What makes a good story? More specifically, does a good story require a specific format?
I’m intrigued by some experimental storytelling formats I’ve discovered recently. I’m not convinced they entirely work, but I applaud the attempts. Try out the following:
Phone Stories
Check out Popup Magazine’s Phone Stories. Call 415.452.6057 to hear someone tell you a specific (true) story. Sort of like a Moth story, though somewhat less polished, these stories are often quite compelling.
Twitter
Yes, Twitter. Tell a story, in this case a non-fiction piece of reportage on banking, in a series of Tweets. More coherent that just a series of somewhat related posts, these represent a good story arc.
Humans of New York
The highly successful Humans of New York has
done a beautiful job of telling — with a single image and the perfect amount of copy — the beauty of the human experience. With stories from the world over, the stories are exquisite.
Interactive Storytelling
Five Dials tries a new storytelling approach that’s not entirely successful, but still really interesting. In questionnaire form, you begin by answering questions on music, and are quickly sucked into an interactive story.