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Some of my most frustrating moments as a writer are when I’m motivated, but not inspired. Sometimes I’ll go back through stalled drafts, or surf the web for ideas. But you might find that a good old-fashioned writing prompt might be what conjures your muse. Below, I’ve included a working list of writing prompt collections that I’ll continue to update. For now, check these out: The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing by Monica…

It’s important to keep in mind—when you’re reading the posts in this series—that this is just one way of approaching the drafting process. There are so many others. Casually browse the library’s shelves for advice about the writing process, and you might start to think that there are as many different approaches to writing as there are writers. I wouldn’t disagree. I hope you find some useful bits of advice here and they end up…

There are a lot of habits you need to cultivate in order to become a great storyteller, but the one practice I think is most essential is to listen to other people’s stories. I have a confession — something I’m really not proud of. The stories I listen to most are stories written by people who look a lot like me and have a background not so different than mine. I began preparing for this…

You’re a digital storyteller. You should be reading everything you can get your hands on about digital storytelling. These three are a great place to start. Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community The New Digital Storytelling: Creating Narratives with New Media Seven Stages: Story and the Human Experience Flash Genres (Flash fiction, flash nonfiction, prose poetry) Most digital stories are short. By short I mean less than a thousand words and likely less than five…

This post is the penultimate entry in this series, but that doesn’t mean it should only happen at the end of your process. Instead, it’s probably best to think of getting feedback as much as you can along the way. Some storytellers even seek out feedback before they start their drafting process, sometimes talking through their story with one or more people while they’re still trying to figure out what their story is going to…

Choosing a microphone for recording your voiceover can be a little daunting, especially if you’re choosing your first microphone, or if you’re upgrading your current setup. The setup you ultimately land on will largely depend on how you plan to capture most of your recordings, and of course, your budget. So you might start by asking yourself a few questions:   Questions   In what sort of environments will you be recording? If you’re new…

If you’re starting a collection of books on digital storytelling, Joe Lambert’s “Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Boundaries” should be one of the first you add. It serves as an excellent reference for ideas, techniques, prompts, and examples. Not only that, but reading it from start to finish offers a comprehensive background of where StoryCenter’s brand of digital storytelling comes from and how it has evolved. I picked up this latest edition because a quick…

As you’ve been working on your draft, you’ve probably noticed several sections that clearly aren’t going to make it into the final version of your script. Those will be the easy pieces to get rid of. As you do so, it’s probably a good idea to have a separate working document open where you can dump those pieces in case they might become the kernel of another story you end up working on later. Even…

This tutorial walks you through the steps for recording your story’s narration using the Zoom H5 portable recorder with external microphones.   If you would prefer to record with the H5, but using external microphones, check out this tutorial: “Zoom H5 Tutorial – Recording with External Mics.” If you’re thinking about purchasing a new microphone for your recordings, you might want to check out this post: “Choosing a Microphone to Record Your Narration.” If you’re…

Maybe you’re thinking about taking one of StoryCenter’s public workshops, but you’re hesitating for some reason. If at all possible, take the StoryCenter workshop. In person. Wherever it may be. There are too many aspects of StoryCenter’s workshop model that have no substitute. The story circle. The one-on-one, face-to-face script feedback. The interactive video editing tutorials focused explicitly on creating your story. The group discussion of how StoryCenter’s “seven steps” operate in the example stories….