenge, obstacle or opportunity.
Sometimes the transformation occurs at the
end, and, rarely, at the beginning. But it is
usually most powerful when it occurs in the
middle and facilitates the response to the
challenge. Typically, change is a struggle.
Either “life” or the “old you” pushes back as
new circumstances or a “new you” struggles
to emerge. If change comes too easily in a
story, the audience disengages.

6. STORY CORE'S 3RD ELEMENT
The response to the challenge that
resolves the tension and leads to story
closure. The character addresses the
challenge made possible by the
transformation. This can mean solving a
mystery, slaying a dragon, reaching a goal,
applying new academic knowledge or
learning processes, overcoming an
To me, the story core is about emergence,
obstacle… anything that addresses the as portrayed in this image. Here you see
challenge, resolves the tension and leads to an "old me" and "new me" battling with
each other. The old me struggles not to
closure. Closure by no means implies a change, to maintain the status quo and
happy ending, just a resolution of events. thus deny the call to adventure and to
transformation. The new me knows that
his survival ultimately depends on his
transformation.

7. STORY MAPPING
Storymapping is basically a process of fleshing out the story core with story details. To
demonstrate this I usually tell and map stories with students as a group exercise.
Students then begin their storytelling projects by creating a story map that sketches out
their stories. This is explained below.
There are many approaches to story mapping (see my book, Digital Storytelling in the
Classroom). However, my favorite is Brett Dillingham's Visual Portrait of the Story
(VPS), presented here. I recommend you look at Brett's site for great storytelling
materials. The basic VPS as I have adapted it appears below:

8. The map shows the five essential story elements. Note that the story core is at the heart of
the map:
1. Beginning. This is Campbell's "call to adventure." Somehow, normal life is suspended
and an adventure begins.
2. Problem. Life pushes against the main character in the story by presenting him or her
with a problem to solve, an obstacle to overcome, or a mission to accomplish. The
problem creates the tension that must be resolved. It sets the mood, and makes
story listeners want to know what is going to happen next.
3. Changes. The main character transforms in some significant way, such as learning
something important, becoming more skilled, mature or courageous, or developing
personal insight and understanding. In great stories the character's transformation is so
great that we, the listening audience, feel transformed as well. However, this is the simple
explanation. I devote an entire chapter in my book to transformation because it can be a
complex topic. For example, with documentaries sometimes the primary transformation
is in audience members, as we learn about a situation that has an effect on us. With
academic new media stories, transformation occurs by students showing what they have
learned. See the chapter for much more on this topic.
4. Solution. Often due to the transformation, the character can now solve the problem,
overcome the obstacle or accomplish the mission. Sometimes the change and solution
don't come until the end of the story.
5. End. The end brings the story to "closure." Note that closure does not necessarily mean
"a happy ending." It simply means that the problem in the story has been resolved.

9. ANOTHER WAY OF SEEING
THE ARC

10. THE STORY ARC MAP
The story arc. Another story map that students respond to is "the story arc."
This comes right out of Hollywood.
As legend has it, should you manage to trap an executive producer in an
elevator long enough to pitch her your story, she will want to know "your
story arc." That is, she will want to know the basic flow of action and the kind
of transformation on the part of the hero that the audience will witness. This
sounds a bit simplistic, so think in terms of the story map above: who changes
in your story, how do they change, and how does the audience relate to it? If I
give students a choice between the VPS and the story arc, they will choose
them 50/50.
Note that the story arc contains all the components of the story core; you are
just using a different kind of map shape to express them:

11. THE MAP ARCED
The story mapping process: The story mapping process is fairly straightforward.
Students draw this basic VPS story map (without the wording) on a piece of a regular
paper, usually turned sideways to better accommodate the VPS. Then they annotate the
VPS with words, phrases or sentences that describe the basic elements of their story.

12. Here are a few important points about using
story maps:
Maps are not formulas. In the words of Robert
McKee (author of Story, the well known bible
for movie story development) when it comes to
creating good stories, "...there are no formulas
but there are guidelines." A story map is just a
guideline.
Characters that grow and change engage
listeners. The heart of so many good stories is
the transformation that the main character
undergoes. A story that features a character who
learns something or grows in some way to solve
a problem or overcomes an obstacle is a time
honored way to create a memorable story that
engages story listeners.