Join a Workshop
Storyboard like a Reporter

Storyboard like a Reporter

by | Apr 2, 2019

Storyboard like a Reporter

Structure your thinking about a project with a reporter’s “w” questions and then use your discoveries to shape your storyboard.

Style

Architect

Skill

Structuring Ideas

Time

15 – 45 minutes

THE WORKSHOP:

Storyboard like a Reporter

 

When reporters gather the elements of a story, they look for the who, what, where, when, why, and how. As an Architect, you can play to your strengths by using these questions in both phases of the storyboarding process. When you’re storyboarding your overall plot arc, use these categories to guide your big-picture thinking to make sure you’ve covered your bases. When you’re dealing with the details of each scene and problem-solving, use the categories to focus your attention on what matters most.

When should you storyboard your manuscript? There are a number of times in the writing process where working with a storyboard can be useful.

After idea generation, storyboarding will help you structure energetic brainstorming into a solid plan for your story. For me, the right moment is after I’ve done some full-plot brainstorming, and after I’ve drafted at least two or three scenes.

When drafting, storyboarding is an excellent get-unstuck tool. You might play a game or two to shake up your ideas and then use a storyboard to help you plug your new ideas into the plot. If you’ve already created a storyboard, you can play around with the variables to see if a change here or there might unstick your stuck moment. If not, a storyboard will give you increased clarity.

When revising, storyboarding is a powerful shortcut to help you see the effect of changes. Rather than trying to hold your entire plot in your mind while you experiment with possibilities, swap elements into and out of your storyboard to see how each change will impact your plot. Using this simplified view, you’ll be able to problem-solve with greater perspective and speed.

Materials

How to Play

  • Timer
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Index Cards
  • Posterboard, a White Board, or a Large Open Space (such as a wall, a tabletop, or the floor)

1. Set a timer for three minutes.

2. In that short time, summarize your story by answering the following questions. Make sure to use quick bullet points rather than long-form sentences.

  • Who is your story about?
  • What problem or opportunity shows up in the story?
  • Where and when (in general) does the story take place?
  • Why does this problem or opportunity matter to your character?
  • How do they tackle it? How does the story resolve?

3. Once the time is up, it’s time to storyboard. Grab a stack of index cards. Decide how long you want to spend on the storyboard today. Save three-five minutes at the end of your work session to capture any thinking you haven’t captured on the board and don’t want to forget. Set your timer accordingly.

4. If this is your first draft of the storyboard, use your summary to spark ideas for the scenes you need. Put one scene on each card, using an interesting title.

5. If you’ve already created a storyboard for this project, compare your current summary to the cards on your board. Write new scenes on cards and add them to the board, pulling off cards that are no longer relevant.

6. When you reach problem spots, or gaps between one major scene and another, use your reporter questions to define scene possibilities.

  • Who could be in the scene?
  • What needs to happen?
  • Where and when might the scene take place?
  • Why would it be important to your character?
  • How would your main character act? How would others in the scene act?

7. Depending on how much time you’ve allotted for this activity, you can spend time now experimenting with variables, or just capture the givens for a scene and plan to play with possibilities later when it’s time to draft that scene.

8. Wrap up your storyboarding session by writing yourself a quick set of notes about any outstanding issues.

  • Who needs additional scenes or growth in the story?
  • What scenes need to be developed more strongly, reconsidered, or added?
  • Is there any room to experiment with your where and when in particular areas of your story?
  • Is the why ever unclear? What motivations should you spend more time thinking about?
  • How strong are the actions of your key characters? Are there areas where you’d like to take a second look?

Don’t forget! If you can’t store your storyboard as is, number your cards (in pencil) so it will be easy to lay them out in this same order again.

Try On Other Creative Styles

Storyboard Like a Detective

FOR INVENTORS

Define the scenario, collect clues, and ultimately, resolve your questions. Capture your thinking on your storyboard.

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Storyboard Like an Animator

FOR COLLABORATORS

Use the Hero’s Journey to structure your storyboard discussion with a collaborator.

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Storyboard Like a Coach

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Run a few quick scenarios for your idea and then choose a game plan for your storyboard.

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The Question Queue

The Question Queue

by | Apr 2, 2019

The Question Queue

Line up your questions and address them one by one.

Style

Architect

Skill

Applying Feedback

Time

15 minutes

THE CAFE:

The Question Queue

 

Your keen eye for detail can be an obstacle when finding solutions to story problems. Each change rattles loose a flurry of other changes, and before long, you’re lost in a landslide of questions.

The “But what about …?” monster shuts down creative problem solving sessions. Head that monster off at the pass by breaking the thinking process into steps. First, list all of the problems without coming up with any solutions. Then, put those problems in order. The biggest ones should be tackled first, because often by solving the big ones, the little ones disappear. Then, tackle them one at a time. If new problems come up as you solve, add those new problems to the list wherever they belong in the line-up.

 

Materials

How to Play

  • Feedback
  • Blank Sheet of Paper
  • Pen
  • Index Cards (optional)

NOTE: Once you receive feedback, you may choose to process it with a collaborator, or to take it to a quiet place where you can think it through. Both approaches can be effective as part of your Cafe toolbox.

 

1. Review the feedback you received. You may have your own notes, written thoughts from someone else, or you might be quickly jotting down feedback you just heard.

2. On a clean piece of paper, list the issues the feedback points out. Write them in whatever order they pop into your head.

3. If you aren’t sure what issue a particular note or question points out, add getting to the bottom of the mystery as a problem on your list.  

4. Once your list is complete, go through and rank the items based on which question is biggest. If you have a long list and are having trouble ranking, put each issue on an index card and sort them that way.

5. Keep in mind there is no perfect ranking. Do the best you can, and remember that the ranking process is there to help save you time. You don’t want to solve irrelevant questions that won’t exist once you solve the bigger problems.

6. No matter how unruly each of those problems may seem, insist that they stay in a single file line. Tackle them one by one.

7. In many cases, you might want to ask yourself, “How might I …” and explore the various ways you might solve a problem before settling on a solution. Often the best solution will pop up after you think up some wild, unexpected answers.

8. On the other hand, some problems will have an immediate, easy solution. When that happens, no need to overcomplicate matters.

9. Wrap up your feedback session by creating a plan for how you’ll tackle the issues in an orderly way.

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Pin the Heart on the Problem

FOR INVENTORS

List the issues raised and then use “Why …?” to narrow in on the heart of the problem.

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And Down the Stretch they Come

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Choose the frontrunner issues and tackle them head-on with a quick-listing exercise.

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Scramble and Sort

FOR COLLABORATORS

After collecting feedback, scramble and sort it into new categories so the group can help the writer choose a starting place for a revision.

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The Who, What, Where Experiment

The Who, What, Where Experiment

by | Mar 21, 2019

The Who, What, and Where Experiment

Use this structured improv game to experiment with options for your next scene.

Style

Architect

Skill

Improvisation

Time

10 minutes

THE STUDIO:

The Who, What, and Where Experiment

One way to invite your creativity to play is to ask it to work within specific limitations. In this game, you’ll brainstorm a variety of characters, settings, and actions, and try them out in a scene to find a strong combination for your next drafting session.

Remember: there is no right way to play an improv game. So, while you’ll start with the limitations to point your creativity in the right direction, let go of rules as much as you can as you engage more deeply in the game. As in all improv games, say yes, and … to your ideas and see where your spontaneity leads you. 

 

Materials

The Who, What, and Where Experiment

  • Space to move
  • Paper
  • Pen

1. Start by making three quick lists. Who could be in this scene? What could the main action of the scene be? Where might the scene take place? Push past your first ideas toward the more unusual ones that come after you’ve cleared your mind of what’s most obvious or likely.

2. Stand up. It’s important that you don’t just think about this game. You need to play it!

3. Choose a combination from your list:

  • at least one character to join your main character in the scene.
  • an interesting action
  • an unexpected setting

4. Strike a frozen pose of your main character at the beginning of this potential scene. Once you’ve frozen, emphasize the action and the emotion of your pose. You’ll know you’re starting to play when you begin to feel the emotion in your body.

5. Fast forward to the middle of the scene. Strike at least one pose to show the middle of the scene, or use a sequence of a few, if you like.

6. Create one more frozen pose of your character at the conclusion of the scene. Here’s an excellent opportunity to make sure you’re truly showing the emotion rather than just having your character think about it. What action might they take at the scene’s end?

7. Now that you have your key moments, try putting the scene in action. Move your body through the scene, listening as your mind silently narrates the scene. You might take ten seconds or so to play the scene through.

8. Now, rewind, and try out a different option. Try at least three possibilities before sitting down to write. You may have found an interesting combination of who, what, and where to include in your scene. However, even if you write the scene as originally imagined, you’ll have a more expansive sense of what’s possible as you write, and will shake loose the possibility of surprise as you capture your ideas on the page.

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Improvise the Highlights

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Use this quick-thinking improv game to identify key moments in your scene and shortcut the experimentation process.

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Step Into Your Character's Shoes

FOR INVENTORS

Take on your character’s mindset and play through a scene in a variety of ways in this improv game for writers.

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Improvised Storytelling

FOR COLLABORATORS

Create a collaborative scene with a partner, using their questions to help you better understand your main character’s point of view.

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ARCHITECT: Zoom In On Your Heart

ARCHITECT: Zoom In On Your Heart

by | Jan 24, 2019

Zoom In On Your Heart

Answer three key questions to focus your attention on the core of this project, and its importance to you.

Style

Architect

Skill

Finding the Heart

Time

15 mins

THE ATTIC:

Zoom In On the Heart

While there are only three questions in this exercise, there are likely a number of answers to explore. Give yourself the space to answer in a variety of directions to start. Then, review the ideas that arose, choose the answers that are most helpful, intriguing, or surprising, and follow that thinking through the second and third questions.

Your goal is to zoom in on what matters most to you in this project, and you are more likely to find that key insight by looking at the question from a number of angles.

 

Materials

How to Play

  • Timer

  • Paper

  • Pen

1. Set the timer for five minutes. List as many answers as you can to this question: In this idea, what matters most to me?

– If you run out of ideas, and there is still time, keep thinking until the timer buzzes. Sometimes the ideas that come after we think we’ve run out are the most helpful.

– If you run out of time but you still have more to say, allow yourself to keep going for a reasonable amount of time. Keep in mind that there are two more steps, and you want to have time for the entire exercise.

2. Review your answers, and star the ones that are most helpful, intriguing, or surprising. Ideally, you’ll have two or three ideas starred.

3. Set your timer for two minutes per starred item and list reasons why. Sometimes it helps to think in categories: personal, professional, community, etc.

4. Review your reasons, and then set the timer for a final five minutes. Write in as much detail to answer: What might success look like? Paint the scene of the project, finished, and how it will be experienced by others. If you can, invent a specific moment, a specific person, and build a circumstance that is meaningful to you.

5. The timer may run out, but keep going if you’re on a roll. You may want to revise your story into a short two-three paragraph reminder of where you’re headed. Keep your writing close at hand–it will help keep you focused on what’s most important in your work.

Try On Other Creative Styles

Freewrite Your Heart

FOR INVENTORS

Move your hand across the page speedily to bypass your critic and discover your heart.

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Share Your Heart with a Loved One

FOR COLLABORATORS

Choose a confidant and write a letter about your project. What is most important to you about creating this artwork?

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Frame Your Heart in Three

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Choose three adjectives that focus your attention on the core of this project, and its importance to you.

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Profile Three Experts

Profile Three Experts

by | Jan 4, 2019

Profile Three Experts

Use insight from three experts to lead you to the perfect-fit mentor.

Style

Architect

Skill

Choosing a Mentor

Commitment

Ongoing

THE LIBRARY:

Profile Three Experts

 

When you’re seeking out a mentor, use the guidance of experts to point your way. When you take the time to profile three experts before choosing a mentor, you’ll gain structured insight to help you make the best possible decision.

Profiling three experts will help you:

  • Meet their mentors and widen your knowledge of the field
  • Identify pitfalls and shortcuts
  • Clarify what might work (and not work) for you

Materials

Profile Three Experts

  • Computer

  • Paper

  • Pen
  • Library (optional)

1. Choose three experts on your topic. Vary your group by considering age, culture, background, genre, and other factors. While you can choose someone you know, remember you can also choose anyone you can research online–past or present.

2. Profile your three experts by gathering as many answers as you can to the following questions.

– What is this expert known for?

– What two or three successes stand out?

– What two or three setbacks stand out?

– Who are/were their mentors? (Bibliographies and acknowledgement sections are great places to explore influential people in an expert’s life.)

– What books, resources, or tools does this expert recommend?

– Does this expert offer any step-by-step guidance, a framework, or strategies you might try? (Note the top one or two that resonate with you if you encounter an abundance of options.)

– What quotes from this expert embody their message?

3. Review your three profiles. Does one of these experts stand out as a strong match to guide your next steps? Or, did your research point to someone new you’d like to explore?

4. If you’ve chosen a thought leader as a mentor, take a month or so to soak in their expertise. Read, watch, and/or listen to whatever you can from them, and remember to reflect along the way. Once the month is up, evaluate your progress and decide whether to stick with the same mentor next month, or whether to move on to another expert who can push your growth in a new direction.

5. Or, if you’ve chosen a hands-on mentor, contact that person and set up your first meeting! Don’t forget to share what you learned from your profiling process with your mentor. The more you communicate about your goals and questions, the more effective your mentor can be in helping you move strategically forward.

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Choose One Expert

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Focus on one expert in this strategic learning exercise.

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Assemble a Think Tank of Mentors

FOR INVENTORS

Identify one-of-a-kind insights by connecting wisdom from an eclectic group of experts.

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Create a Learner's Book Club

FOR COLLABORATORS

Collaborate with a few friends to gain the most out of your next mentorship experience.

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