Tag / Storytelling

by steelef

Story World Construction

I consult with a lot of brands, studios, and indie creators about their story worlds. Many of them have the same basic questions, and others want an easier guide to building out the details of their world. Well, look no further! In these episodes of Building a Better Story World, I give you a series of exercises and prompts to help you craft better and more intricately constructed elements of your narrative universe!

How To Create Better Openings – Using the works of Hayao Miyazaki, I showcase how you can create better first impressions for your characters, plot, theme, and more!

Secondary Character Creation – With the world of the Simpsons as an example, you can delve into how to create more compelling (and agented) secondary characters, as well as more memorable tertiary characters with room for growth!

Creating Interesting Locales – Locales have archetypes as well as characters, so if you’re struggling with ways to create realms that spark your audiences’ imaginations, take a trip with me (and the cast of Deep Space Nine) as we explore the six major kinds of locations in your story world!

Building out the Chronology of Narrative Universes – Your universe existed before your main characters got there and will persist long after they shuffle off their mortal coil, so you better build self-contained eras in your chronology in order for audiences to understand them. Just ask Marty and Doc Brown!

Building Your Mythology – The big magilla: how to create your own story world mythology! Using all the elements we’ve detailed, this is a handy-dandy guide for one way to create a document that houses all of your story universe’s various rules, characters, and more!

by steelef

Catching Up With Building A Better Story World

The holidays have been crazy, as has my professional life! There will be some exciting news items coming down the track, but for now, I wanted to make sure all of my links to the most recent episodes of Building a Better Story World are here!

First up: I cover how to find out what your fans will love about your story world via the “fun” that engages them, time after time, episode after episode. Join me here as I examine three dishes to re-engage excitement and novelty into your world, regardless of platform. Plus, there’s a whole lotta analysis of Psych for all of you Shawn and Gus fans out there!

Next up is an archetypal two-parter! Worried about how your story world may connect with audiences? Consider how classic storytelling figures can help create a bridge between you and fans by showcasing traditional structures that excite all sorts of people. Listen in as I take you through twelve particular characters that appear throughout human narratives, across time and culture, so that you can follow in their footsteps, bend the rules, or forge your own path successfully! The first entry can be found here and second here, but you can listen in any order!

Lastly, we have the rules! Some people focus on magic, science, languages, or politics when building out the foundational guidepost of their story universes, but there’s so much more to the building blocks your world than that! With the aid of a younger Clark Kent, I’ll show how you can build out numerous elements that anchor narrative universes for fans and collaborators while also allowing them to expand!

Happy new year, everyone, and be sure to download, subscribe, rate, and review BABSW on any fine podcatcher!

by steelef

Building a Better Story World Episode 8 – The Lies that Separate Our World

The basics of your story worlds have been covered, so now we’re into the deeper design elements! In this episode, I talk about the key differentiators between your story world and our real one! Using superheroes, friends in New York, and podcasts, we showcase how specifying this content makes for strong narrative universes. It’s the first part of our advanced class, so click here or go to any fine podcatcher, but make sure you’ve got a helmet on!

Music – icons8.com, specifically https://icons8.com/music/author/ilya-marfin

Audio Effects – freesound.org

by steelef

Building a Better Story World – Episode 7 – Prompts All Prompted

My latest Building a Better Story World is out!

This is a special one: all the previous prompts in one place! Ever wanted to create a story world and had no idea where to begin? Well, here it is! I walk you through the basics of story world creation! Give it a shot here, and let me know what you come up with!

by steelef

Building a Better Story World – Episode 6 – Resolutions

And now I’m finally caught up! Better late than never!

Listen in this, our latest episode of story world design intrigue, as I wrap up our five-part series on story world creation basics, fittingly enough, with an episode on resolutions! Click on this link to hear how a famous British secret agent with a license to kill epitomizes how creators can craft satisfying conclusions for their stories in scenes, entries, arcs, and entire narrative universes.

by steelef

Building a Better Story World – Episode 4: Obstacles, Challenges, Villains, and More!

I’ve fallen behind on my postings! Don’t do what Johnny Don’t Does!

While you rightly take me to task for my indolence, give a listen to this episode of Building a Better Story World! Good obstacles make for good stories! That’s why this episode is going to delve into what makes a good antagonist, how they can be themed to dramatic struggles in your work, and the basic challenges that characters face in their journeys! Join me as I chart this course with the help of a familiar, bullwhip-wielding adventurer. Give it a listen here, or on Spotify, iTunes, or most podcatchers!

by steelef

Building a Better Story World – Episode 2: Protagonists, Heroic and Otherwise

I’m back with my next episode of Building a Better Story World! One day, WordPress is going to let me post on time, but until that point, you still have me guiding you through story world creation. This time, we’re using a popular teenage wizard as the guiding case study as we begin a five-part series on each element of classical structure. Join in to learn how to create a compelling main character that can center an entire story world!

You can download directly here, or find the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or any fine podcatcher!

by steelef

Building a Better Story World – Episode 1

It’s been a minute, ain’t it? I know you’ve all been desperate to… no, I can’t even lie like that. But I’ve been working on a LOT of stuff, and this is a part of it: a new podcast dedicated to helping you become better story world designers!

Using the same tools that I’ve brought to Nickelodeon, the Walt Disney Company, Microsoft, Activision, Sony Pictures, and many other clients, I’m going to take listeners on a step-by-step guide to story world creation. Each week, we will be delving into new categories and new content. Those who follow along can use the prompts to help create new narratives, but if you’re just interested in understanding, that’s great, too!

This week, we’re hitting the basics: the five primary elements of every story! From main character to resolution, we’ll build a foundation for any number of multimedia stories. I would embed the episode, but apparently, WordPress doesn’t like such things from Buzzsprout unless you upgrade to the Business platform (no thanks), so here’s the direct download!

Listen in, and if you’d like to submit your work, email helmstarmedia@gmail.com, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter and let me know!

by steelef

Why People Never Turn Off Their Phones

“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual.”

Aristotle believed in alchemy, geocentrism, and flies having four legs, but he had it nailed with the human condition.

Aristotle believed in alchemy, geocentrism, and flies having four legs, but he had it nailed with the human condition.

If you’ve ever been to a movie or a show on Broadway, you know what I’m talking about with the title: people’s seeming inability to turn off their phones for two-to-three hours while they take in a bit of Kylo Ren or Mufasa. For the most part, these are tiny indiscretions: a few blips, a mild (or moderate) expletive, a couple seconds of fumbling, and then blissful silence just as Alexander Hamilton is about to lay down a few choice rhymes regarding fiat currency. At other times, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s journey in (and out) of love seems to be set to the tune of a “Kim Possible” ringtone.

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by steelef

The Muppets Most Branded

I’m struggling with this one, and not because of my feelings on this one particular film in general. I honestly don’t care what the reviews say. I don’t care who knows it. The Muppets Most Wanted was a fantastic movie and my movie of the year so far.

I mean, I’m not the most impartial of judges. I own three versions of Muppets from Space (DVD, VHS, and download). I hit up Muppets 3D, regardless of lines, as my first (and last) ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I’ve gotten into arguments about whether Charles Dickens would have approved of a muppet-led version of his Christmas story (in short, I don’t care what Mr. Dickens thinks). Some people are into Star Trek. Others worship at the blood-drenched altar of Joss Whedon. Give me Gonzo and a camera crew and I’ll conquer the world.

Bow, mortals.

Bow, mortals.

But is this because I have been so brainwashed by Kermit, Ms. Piggy, Fozzie, et al that I’m willing to allow myself to be sucked in? And does it even matter if I’m having a good time?

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