A Creative Experience versus An Informative Experience

Prior to this project, I have never really told a story on a blog using the digital storytelling method. I was very  nervous going into the project as I am not very good at creative writing, or writing in general. However, what I found out through this experience was very interesting. I was surprised how much fun I had working with the media and creating a story that combined traditional story-telling with modern "twists." It was notable that I enjoyed this as much as I did because prior to this I have usually enjoyed writing simple research papers instead of creative writing.

Writing a research paper is so much more different than writing a creative paper. I say that a research paper is easier to write than a creative one because of the simple fact that it is solely based on finding, comprehending, and putting information into context. A creative writing paper involves several more aspects that, in my opinion make the writing more difficult. You have to be aware of so many more details that can seem overwhelming. Creative writing may have much more freedom, but that is not necessarily a good thing. When there is so much freedom in a story, that makes it harder for a writer to focus on the story at hand. Creative writing also has the feat of keeping a reader interested in a story. This can be a daunting task especially if the topic may not seem very interesting to a majority of readers.

However, there are aspects of writing a research paper that can make them harder as well. Many people argue that because of the fact that research papers are generally longer than creative writing papers, that it takes more time and is harder to complete. I argue differently. I think that although they may be longer, generally there is a large amount of information to fill up the pages, while creative writing relies on your imagination and creativity.

This project helped me conquer my "inability" to effectively complete a creative writing assignment. I enjoyed the aspect of linking outside sources (pictures, videos, maps, etc.) to the corresponding words/sections that gave the reader more perspective on the story. It was very fun using the previous blog posts to form a story that relates to many of the different topics that floated around in the previous topics. What I found most interesting about all the pages as a whole was the fact that they could all be read in any order and still make sense. For example, our page (page six) focuses on what happened in the story before the main character was even born, but no matter where you read it, the reader will understand. In this sense, creative writing is much more fun for any reader because, at least in this case, there is a great deal of mystery that surrounds the story and there are so many loose ends that keeps the reader interested.

Creative writing papers and research papers vary greatly in their styles and content, no matter what. However, they both have positives and negatives about them. I believe that it would be harder to write a creative writing paper over a research paper because you can't rely on facts, instead you have to rely on your creativity, imagination, and attentiveness to detail.  This project, however, was very interesting and helped me grow my creative writing skills for the future.

A One-Eighty Change in Perspective on Digital Media

     Outside of the news stories on the home page of my computer and the occasional blog post I run into when researching a topic, my experience with blogs and other forms of digital media has been very minimal.  Blogs are definitely a new way of writing and thinking about writing for me.  Previously I thought of them as not very credible and almost pointless because they did not give me the information I was looking for, which was usually facts.  Although after being in this class and having an actual formal introduction to blogs, I now see they can play a valuable role in the formation of new ideas by serving as a virtual meeting place for discussions and creativity.

     The only other blog I had encountered in some amount of depth before this class was one called Yappi, specifically the page about high school cross country in Cincinnati.  Basically coaches, parents, and really anybody hold discussions about upcoming races and runners throughout the season.  The few times I visited the page I was quickly drawn into the conversation and immediately found myself siding with the opinions of some people and not others.  I find the digital storytelling project very similar to Yappi in the fact that I am easily pulled into the story and want to know what is going to happen next.  Maybe this is the case with all digital media for me since I have had very limited experience with it, but I really do think that digital media adds a whole new dimension to the reading of a piece since there are so many directions that can be taken with all the hyperlinks and pictures.  Sometimes it can even be hard to know where to begin reading since there is so much going on.

     Not only have I discovered digital media difficult to read, I have also found hard to create.  I am not a very technology savvy person and was not very comfortable at all with Google sites in my first few visits.  Thankfully my partner helped figure out the hyperlinking of specific words among other things because otherwise I would have spent a lot more time trying to figure out how to use all the tools.  Even though I found all the options we could go in creating our story to be a little overwhelming, it was really neat how many different ways there were to put our story together.  With books, there is really only a limited number of ways they can be compiled and written, but digital media seems limitless.  It seems to me that it would be possible to talk about the same story in many different types of digital media since the directions one can be taken are endless. 

     After this project and the many different types of stories we have read in the class, I have developed a great respect for digital media.  Reflecting back, my opinion of them before was uninformed and too narrow.  I mainly viewed the internet as a place to confirm facts, discover new information on websites, or even play games.  Now I see how much more the internet can be used for and other places I can find information besides basic websites.  Also I have learned that digital media is very conducive to creativity and new ideas.  With regard to our digital storytelling project, the directions we could go with the plot line of the story are endless along with the ways we can portray the plot line.  This can be looked at as completely overwhelming or as an opportunity to tap into the creative thoughts we do not usually get to display in the structured form learning and projects take in many classes. 

A Novel Twist to the Conventional Art of Storytelling

What is storytelling? A medium of conveying experiences, thoughts and ideas that has been around since the Stone Age, when rock paintings adorned the walls of caves. Storytelling provides both, the author and the audience, with an escape into the world of “what could be”. What draws their attention is the extent to which storytelling has no restriction. For the author, it serves as a portal into a life he creates for himself, while for the readers it’s the mystery of uncovering new and uncharted territory that fascinates them.

That is what this project experience was for me. As the audience to the first few pages written by my fellow classmates and as the co-author of my group’s own page, I entered the world of storytelling.

I have always been a big fan of creative writing. While the main purpose of our English course is to learn how to read and write analytically, I enjoyed this part of creating a new story and blogging about it much more. Many believe that an analytical research paper and creative writing assignment have very little in common, and they are not wrong in thinking so. Research papers tend to dwell on precision, argument and persuasion, while creative writing allows more free flow of thoughts and ideas. However, what these two do share in common is the method by which the author would compile any one of the two. Both forms of writing require a background: something to build upon. Though what course they take thereafter may vary, but a basic outline of the story/research topic is necessary.

Moving on to more specific matters, what was different about this creative writing task was the addition of digital media to the already exciting art of storytelling. To be honest, even after spending days on end online, I have never posted a story on the web or written a blog post. Thus, initially when I started adding digital effects to the story I was a little uncertain of how to go about it. But of course, the availability of Google made things a lot easier. After seeing a number of options like inserting pictures, videos, URLs, drawings, maps etc. I was more overwhelmed than uncertain. However, once I uploaded the first picture and sound clip, I quickly got the hang of things and finished it off quickly.

A few days ago, our class read an excerpt from Alan Kirby’s book on Digimodernism. An unfamiliar term at the start, digimodernism soon linked itself to this assignment. We are in the era where storytelling is now done through digital media. Gone are the days when modern art was the new talk-of-the-town after years of understanding famous paintings, now digital storytelling is here to make its round. Don’t get me wrong, digimodernism in no way can ‘replace’ modernistic views, just as modern art has never ‘replaced’ the work of painters like Picasso and Van Gogh. These simply co-exist and augment to the rich history of storytelling. 

All-in-all, this assignment was a new learning experience for me in terms of familiarity with digital storytelling and blogging. It has also introduced me to the idea of digimodermisn as a new and upcoming era in art. This assignment has also been a good but short escape from the austere world of research papers. 

Storytelling – The 21st Century Way

In the beginning of the class, when we are told that we would be divided into groups to write a digital story, I was quite confused. I wasn’t sure what a digital story was. Besides the concept, I didn’t even know who would be in my group. After a few weeks, we were assigned our groups and explained how to write a story digitally. It was the first time I would be writing a story for a website or a blog. We were explained the concept and were told what all we could do to make our stories interesting.

Digital Storytelling, as the name suggests, is a form of storytelling that integrates the digital resources into the story, making it look more life-like. It lets you add digital media like pictures, videos, maps, audio, hyperlinks, tables, charts, etc. Due to these additions, the author can describe whatever he wants to describe and exactly how he wants to describe it. If the author ever runs out of words, he has something other than words to complete the story.

A few days before our page on Google sites was due, our group got together to continue the story from where the previous group had left it. Once we all gave our inputs, we knew what direction the story was heading towards. The more difficult part was deciding a title. After a brainstorming session, we decided to go with The Address as the title. Once we had penned the story down in rough, we decided to rewrite it in Google sites and digitalize it.

The Google sites interface was fairly easy to use. During school I had learned how to create a website using HTML but this was nothing like it. The interface was very easy and user-friendly. Adding media to the story gave it a complete new dimension. We could actually imagine the story in our mind as if it was a movie. The digital medium helped describe the story exactly how we wanted to. By adding media, everyone would be able to see it with the same view. Nobody could take out two meanings of that story.  

This assignment has been a learning experience for me from the beginning. Not only did I learn how to write a digital story, but also learned how to blog about its experience. Besides that, I also learned how to work in a group to collaborate ideas, creating something from scratch. Digital storytelling is an amazing concept, different from the mundane print that we have been used to reading. It attracts people who don’t like reading also to view it. With all the technological advancements and with the world going mobile, I think digital storytelling will soon take over the regular books and novels.

Digital Storytelling: The Opportunities

                Digital storytelling and blogging are two completely new concepts to me. Before this class I had never heard of digital storytelling and blogging was just something you would hear a few girls giggling about from across the room. Being the type of person who believes in trying anything once, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to become more acquainted with new digital media and an excellent chance to network with classmates.

                Meeting to write our groups part of the digital story was like my mother dropping me off at the front door of the kindergarten for my first day and driving off with my backpack still in the back seat. Intimidating at first, but I quickly realized that it was a new experience for all of us and we would make it through unscathed. After figuring out how to sign in to be able to actually post the story, I would say the most difficult part of the paper was figuring out the title. Luckily as we became more comfortable with each other and the project, it was more like high school acquaintances spit balling ideas at a lunch table.

                Many times I am hesitant when working on group projects because leaving your grade in the hands of other people sometimes can be scary; but sometimes you have to take new opportunities as they come and I have confidence in my groups work though and thoroughly enjoyed working together on this project with my classmates. Also, I am very lucky, for if I hadn't had classmates to help, I might have not figured out how to put together the story.

                As I sit here and type this blog, it is also a new experience for me. The closest I can say I have ever been to blogging before this class would've been twitter, if you consider that a form of blogging. I have learned through researching and reading other blogs that it is the way of the future. People use blogs to post news, keep people informed on others lives and for the simple use of giving ones opinion or insight on a topic.  

                Although I do not feel as queasy as I might have if I had forgotten my backpack in the back seat of the car, being a new blogger can be just as intimidating as digital storytelling. Questions continually run through your mind such as; is my writing too formal, will people read this, and is what I’m writing relevant to anything?  That is when you move on to your concluding paragraph.

                Not only is digital storytelling and blogging but also the digital medium in general are the future. If one thing could be said about the project is that it was a fantastic opportunity to not only gain experience but also other classmates insight into the class and the project in general. At this point in the project I can now say that my mother has finally brought my backpack back to me, but now, I do not need it. 

The Story Comes to Life

Digital story writing is a great way to have groups to think creatively while working together. It allows the group to brainstorm ideas based on what previous groups have written, yet they still can have liberty to direct the story to where they want it to go.

I hadn't heard of this idea before this class. I've been in contact with many forms of digital media, including online newspapers, social networking, blogs, and many other sources of information. Never, though, have I seen a project that builds on itself and requires active participation to keep the story moving.

While working on this project, I quickly realized how different this was from other writing I've done. Most of the writing I've done in the past was informative. Last year, I was on the journalism staff in my high school and worked on news articles every week. The digital story project was the complete opposite. For this project, my group and I could follow any path we wanted to; our ideas could go freely. Fiction almost seemed unnatural to write after writing informative, nonfiction pieces for so long.

Once my group had an idea as to what we wanted our story to develop into, we were able to add the final touches with pictures and a map. These features almost made the story come to life.  It’s one thing to read about a red satin box with a pink ribbon, but actually having the visual from a given picture makes a world of difference. You’re able to get a solid picture in your mind as you’re reading about the mystery of what’s inside the box.

By following this idea of digital media, I can only imagine how different my favorite stories and novels would be. Most of the classics and popular books are also turned into movies, but that’s different than having the visuals when you’re reading it for the first time.

One of my all-time favorite novels is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The main character, Elizabeth, is very descriptive of her surroundings and the people she encounters. The first time I read this, I hadn't seen the movie yet. The image I had of the character Mr. Darcy was very different than what the movie showed him as. Although this technology wasn't available during the time it was written, the use of providing images along with the text would make the experience completely different. Mr. Darcy and his estate of Pemberley would have been seen accurately to how the author wanted them, and I would have been given a strong idea of the setting and characters from the very start. This interaction would have given my experience a much more hands-on feeling.

Overall, I would suggest all students to try to experience digital story telling. Even if they do not attempt to write anything, they should still attempt to find this form of media to read through and interact with.  It makes the reading experience so much more interactive, and because of the higher level of communication, the experience is more joyful. 

Using Technology for Good

I really enjoyed collaborating on the digital story project. Before this class, I had never heard of digital story telling. This assignment gave me an opportunity to explore the different types of storytelling, and how different techniques can be used to produce a digital story. Completing this assignment also showed me that using technology to expand the possibilities of storytelling is a very good idea. Another thing I enjoyed was working with my classmates. Working on a project together helped us get to know one another and work together to come up with a great idea.

Our section of the story was a little different than most would have expected. When we started writing, we decided to tell the story from the opposing characters perspective from the first section. Instead of continuing with the same character, we thought it would be interesting to start as the unknown character. For us, it was very fun and interesting to come up with a story. Writing from the opposing view also gave the next groups various opportunities on how to continue the story.

Throughout our story we posted various pictures and we used hyperlinks. A hyperlink is when a word in the text is “clickable” and takes you to a website. Hyperlinking is basically like hiding a link inside a word of the text. Learning how to hyperlink in text was very interesting and could be useful for the future. By incorporating this into our digital story, it gives the readers a chance to interact and explore certain parts of the story and the story’s details. I think that providing these interactive features for the reader is what really sets digital stories apart from traditional stories on paper. Using technology to enhance the readers experience is a great idea and is becoming more popular.

I feel that the more people that start to read and interact with digital stories, the more people will enjoy them. With the impact of technology today, digital storytelling may become the future of storytelling itself. This way of producing text reaches millions around the world. With this text more readily available and more convenient, people will begin to rely on it more and more, and enjoy it as well. In the future, I think that digital storytelling will become very popular among many people of all ages. With as much technology that is used today, using it for story telling could be very beneficial to many.

With the many opportunities and different options that come with digital storytelling, it could be used in many situations. Digital story telling could be used for pleasure reading, as it is now, but it could also be used for educational purposes. Throughout schools around the world, digital stories could be used to learn about other cultures first hand. If someone from a different country posts a story, at any time it could be available to people in the U.S. With this option, it provides a broad horizon of learning experiences that may not have been available before.

I really enjoyed learning about digital stories and interacting with them as well. Using technology to benefit others around the world is the best way it could be used. Hopefully the potential of digital storytelling is recognized by others and someday reached. There are endless possibilities once people start exploring and using technology, especially when it is being used in a good way.

    

    Digital Story Telling is the Future of All Great Works

     I thoroughly enjoyed the blog project.   It gave me a chance to meet other people in the class and express my ideas in a medium that gives me an audience.  I really enjoyed the format of the project.  It gave me freedom to explore and expand my ideas in any direction I want to while using the previous group to kick start our story.  Digital medium lets you share your work with countless people and employ a number of tactics that cannot be used in verbal story telling or in written works.

    For our section of the story, we took the perspective of another character in the story.  It allowed us to create a totally new story, while still keeping with the plot of the original story.  At the end of our story, the first groups story is then intertwined as we tell the reader that the characters are both part of the same story.  By telling it from multiple perspectives the reader gets a fuller picture and better understanding.  It also makes for a very intriguing tale for the reader. 

     Digital story telling is the way of the future.  It is an excellent way to organize thoughts and ideas for a story, since in verbal storytelling, it is often more difficult to edit yourself if you misspeak or leave out a section of a story.  This can cause great difficulty for the listener, since they are missing crucial information regarding the story.  Verbal story telling also has a more limited audience.  Verbal stories are often only heard by the people close enough to the storyteller to hear them.  However, verbal stories car reach a larger audience when broadcast over the radio.  Today’s audience is more interested in music, unlike the older generation who would gather around the radio to listen to stories that were broadcast over the radio and captured the world’s attention.

     Written storytelling rivals digital storytelling, but they are not equal.  When conveying your story through written text you can edit, but with more difficulty.  It requires you to re-write entire pages or even the entire work, which can be a lengthy task when using paper and pen.  Written material has great importance and has been successfully used to disseminate information for ages.  Written material can often have a more limited audience since printing is more expensive and thus wealth becomes a factor in who the audience is.  The first printing press, enabled the written bible to be read by countless people.  The value of hand written stories cannot be overlooked, but its inferiority to digital storytelling cannot be overlooked either.

     Digital story telling is here and it is the future of all storytelling.  It enables a person to create a work and quickly and effortlessly edit the work to perfection.  Through digital storytelling we can also use tactics that are not available in verbal or written storytelling such as hyperlinking.  Hyperlinking adds tremendous value to a digital story by making it interactive and adding context clues by added images to give the reader a clear and concise idea of the author’s direction.  The best thing about digital story telling is how it can give your work an audience of enormous magnitude in a matter of seconds.  Verbal and written methods both have their place in history and storytelling, but it leaves no doubt in my mind that digital story telling is supreme to both of them.   Its fast editing, interactivity, and giant prospective audience makes it a clear choice for storytelling.