Earl Newton.com » storytelling

Less Talk, More Rock (Video Game Narrative)

Earl Newton — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:56:10 +0000

Boingboing.net is hosting a terrific manifesto by Craig Adams (AKA Superbrothers). It speaks about the narrative experience of video games, but storytellers of all sorts can find something here.

Here are a few excerpts to whet the appetite:

When there’s just a little bit of talk…it has a peculiar, haunting, poetic effect. It tickles the intellect just enough for it to stir, but not enough to irritate it.

An entire generation seems to have become used to experiences …choked by voice acting, mangled by incongruent narrative…These elements serve to undermine the aesthetic coherence of the work — they can dilute the magic, they can interrupt the flow, they can disrupt the basic audiovisual communication, they can break the spell.

Find the link to the whole manifesto below.

Less Talk, More Rock

The Danger of a Single Story

Earl Newton — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:09:42 +0000

From TED.com: Chimamanda Adichie discusses the danger of having only one story about a person or place.

The video and my comments after the jump.

“The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity.”

Adichie has a beautiful way of talking about prejudice and ignorance without ever using those words or adopting a preaching tone. With equal candor and humility, she talks about her American roommate expecting her to be ignorant and poor, just as she herself expected her childhood servant to be lazy simply because he was poor.

While I think Adichie intended this as advice for living, it applies equally well to storytelling. It’s a simple, practical tool to ask yourself: “How many stories do I know about my characters?”

Let’s imagine a coal miner. Is he an oppressed laborer, crushed by a unsympathetic company?

Let’s ask his foreman. Is he a lazy idiot who cannot show up on time?

Ask his wife. Is he a distant, cold housemate?

Ask his mistress. Is he a tender lover, afraid to share his fears anywhere but in the dark?

He is none of these completely, yet each make up a piece of his picture. As you compose his actions in your head, it becomes easier to ask yourself, “Which story is my character playing out now?”

“There is never a single story about any place.”

Storytelling is based on seeing. It is very much like working with a police sketch artist. Unless you can fully imagine the person, you cannot describe them.

The process of creativity is the process of asking questions about your story until you have enough answers to move forward. ”Who is this person? What do they do?” If you stop asking too early, you’re settling, and the picture of your character will emerge as a hazy cliche.

Remember: creativity ends when we stop asking questions.

John August: Breaking Storytelling Conventions

Earl Newton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:42:10 +0000

MakingOf.com has an interview with John August about his screenwriting process. As always, John August demonstrates his knowledge of the craft by breaking down concepts into relatable terms, and sharing really original insight into the craft — no respun Syd Field here.

Normally I’d embed the video here, but MakingOf.com has some weird Iframe code going on, so I’m just providing the link.

John August on Breaking Storytelling Conventions

And, as a screenwriter, you should already be a regular visitor to JohnAugust.com.

Ira Glass on Creativity

Earl Newton — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:20:50 +0000

Ira Glass is the host of arguably one of the most popular programs in radio, This American Life.

Over four segments of an interview (presumably for Current.TV), Ira basically lays bare the nature of storytelling, the difficulty of it, and what it takes to make it.

It took me years to figure out what he explains in a few minutes. It’s something every creative person should hear. Here are the rest of the segments:

Ira Glass Part Two (Finding a Decent Story: Be Brutal)

Ira Glass Part Three (On Good Taste, And Sucking Major)

Ira Glass Part Four (Two Common Errors of the Beginner)