Take Six: Elements of a Good Digital Story

There are six elements defined in the article, each element is a step to creating a good digital story. The six elements are: (1) Living Inside Your Story, (2) Unfolding Lessons Learned, (3) Developing Creative Tension, (4) Economizing the Story Told, (5) Showing Not Telling, and (6) Developing Craftsmanship. The first element is about getting the audience to your feel like they are experiencing your story first hand by you sharing who you are, what you felt, and what the moment/event means to you. The second element explains that a good digital story has to make a point, and the viewer should feel like they learned a lesson, or gained understanding. The third element, developing creative tension, is about making your audience feel the tension. There should be a problem/tension in the beginning that gets solved later on. The fourth take says a story needs to have a destination, to make a point. The article described the fifth element as, “Good stories use vivid details to reveal feelings and information rather than just saying something was tall, happy, scary, or difficult to do.” The sixth element is about combining media elements to convey meaning rather than just being artsy and decoration.

I appreciate how this article describes the elements well enough for the reader to understand while still being crystal clear. Another aspect of the article I like is how they relate creating a digital story to making a movie. For example you want the view to feel as though they are experiencing every emotion right along with you, just like a movie. The rubric at the end of the article will be helpful for when I try to create my own digital story.