Storytellers Refined

Day Three: Adding Depth

On day three our storytellers further refined their skills by focusing on elements that would deepen their respective narratives. First, in our morning session, they story boarded out moments of high tension and conflict within their narratives using an online software. The results, while humorous, helped them discover details they hadn't previously thought of and clarified the staging of their scenes.

The Investigation

 Struggle of School

 The Murder

 The Reveal

After reviewing these points of conflict, the storytellers then further refined their writing by considering the importance of voice within their narration. They quickly learned the drastic effect

motivation and character traits had on the type of descriptions given within any story. To further their understanding of this concept, they were tasked with describing the same events and settings through multiple perspectives, including:

Someone familiar with the events...

Someone of wealthy origins...

Someone of malicious intent...

Someone from their own story...

The results revealed striking differences in descriptions. Bricks became "blood colored." Buildings of "character" suddenly were suddenly described by their "spiderwebs" and "convenient exits." By the end of the exercise, the storytellers' word choice and understanding of voice had grown dramatically. 

After an afternoon writing both inside coffee shops and in the outdoors, the storytellers treated themselves to a well earned reward.