Prompt 1: Imagining Setting - Pick a very specific setting (time period/duration/location). Imagine you are walking (or moving in some other way?) through this setting. What do you see, smell, hear, feel, and/or taste? What does this imagery tell you about the world this setting is in? What can we expect to happen in this setting? What could those details potentially tell us about a character who inhabits this setting?
The present-day setting (January 2020) of my story is the waiting room of a marketing office. The phone is constantly ringing a blaring and cliche ringtone. The walls are white with gaudy black and red brand logos pasted all over. The carpet is an off white, not through design, but worn and stained from use. The plastic chair under me is not made for long periods of sitting, almost pushing me out towards the balcony visible through the gray-tinted floor-length windows, architecture screaming nineties. The story-time recalled setting are the stands of a pivotal moment in soccer history, Circa 2109 U.S. Open Cup semifinals. It is early evening in Allianz Field before the Minnesota sun has begun to set. Brilliant pinks and oranges highlight the crowd from the open-air stadium above as the bright lights blink on around the roof imitating camera flashes. The air reeks of beer and fried food for we are too far from the field to smell the fresh grass and white paint. The plastic chair under me, supported by concrete floors, is not enough to absorb the electric energy and sound of the crowd around me as they shake the foundation cheering.
Prompt 2: Story Artifact - you’ll create an artifact that belongs in that setting. An artifact is simply something that belongs in the world of a story you might tell. The artifact from the time and place you want to write about can be literally anything: a drawing, a photograph, a song, a snippet of audio, a Twitter post, a screen shot, or anything else that inspires a story. Your story artifact can be something you find on the internet (such as an image of a random person) or something you create yourself. The most important part of this creative exercise is to explain what questions this artifact leads you to about one character in this “small, knowable world” you are imagining. In other words, this artifact should be connected to a character (even if that character is not aware of how the artifact is connected).
The artifact is seemingly amiss in the setting I laid out. It would be of more use and make all the more sense at a Renaissance Faire or some other nerdy convention worn to accompany anything but the jersey it is paired with. The edges are the rough craftsmanship of a novice foam armor-smith or perhaps a journeyman, but certainly not a master. The silver paint is cracking at the base of the nose guard where it connects to the rest of the crown, whether this is the result of a poor choice in sealant or misuse of the fragile artifact it is yet unclear.
Prompt 3: Imagining Conflict - Describe ONE specific event in the fictional (or nonfictional) world you are exploring in your imaginations. Think of the same character to whom your artifact was important. Does this event change the balance of that character's life? How so? Can this event be considered an "inciting incident," as Mckee defines it?
He scrolled through the job listings, his eyes glazing over as black words and green titles sped past his vision without so much as a flight of recognition. But that's when the silver glint of a crown caught his eye. His hands stopped their reckless flicking of the tab bar. He blinked, looking back at the screen it was still there. He immediately pulled out his phone and snapped a photo, lest it disappear forever. His fingers, with newfound purpose, tapped away as he typed: "Okay. Hear me out..." The balance of the character's life is upended entirely by this inciting incident, changed radically forever. The scene is set up and the character is doing what is necessary or expected in that situation. But there is an unexpected and seemingly bountiful payoff. Hope enters the equation changing the value of his current situation and charging it with positive potential. This causes the character to take action which moves the story forward.
Prompt 4: Rough Draft - Create a rough draft of a single scene from your digital story. You can start anywhere you want in your story (beginning, end, inciting incident, climax, etc.). While you are drafting, you can think about the imagery of your setting, your story artifact, and conflict you've already started imagining.
#1.
*Once Upon a Time…., flashes across a black screen in bright yellow letters. A male character in fancy clothes appears on the bottom left side of the screen.*
DORIAN: *voice-over* I’d had a crummy run of marketing directors. *He dons a graduation cap.* As a doe-eyed English Major beginning their career as a Marketing Assistant, I was quickly disenchanted with the entire office hierarchy. My first marketing director was a post-menopausal woman who was so crazy there were individuals within the organization, as well as entire departments, banned from physically entering the marketing suite.
*A black outline of a crazy-haired female character appears on the bottom right side of the screen with a text box*
MARKETING DIRECTOR 1: *appearing as text in text box* You’re not allowed to step foot in my marketing suite! I am too busy to write up a marketing plan so I will contract out to the former marketing director to write it and just say its mine!
*A black outline of a slightly rotund female character overtakes the other character, appearing on the bottom right side of the screen with a text box*
DORIAN: *voice-over* My second marketing director was a meek woman who knew little about her purview. Once the office moved cities I was relocated and then promptly fired without her attendance or any explanation relating to my job performance.
MARKETING DIRECTOR 2: Oh, well I don’t want to check my emails. You should have tried to contact me in multiple ways every time you completed work, texted and called me. Guess I’ll just have HR fire you!
DORIAN: After those two, I swore off being anyone’s assistant ever again. But that is when I met Her. I was down on my luck, running out of unemployment and applying to any job that my skillset fit when I came across...
*Insert screen scroll of a yellow and black shield accompanying the words ‘Marketing Assistant’ in bright yellow letters. A jazzy but smart-looking female character overtakes the other character, appearing on the bottom right side of the screen with a text box.*
DORIAN: *voice-over* She began the interview by introducing Her own pronouns.
MARKETING GOD: *in text box* My pronouns are she/her/hers. What are yours? DORIAN: *voice-over* And within those three small words She earned my undying respect. She, of course, went on to share Her extensive experience in the field which included managing social media for shows at Netflix. It was suddenly not just a job, sure a startup soccer team sounded fun but this woman was nothing short of a marketing genius and I wanted to learn everything She knew. MARKETING GOD: *in text box* We’ve had over 100 applicants for this position and, out of all of them, I’ve chosen you! DORIAN: *voice-over* And that is how I came to be in service to the Marketing God. I had no idea where that loyalty would take me, but my fealty was sworn. I would go down with Her ship. *Fade out with underlying ominous music.*
Prompt 5: Visualizing Story - Upload a visual plan or storyboard for the one scripted scene.
Prompt 6: Beta Version - Start bringing your story to life by developing one scene from your digital story.