Macro of sharpened colored pencils aranged in a circle - cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo
shared by Horia Varlan
Since this course is driven by storytelling and meant to be a creative experience here are some general tips and notes of additional guidance for developing a body of work for this class. Most of all, you should use your blog to develop your overall communication skills. Considering that we are working in a digital space there are some additional considerations.
Simply put, use embedded media, written text, and hyperlinks.
Here are some additional suggestions to consider:
- Voice
- Titles & Subtitles
- Media
- Context
- Links
Voice
Write in your own voice. You are not writing formal essays for your academic courses. You are writing on the web about your creative work. It is important to write in a personal way, use first person ("I" and "me"). Be conversational and show your personality in your writing. Remember the class is about storytelling, so write as though you are telling stories. Consider the parts and how best to compose them. Determine when it is better to describe or explain. Most of all play. Play with your writing and cultivate or perhaps rediscover your true, authentic voice.
Titles & Subtitles
Get people's attention with a strong title or headline, like a journalist or news editor. The title is the first thing that anyone sees and may determine whether they read more or not. Be creative in titling your posts. Don't simply use the generic name of the assignment. Think of your title like a movie trailer. It should preview what to expect in the post. Be clever. Use puns, pop culture references, capitalize on current trends. Again, play.
Also, consider using subtitles in your posts, if it makes sense to do so. For example this post, introduces the main idea at the top, including a list of items that will be included, then uses subtitles for each section devoted to the items in the list. The toolbar in your blogging application even has options for different kinds of headings for these purposes. Use them where it helps.
Also, consider using subtitles in your posts, if it makes sense to do so. For example this post, introduces the main idea at the top, including a list of items that will be included, then uses subtitles for each section devoted to the items in the list. The toolbar in your blogging application even has options for different kinds of headings for these purposes. Use them where it helps.
Media
This class is all about creating media. All media should be embedded whenever possible. Include it in the post and make it work with the rest of your content. Why would you want anyone to leave your site if they don't have to do so? Use media, all kinds, and arrange it in a thoughtful way.
Obviously, you will use media that you create but you may consider using media created by others. Always give credit and attribution for anything that you use that is not your own when appropriate. Please don't steal other people's creative work. Exercise your right to fair use but honor copyright.
Obviously, you will use media that you create but you may consider using media created by others. Always give credit and attribution for anything that you use that is not your own when appropriate. Please don't steal other people's creative work. Exercise your right to fair use but honor copyright.
Context
Provide context for any visitor. An individual post may be the first and only thing a visitor sees from your site. Provide them with enough context to understand what you are doing, as well as how and why. Could a stranger figure out what they are viewing easily? Craft each post so that it can stand on its own as an understandable moment of episode in the broader context of your blog. Think of an individual post like an episode in a traditional sitcom television show. They should be able to enjoy the episode whether or not they are a regular viewer of the series.
Links
Link as much as possible. The world wide web is a web because of all the hyperlinked connections. When writing, if you make a reference to something (from a website, song, book, television show, movie, new item, whatever) add a relevant hyperlink to content that might be helpful. Provide a path to greater understanding. Hyperlinks are like a new form of punctuation for writing on the web, so you get better at using hypertext. Plus, always create links with words. Don't just slap long, machine language, pasted URLs into your posts. Select the most descriptive series of words that will describe where the link will lead and make it a hyperlink.
Remember, to learn is to both practice and reflect. Plus, nearly all creative efforts involve creating a product from engaging in a process. Your blog for this class provides the opportunity for clarifying and enriching your work and learning. It is also a place to experiment and try things - most of play.
Play with your writing. Play with the way you present the work. Play with how you engage in the doing the assignments. Play with your creativity. Doing so helps you discover possibilities you may never would have considered or even known existed. It also helps you discover your tastes, voice, style, and more.
Coda
Remember, to learn is to both practice and reflect. Plus, nearly all creative efforts involve creating a product from engaging in a process. Your blog for this class provides the opportunity for clarifying and enriching your work and learning. It is also a place to experiment and try things - most of play.
Play with your writing. Play with the way you present the work. Play with how you engage in the doing the assignments. Play with your creativity. Doing so helps you discover possibilities you may never would have considered or even known existed. It also helps you discover your tastes, voice, style, and more.
