Writing update

Well, I've been using Buzzword on and off for the past few weeks. I've been switching between Word and Buzzword (and the archaic use of pencil and paper too) in a random and sporadic manner. In actual fact I've been tending to use Word to draft some rough paragraphs and then copy them into Buzzword to compile it.

Still very happy with Buzzword, although there was one rather frustrating day when it was being upgraded or offline for some reason. So, I reverted to my mac's trusty TextEdit for the day instead!

I've just shared two files with my supervisors for comments, so we'll see what happens and how Buzzword, and my supervisors, cope with that.

As an aside, I'm currently half considering the use of InDesign at the end to format all the copy and convert to pdf (I hope to turn my thesis into a set of Lulu books). Only trouble is I don't know how to use InDesign yet, but that seems like a minor point!

Buzzword - Am I being as stupid as I think I may be?

So the title says it all really. I've decided to take what I think may be a somewhat unusual step on my road to PhD thesis writing. I'm using Adobe's Buzzword.

Yes, I know it's pretty simplistic, but if I'm honest that what appeals. An online, accessible-from-anywhere, intuitive, and, frankly, elegant design for creating documents just screams 'use me'.

It could be dangerous (it's still in Beta afterall). What if I lose files, want to add TOC (table of contents), and other exciting MS Word features? Hmmm, well I've thought about it and my concession is this - I don't think it's going to be completely realistic for me to use Buzzword as my one and only word processor and I'm going to be printing off lots of draft versions as back up (which I do when using Word anyway). So I'll be switching between Buzzword for creating drafts and Word for 'fine-tuning' the drafts.

I feel like I can write quicker and create smaller (read as 'concise'!), more modular documents in Buzzword's simple, uncluttered interface (with half a mind somehow aware of the hellish task awaiting me in collating these multitude of docs with only Word).

Yet it seems appropriate to use an online tool to tell my thesis story - after all my research is all about how technology is changing the way we communicate. Why not extend that to the way we create and distribute?

Any comments from anyone who has used Buzzword would be welcome...

GuiMags

So it's been a while since my last blog (understatement of the year) but I just came across this website and felt compelled to blog about it.

I'm becoming increasingly technophobic whilst still maintaining an aspect of geekiness (it takes skill I tell you) so when I found this suggestion on a website I was thrilled:

"Could designing software without a computer save you roughly 80% of your time...?" - GuiMags

They've created GuiMags - magnets of, you've guessed it, GUI elements like drop-down menus, radio buttons, labels etc, designed for use on a whiteboard. Much quicker than the use of paper prototyping and, I think, would offer a much more collaborative, interactive workflow.

is it wrong that I skim read an article on literacy?

Is Google making us stupid?

Nicholas Carr writes;

"My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle."

The Importance of Being er, Truthful?

Well, like many I've been following the We Tell Stories Penguin 6 week special (for those of you who haven't heard of it it's well worth a look).

So, I haven't found any of it mind-blowing literature but I did find one story thought-provoking, although it's the medium rather than the text.

I'm talking about Slice.
Slice is told through two fictitious blogs by the main character (Slice) and Slice's parents. Now these are real blogs (whatever 'real' may mean in this context) hosted on recognised blogging sites and, as would be expected, the entries have attracted followers and so comments. Some of the commenters (is that a word?) are other fictitious friends of Slice from home but some of them are avid readers of the blog.

Now my question (hypothetical I hope) is, what if someone stumbled across these blogs through the ether and was unaware of the Penguin Six Stories connection? Would they fear for this girl's life? In essence, would it matter to them if the girl was real or not for all the difference they could make?

Truth and authenticity is a subject much debated in the realm of traditional oral storytelling but I fear it is less contentious an issue there than in the virtual world. I firmly believe that all stories contain truth, whether it be a true tale, or culturally accurate, or resonates with the human soul. (To clarify, my definition of 'truth' in this context is similar to 'believability' - if the story doesn't ring true on some level then it simply cannot function as a story.)

And I suppose that this blurring of reality/fantasy or fiction/non-fiction can occur on many other planes (e.g.'The Man Who Planted Trees') but is 'truth' (as in the events actual occurring) important here? If you can identify with or be inspired by a character in fiction (or popular media culture) then is the emotional reaction less valid for its fictitious underpinning? If so, try telling that to the thousands of girls who broke their hearts crying over the break up of Take That. (Which btw I wasn't one of.:-))

wii-fit

Came across this video a while back but with the recent launch of wii-fit in the UK I am reminded of this every time I see an ad for it.

Is this the new storytelling?

'Traditional Tales with a triple twist' - sounds a bit like an alcopop to me... Is this the future of storytelling?

"Incorporating Greek myths and Russian folktales this unique fusion of a capella harmonies, poetic storytelling and an interactive physical style guarantees a spine-tingling energy through sound and song." Annamation

Well, I don't know anything about this production but I would be slightly wary of the claim of 'storytelling'. I don't doubt that traditional tales are used but, at the risk of sounding like a decrepit stuck-in-the-mud, it strikes me that it's more like a show, a theatre production.
I saw Xanthe perform Aphrodite and the Real Red Shoes a few months ago, and whilst fascinating and sometime engaging I would never have thought to label it 'storytelling'.

To me (and I'm well aware that this is just a personal definition) there are some qualities that characterise a storytelling experience. Time, location and atmosphere are key.

1. Time - by that I mean pace. Because the audience listeners are seeing the story in their mind, the storyteller can afford to take time. Pauses are natural in traditional storytelling, they allow the listener to savour the moment and build or release tension.
   
2. Location - the most effective storytelling I've been privileged to hear haven't been near a stage. Part of the charm of storytelling is the lack of stage and the small intimate settings of a pub or cafe. The listener is drawn into the storyteller's world, as the storyteller is physically sharing the same space. Boundaries between teller and listener are blurred.
3. Atmosphere - goes hand in hand with some of the location comments. A participative, collaborative atmosphere is conducive to story sharing.
   

So, to sum up, I think it's a lot more than the stories which characterise oral 'storytelling'. I suppose Annamation are claiming to be something different than traditional storytelling but there is a lot of emphasis on 'storytelling' in their website.

Finally, if there was a performance near me I would be going to see the show!

Storytelling & Authenticity - Overview

So last month (18-19 March) I attended a symposium on Storytelling and Authenticity at the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling at the University of Glamorgan hosted by Mike Wilson and Hamish Fyfe (co-directors of the Centre).
The belated notes below are selective and naturally are skewed towards my own research interests, so apologies to any speakers who feel I haven't reflected their work adequately.
(In case of inaccuracies please let me know.)

• Tale-enders: Gathering the Narrative Heritage of Welsh Cricket
  This presentation was the launch of the Tale-enders project to produce narrative reminiscence content to form part of the Museum of Welsh Cricket. Read more...
  
• Capture Wales - Lisa Heledd
  Lisa defined a digital story as a 'short personal multimedia film'. For me, the key word here is 'personal' (i.e. autobiographical) in so much that it differs from traditional tale telling. Read more...
• Susie Pratt - digital stories and social media
  Susie gave a history of the background to Digital Stories and the current context of social media. Read more...
  
• Joseph Sobol - The Razor's Edge: The American Storytelling Movement in 2008
  Joseph's reference to the razor in the title was multi-layered, talking about the edge as that between amateur and professional. Read more...
  
• Richard Bauman - The Remediation of Storytelling: Narrative Performance on Early Commercial Sound Recording. Read more...
  
• Dick Leith - 'Authenticity' & 'Ownership: How to Shut People Up'. Read more...
  
• Neil Lanham - In the oral tradition, the singer is more important than the song. Read more...
  
  

Storytelling & Authenticity VII - Neil Lanham

Neil Lanham - 'Who is the truly educated man: The one who can grow onions or the man who can spell them?' (George Ewart Evans - The Horse in the Furrow)

In the oral tradition, the singer is more important than the song. Similarly, the story was important - the music was only an instrument or medium. Neil gave a fascinating insight into the last remaining remnants of oral tradition in Suffolk, through personal anecdotes and audio clips.

Neil referred to Walter Ong's Literacy and Orality heavily and produced the following list defining the differences between literate cultures and oral cultures.

Orality

1. Spoken word
   
2. Freedom of thought & language
   
3. Learning by oral transmission observation and experience
   
4. Traditional history seeking mindset
   
5. Metaphorical truth
   
6. Illustrative language of wit
   
7. Seeking principles of understanding
   
8. Seeking wisdom
   
9. Social status through character largely created by the ability to handle everyday narrative
   
10. Personal identity, community identity, locating self in community, time and place
    
11. A love of home
    
12. Inherited traditional oral culture in song, story, formulaic sayings
    
13. An internal perception

Literacy

1. Written word
   
2. Language restricted by the parameters of standard english
   
3. Learning by academic study mainly from dominance of print
   
4. Belief in modernism - 'the now'
   
5. Romantic movement influence
   
6. Contrived language
   
7. Seeking information
   
8. Seeking entertainment
   
9. Social status through academic awards in the world of the written word
   
10. Techno-literate mindset strong
    
11. Media influences
    
12. Delusions of grandeur in relocation and travel
    
13. 'Colonial/civilsed' misconception of indigenous culture
    
14. External perception

----
My thoughts
Well I don't really agree 100% with everything Neil said, but his enthusiasm for the singers and genuine affection for the agricultural tradition cannot be doubted. As Dick Leith commented, the divide between literate and oral doesn't have to be seen as a divide or opposition. They can be viewed as a continuum.
Is this mirrored through traditional storytelling and digital storytelling or is it all part of the same continuum?
What evidence is there of a new oral tradition? How are texts moving from oral-written-spoken again? Most stories tellers learn are from written sources, will this be the case in the future or do the texts remain in oral memory? Or, as is possibly more likely, will they be transmitted digitally (and so not neccessarily through text or visual media)?
Final note, a lovely phrase during the discussion afterwards:
"Tales do not recognise boundaries" - this reminded me of diffusionism and the power that stories have to transcend cultural lenses.

Storytelling & Authenticity VI - Dick Leith

Dick Leith - 'Authenticity' and 'Ownership: How to Shut People Up'

Dick sees storytelling as enjoyment (as a teller) and connects authenticity with struggle and suffering. That is, experience with folk tales illustrates own life. Famous singers like Jeanie Robertson & Harry Cox epitomise struggle and, consequently, authenticity. And so, Dick didn't feel entitled to sing songs by people like Jeanie and Harry.

Scottish travellers embody continuity in folkmusic and storytelling. How much/to what extent is authenticity imposed on by outside world/forces? Can we talk about authenticity as the relationship between the performer and their material?

I think this comes back to making the story or song your own, and only choosing material that

1. speaks to you, and
2. suits your style of performance

As Jess Smith told me, it's all about believability, if you don't believe in your characters then no-one else will.

Storytelling & Authenticity V - Richard Bauman

The Remediation of Storytelling: Narrative Performance on Early Commercial Sound Recording
Ok, so here's where it started to get a bit less relevant to me. (Well, it was at the end of the day).
I like the terminology 'remediation' - the 'transformation of oral storytelling into other media'.
But the general gist of the talk was around 3 recordings (with transcriptions provided) of early gramophone recordings in American (which to my tired ears were virtually unintelligible). Richard then spoke in great depth about the nuances of the performances.
As I said, it's not really my research interest so I found it hard to understand.

• For pre-presentation intro you can find more info here.

Storytelling & Authenticity IV - Joseph Sobol

Joseph Sobol - The Razor's Edge: The American Storytelling Movement in 2008
(reading from article published in Storytelling, Self, Society journal.)

Joseph's reference to the razor in the title was multi-layered, talking about the edge as that between amateur and professional, and storytelling both as an artform and as a social agent - in a utilitarian form.

It always seems a bit strange to me that (from what I've heard) traditional tales aren't really told by storytellers but have been sidelined in favour of autobiographical stories. Everything that Joseph said seemed to corroborate this, ie personal tales have superseded traditional folktales in USA. One of the issues upholding this is the idea of ownership - who owns the traditional tale? Can anyone tell it? I don't think that we have this kind of problem in Scotland, at least not on anything like that scale. All the storytellers I've met are keen to share stories and are all linked by their common love of stories.

From what Joseph was saying it seemed like the audience drove this trend from traditional to anecdotal, and he cited Donald Davis as an example, moving from traditional Appalachian folk tales, began telling autobiographical instead. I think my question here is - how important is the audience's request? Is it still storytelling or does it cross the line into stand-up? And, how important are the stories themselves? I think that one of the key roles of storytellers' is the ability to maintain and preserve a culture and heritage, whether that be Celtic myths or folk tales from around the world. I think that folk tales embody nuggets of culture, and even if they are taken out of context they provide a means for opening minds about alternative life values.

Storytelling & Authenticity III - Susie Pratt & Cats

Susie Pratt - Digital Stories & Social Media

Now, I have to apologize for my increasingly sketchy notes, but Susie gave a history of the background to Digital Stories and the current context of social media.
Inspired by project such as the Mass Observation social research organisation, Capture Wales started up before the UGC (User Generated Content) phenomenon. UGC is characterised by giving power back to the individual through easily accessible technology (democratising technology).

Susie talked about the 'Cute cat' theory of the internet and having googled it since this is what I found:

"The Web was invented so physicists could share research papers. Web 2.0 was invented so we could share cute pictures of our cats. The tools of Web 2.0, while designed for mundane uses, can be extremely powerful in the hands of digital activists, especially those in environments where free speech is limited."
ETech blurb for Ethan Zuckerman's presentation.

And there's more info about the cute cat theory talk on Ethan's theory at his blog (where the image below can be found).


Continuing on the furry animal theme, Susie went on talk about the Long Tail, which, again through surreptitious background digging courtesy of Google, I take to refer to Anderson's theory 'The Long Tail' referring to the shift from a hits-based marketplace where limited merchandise (e.g. books, CDs, DVDs) takes physical shelf space (and corresponding shelf cost) to a niche marketplace with unlimited stock lists (think Amazon & iTunes). The Long Tail itself refers to the graph of stocked items against quantity of items sold. The graph tails off pretty quickly. This tail represents the more unusual items which perhaps sell only 3 or 4 copies a year, but putting all these sales together, according to Anderson, amounts to a substantial chunk of profits.
Interestingly though, there seems to be a few parallels between this marketing or economics observation and our shift towards digital storytelling. The Long Tail principle requires that the infrastructure to support virtual shelf space exists (the Internet, postal services) and that people can find the content they want (recommendations, reviews - ie UGC).
And finally, this shift towards niche markets (is it a form of backlash to globalisation?*) is reminiscent of traditional low-technology small communities, defined this time by mutual interests, not geography.
--
*Or is it just another marketing ploy? Hmmm...

Storytelling & Authenticity II - Capture Wales

Capture Wales - Lisa Heledd

Lisa defined a digital story as a 'short personal multimedia film'. For me, the key word here is 'personal' (i.e. autobiographical) in so much that it differs from traditional tale telling. In this definition of digital stories the teller uses their own material to illustrate, and is narrated or spoken through the teller's voice.

Digital storytelling has been heavily influenced by the work of American artist Dana Winslow Atchley III who wanted to trigger memories and tried to find a way to bring new media forms and people together. Similarly, photographer Daniel Meadows tries to show that technology can break down barriers and facilitate the sharing of stories. Karen (BBC) & Daniel created a workshop approach and pilot to creating digital stories (Capture Wales) and the 3 year scheme is now almost finished.

Lisa claimed digital stories can have power to affect you emotionally and certainly the examples she played support this (e.g. My two nains and Samiya). She also noted the opportunities digital storytelling gives you to say things that you couldn’t say to family/friends in any other way – normally the things which are most important. This is turn triggers discussion within families/groups (e.g. Lisa sent copies of My Two Nains to her family).

Natural themes emerged in the stories from the Capture Wales workshops, and this let the team direct the story creation process to fit these themes and aided the development of:

• portfolio of technology (cameras, equipment)
• portfolio of story seeds (e.g. genealogy, questions, photographs)

The technology element is important, helping people to engage with technology. Most people who attended the Capture Wales workshops would describe themselves as compute illiterate and this potential fear of technology was addressed through sympathetic facilitation - making people feel comfortable about stories and technology through jokes and anecdotes.

A good digital storytelling experience needs 3 things:

1. Strong story - that is, best version of the story that author can possibly produce
2. Transferable skills – normally 2 days spent on learning technology, gaining the knowledge of what is possible
3. Ownership - storyteller is owner.

One specific project Lisa talked about was working with streetkids - working with groups where the technology was deliberately lo-tech, through using disposable cameras. To me, digital cameras are still a relatively recent phenomenon and I remember (and maybe actually preferred) getting physical photos through the post or picking them up at Boots and the fun of sitting in the local square with friends looking for the one decent photo in 24. But children nowadays don't get to do this and so in terms of this project it was a novelty value. The delayed time it takes to see what the photograph is heightens the excitement and surprise and allows reminiscence of actually making the image.

And finally, last comment on technology, Capture Wales started using video, mobile phone video to be precise. They used mobile phones because they saw the benefit of building on the familiarity of using mobiles. (Although, if you actually think about it, a mobile video phone is actually a lot more complex interface than a camcorder.)

My Thoughts
Following on from discussions after this talk (along the lines of 'but is this really storytelling? Who does it appeal to for an audience?') I think an important thing to keep in mind is the aim of digital storytelling. I mean, what is it's purpose?
It is the process or the output which is more important? I would suggest that for traditional oral storytellers the output is more important. Pleasure in telling the tale comes from a love of the story and engaging the audience directly.
In digital storytelling it seems to me that the process can be more important to the teller than the output - to create a piece that they can be proud of. An achievement in technological competence, creating a rendition of personal feeling/anecdote. It seems a cathartic experience, primarily meaningful to the creator, and of interest to their immediate circle of friends and family in articulating how they feel. A niche product, symptomatic of Web 2.0...
This isn't to say that either traditional or digital storytelling is better or worse than the other in either of these contexts, just that they are different and answer different needs in society.

Storytelling and Authenticity I - Tale Enders

Tale-enders: Gathering the Narrative Heritage of Welsh Cricket
This presentation was the launch of the Tale-enders project to produce narrative reminiscence content to form part of the Museum of Welsh Cricket.
The group are compiling an oral history of cricket in Wales and showed a promo video asking people to donate stories to the project, through various media including recorded stories (video/audio), photographs, letter writing, text messages and email.
They want personal stories; the heritage of the cricketing community; a redefinition of itself through story. Just as Capture Wales is capturing Welsh culture as it is, not stereotypes of what being 'Welsh' is and isn't, so too Tale-enders are trying to re-appropriate heritage in a shift away from museum-led static interpretation panels to real people's stories. This re-appropriation utilises the democratising ability of internet technology to allow people to become storytellers of their own lives.
It was suggested that there is a parallel between the cricket community and storytelling. (Now I don't know about this - I know nothing about cricket:-)) The time quality of cricket was cited; people come and watch, i.e. there is time to watch - it becomes a whole day's outing.

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