Interactive storytelling or how we can recreate our own stories
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”
Maya Angelou
Like Michel De Certeau put it years ago, people are not always consumers but creators also. In this period of time that we can all potentially be creators of our own story(line) and we actually do it through social media channels, in our timelines, in our dreams, in our heads, in our reality and-as I like to declare-in our sub-reality that is the most profound, sincere and creative one.
To put it in simple words, “Interactive storytelling” is simply storytelling enhanced by digital tools. Like Snapapp put it, “stories light up the brain more than factual reporting or data. When people read factual reports, only two regions of the brain activate. FMRI studies show that storytelling activates additional areas of the brain. The brain reacts to stories as if they are actually happening to the reader”.
My concept and what I would like to offer to myself firstly as a writer/editor/copywriter and to the reader’s/clients audience is a storytelling platform that within augmented reality and can put the words, the content in motion ahead of us. In this way we could enjoy heroes, their adventures, their actions, their inner thoughts, their mental and physical journey, the narration generally, experiencing it, not only reading it. This can easily mean that contains engagement, the real and personal engagement of the reader who could be a potential client, our group of colleagues in a creative boutique agency, a simple interested or ourselves! If we can manage to overcome the two-dimension text and provide more depth and narrative autonomy Even if we speak for a classic book, a kid’s tale, a comic, a script marketing idea or a manuscript in general (cinematic, fiction storytelling etc).
You as a reader and I as a content creator can meet each other and cowork towards the character development, the plot, the creation of different angles that one story has (saying I can think as Hamlet but I can easily be put in Ophelia’s shoes. The most creative part of this potential app is that it lets you experience the story through multiple lenses.
This not only provides more gameplay value to the app, but also creates space for expansive creativity within the story.
Also you could recreate a character, introducing a new model of a classic icon or create your own protagonists with characteristics and specific features of your choice. This can easily lead us to Westworld series, but I’m sure that we are not that far from being the creators of our own story without predetermined story line or with a flexible one that can easily be changed.
And this is what I’m talking about. I’m talking about an app or a platform service that can transform your text plot, tale, story into images and with any changes or arrangements or modifications you make the story follows your lead without any limitation.
This clear tackles the “problem” of We are the creators just wait till we launch what you want to read or hear. You ask why this is important? Well let’s see. Firstly, through this kind of interactive storytelling through which you can have an abundance of different perspectives-characters, plot, scenes there is nothing that can’t be changed. Everything is touchable and possible. Mapping out a linear story is no longer enough; today, stories need to be mapped in multiple dimensions to provide the most robust and flexible user experience. Secondly you can become a writer of your own or improve yourself via this app (this app could recommend tutorials based of the genre you are interested in or suggesting templates that you can use and they have already passed the exams of the market, so they are valid). Third, with AR tools you can explode your work, actually viewing how your content actually seems visually from the very first steps. Is this cool or what? This app saves you money and time because you won’t need headsets. There would be all in the algorithm of the program.
So you need to:
Construct the app that can be used from an Android, IOS, Fire OS, Windows Phone.
Create categories in the menu the app for example: Insert an ebook or an Amazon Kindle book and see the difference (it has to be digital)/ Written by you/Themes and guidelines…
Use Codes that can read, scan the existed or bright new text (in english at first) and covert it to visuals.
With AR tools and elements you can add unique value to the reading experience.
There are many apps and tool kits out there but if you can create something that can provide you with a hands on experience with the dynamics of writing and the same time feel engaged so much that you can put yourself into the plot or write your own viewing how it goes a priori, wouldn’t that be a step closer to the image of storytelling of the future?
