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.
I had never heard of digital storytelling before this class either, but I definitely agree that certain aspects of it help make the story come alive since it is interactive for the audience. Although, I have never thought about what some of my favorite books would be like if they had been written following the idea of digital media. On one hand I do agree that pictures and the other aspects that go along with digital media would have truly shown what the author was picturing and made the point they are trying to get across possibly even easier to understand. On the other hand I do enjoy forming my own picture of the characters and how their environment looks, so in that respect the imagination and visualization by the reader of what is going in the story would be diminished. But then again digital storytelling can add so many more dimensions to a story than reading it on plain text can offer.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that everyone should experience this form of storytelling too. It may seem kind of intimidating to read at first since there can be so many things to click on, but in the end that is the beauty of digital media, the possibilities are endless. Like you said the experience is so much more interactive and I agree that in the end it is more joyful!
I feel like I am on a similar page. As far as exposure to digital story telling, I was exposed to it before this class. I think Taylor brought up an interesting ides when disscusing how digital story telling would effect how a reader developes a mental image. I, like Katrina, have mixed feeling about if it would be a good thing or bad. Writers, until more recently, have had to rely on words to paint the image of a story. Now a writer can skip over the word discription by posting a photo with the story. It is easier and would take away any confusion on the part of the reader. At the same time though it takes away some of the mystery. I love being able to build up an image of someone in my head and i get attached to the charachters I picture in my mind. It can be frustrating when a book is made into a movie and the image they developed is different than what you created. Digital story telling is somthing that will eventually find its place in writing. It can make reading alot more entertaining at times and can relay ideas more ifficiantly.
ReplyDeletei agree with Taylor, digital story helps reader to picture the story clearly which is through vision. this helps the reader to solve his/her confusion. other than that, reader also will be able to get the maximum of what the writer is trying to deliver.
ReplyDeletei totally agree with you. at least, for myself, digital story telling is a totally new stuff. seems like everybody had a hard time doing that project. well, i am glad we all finish that, merry christmas!
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