Into the Driver's Seat

This lengthy article is about storytelling, from a renowned multi-media storyteller. Many say that story is the essential motivator in nearly all human endeavor, and certainly it is most powerful in education. When students ask, "Why do we have to study this?" we must have compelling, storified narratives to tell, otherwise we lose them. -JL

 

To be most effective as storytellers, especially in the digital age, we have to remember to maintain a single powerful message, a message born of the Grand Narrative, but infused even a bit with your personal sensibilities, that is then projected out to people. You’ve got to keep it basic, because the method of story telling has grown more complex. You need to hit people right between the eyes with something alluring and provocative if you’re going to invite them to move across these screens, across these platforms, to enjoy the narrative. They have to want to come with you..

 

They understood that I was listening to them and that I was integrating, what I heard, and seeding the narrative with their interests. In essence I was writing them into the mythology.

 

This is what is possible now on a colossal scale, on a global level. What I created was the Land of Corondor, a fantasy world, and I would tour these friends of mine, then later my college classmates, through this world. I made it feel real and relevant and I allowed them to explore every nook and cranny of it. There would be a dozen or more people sitting around the table playing roles like fighters and wizards and elves and participating in this narrative.

It became a kind of communal narrative that was actually shared by multiple groups because it had become so popular. That made me a tiny bit popular, at least among the nerd elite at college. I ran games every other day so there would be two or more entirely separate groups of players who were exploring different parts of this fantasy world. There would be dozens of separate plot threads, and then there would be that big epic story line (usually right before finals) where all of the groups met one another and clashed, and then had to band together against a common enemy…and it was amazing! Climactic battles, old rivalries settled, romances meeting tragic ends – it was really cool.

Via The Digital Rocking Chair