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Pixton is an online comic making tool used by millions that empowers anyone to create unique, expressive comics without having to draw.

Introduction:

This text message conversation is my take on a comic. This is a story about heading into the “real world” as a college grad. I wanted to experiment with retelling stories in various formats so I used the story from my cinematic screenplay.

Commentary:

This story helped be concise when writing a story and cutting out all the extras that come with writing. It also reminded me that I do have a lot of stories to tell that can be expressed in many ways. We all tell stories about ourselves everyday and this helped me realized that even though they seem small and insignificant, they can show others a lot about who you are.

I really liked that this was a somewhat unconventional way of approaching personal memoirs. You don't often see comics where you learn more about an actual person and it's becoming more popular so it was fun to learn more about it. I also really enjoyed the fact that this was pretty informal so it was just like talking to my friend.

It was difficult at first because there's just so little space and time to convey what you want to get across. You can only say so much and express so much emotion in a small text bubble.

Making Comics helped me understand how to only have the most vital parts of my story and that I didn't need any extra things. I also learned that I didn't need the type of comic that usually comes to mind which is why I chose this text message format to convey the story.

The one thing that helped me the most with this storytelling method was looking at as many comics and auto-bio comics as I could before starting on mine. It's also helpful if you know a general idea of what story you want to tell while you're looking through them

Storytelling Bio:

I’m a college senior at the University of Colorado ready to get out of school and start my life as a web developer as soon as possible. Most of my time is spent on my computer but when I’m not staring at my screen, I like to hike, take long drives, read, paint, photograph, eat, and travel.

#Final Storytelling Portfolio

Storyboard

#Final Storytelling Portfolio

Introduction:

Everyone knows the feeling of being rejected, feeling apprehensive, and feeling hopeful as the college experience ends. This is a story about heading into the "real world" as a college grad.

Commentary:

While writing this screenplay, I realized that I enjoyed writing things like this in third person and objectively. It came easier to me than some of the other methods that I've written in. I like things to be concise and having a story split into parts and scenes helped me narrow down the most important things in the story and do just that.

This was my favorite method of storytelling. I liked how I could be objective with the story and I didn't have to describe how I felt at every moment. I enjoyed describing the facial features and gestures much more than talking about my emotions at a particular time.

The one thing I found difficult with this type of story is that it can be hard trying to write only the most important things at first because I have been used to expanding as much as I could on whatever I wrote. Once I was able view the story objectively, it was much easier to do this.

Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect made it clear to me that a cinematic, more than the other types of stories, had to connect with readers/viewers the most. I think this is because when you're reading a personal story with a lot of description, there's a different expectation than a cinematic experience. When people watch videos, TV shows, or movies, they want to be completely engrossed with the story. I tried to do this by trying to talk about an topic that many people can relate to and have had similar experiences to.

When writing a a screenplay, it's best to just write down a rough outline without worrying about the small details. Once you have a rough idea of the story, it's easier to go back and refine the details and format it correctly.

Storytelling Bio:

I'm a college senior at the University of Colorado ready to get out of school and start my life as a web developer as soon as possible. Most of my time is spent on my computer but when I’m not staring at my screen, I like to hike, take long drives, read, paint, photograph, eat, and travel.

#Final Storytelling Portfolio

Introduction:

This is a story about my epiphany at an Indian airport. This was an important point in my life as it made me realized how much I have grown in the last few years and how much my identity as an American-Indian has changed over time.

Commentary:

When developing this story, I realized I had a lot to say about the topic and that this was an extremely significant turning point in my life. It was difficult for me to express my emotions and talk about how how this was such an important moment but writing this story definitely helped me get a little better at expressing these emotions in writing. The process helped me understand myself and what helps me get comfortable with writing such personal stories.

I enjoyed being able to relay this story almost exactly how I experienced it. It was like telling a story to my friends since it is such an intimate platform. It was also a very therapeutic experience and it was nice to get things out on paper.

It was hard to start writing because I wasn't used to writing about myself like this. I usually don't talk too much about my emotions or experiences that have changed me so this was a hard experience. After my first draft, I found that I didn't have much written down so I had to dig a little deeper.

Once I went read Shimmering Images I learned that multiple drafts are required to get to important personal stories sometimes. I also learned that it's better to add as much detail as you can, that way you can bring the reader into your world and your mind. Once I was able to come up with more to talk about through the exercises in this book, I had a much easier time writing.

To anyone who is working on writing a personal Cowbird-style story, I would suggest going through the exercises found in Shimmering Images and coming up with as many story ideas as possible. Once you find a story that you think is worth telling and you can write a lot about it, free writing about the topic can help get a lot of things out that you didn't even realize was there.

Storytelling Bio:

#Final Storytelling Portfolio

Week 11: Character Mood Exercise

I brushed the snow off of my coat and took a deep breath. I was buzzed in and the rush of warm air welcomed me as I opened the heavy door to the lobby. "Are you Priya?", the cheery secretary asked. She signed me in and showed me to the seating area where I was to be seated while she talked to my interviewer. I inhaled sharply while I looked around and shifted around in my chair. A water bottled appeared next to me, the secretary was back and informed the interviewer would be down in a few minutes. I slid forward to the edge of the chair and picked up the ice cold water bottle with my shaking hands. I cleared my throat and took a few more gulps of the water. I heard footsteps. I looked up and quickly got my things together; my interviewer was coming down the stairs.

#reading response

Week #11 Reading Responses

Reading "Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect" helped me understand what it means to connect with people through screenwriting, animation, and short films. In the introduction, I realized the importance of human connection through the examples and her explanations. It is important to have a story that is powerful enough to connect to others and is relatable so that the audience enjoys it as well. Conflict is a good tool to use for this but too much of it is also a problem. There needs to be a good balance of conflict and connection.

In chapter 1, I came to realize what many other people do: when I write, I don't think about connecting with others. I think mostly about the story and what it signifies to me rather than thinking about it in an abstract way that everyone can relate to. It's difficult to do but it's the best way to make your audience interested in what you have to say and be successful. No one is going to be interested in a personal story that has no broad meaning that the audience can connect to.

As I continued and did the Le Menu exercise, I found it helpful to write down things that I personally think are important. Like the mountain top exercise, it helped me to focus on my experiences and take out the emotions in each of the topics to later use in stories. I really enjoyed the Barry Jenkins anecdote as it helped me realize that my stories didn't have to be exclusively about me but rather how I view the world.

The part about perfectionism in chapter 3 really hit home with me. I agree that it is a continuous obsessive system that keeps me from moving ahead sometimes. I often don't write because I can't think of the right words or the write way to tell a story. I just need to do it. Depending on my mood and the day I'd like to test out writing at different times with music that fits what I'm feeling currently. I think this might help me really feel what I'm writing enough to get out of my shell and perfectionistic habits and just write.

Like many people, I hadn't ever thought of writing with someone before I read chapter 4. Even in other class projects and collaborative efforts, I find it difficult to work with someone else unless they are 100% on the same page as me and we know each other well and are able to work well with each other in a more serious environment. However, writing with someone else would ease my concerns over writing well and writing something others would be interested in. It may be helpful to run ideas by someone else and be able to write something you know that at least one other person will enjoy.

As I read chapter 5, I came up with three concepts that I want to keep in mind as a plan and write my story. The first is to write a story that has momentum and emotional flow that keeps the audience interested. Second, it's important to alternate and interweave between surface and deep action as this does the same, it keeps the audience at the edge of their seats and keeps them wanting more. Finally, I need to keep my storyline simple. Adding complex characters to a simple story can make a great story and it's important to not add too much frivolous details that the audience won't be interested in, they are much more able to relate to the complex characters.

#reading response

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Week 7: Story Ideas

CDS-style Digital Story: For this I think I will re-write the story I came up with for Cowbird and make it into a longer piece that I can read. I have plenty of pictures from my trip for this.

Cowbird:

Graphic Memoir: I was thinking of writing about how my grandfather would walk me home from kindergarten and I would always demand that he either buy me chocolate or carry me home.

Animated Short:

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Cowbird: I was thinking about talking about a time this summer when I finally felt the pressure to get married at an "appropriate" time and to a specific type of person. This was during my trip to India and many people were asking when I was going to get married. While we were visiting landmarks/temples and waiting in line, my dad told me about the different castes and sections of Hindus. A week later, my parents talked to me and my cousin about getting married after we get jobs.

#story ideas

creativenarration

For the CDS Format:

I have the most ideas for this, but not enough images for all of them so that will probably determine the end result. The primary one is the nigh my friend called us to tell us he was going to commit suicide, New Years Eve of 2010. It was an extremely intense night, and the...

pripri-blogs-blog

It's hard coming up with an idea for an animated short! I think the story of saving your dog could be easily communicated with just a visual and wouldn't really need any voiceovers or extra explanations of what's happening throughout the story so that could make for a good short!

Week 7: Story Ideas

CDS-style Digital Story: For this I think I will re-write the story I came up with for Cowbird and make it into a longer piece that I can read. I have plenty of pictures from my trip for this.

Cowbird:

Graphic Memoir: I was thinking of writing about how my grandfather would walk me home from kindergarten and I would always demand that he either buy me chocolate or carry me home.

Animated Short:

#story ideas

This CDS story was really captivating from the beginning. I think the images and videos really helped get me into the story; the only thing I would have changed is using all personal images for the whole thing rather than generic ones. Overall, it wasn't exactly how you would hear it from a friend but it still was full of emotion and descriptive.

#grade booster

Week 5: Storytime

Code Talkers:

I chose to read this piece because the author immediately delves into the story and you’re there in her bedroom listening to her brother’s music. Rather than reflecting back on the story, she narrates it like you would a fiction story. It’s easy to relate to the story of a young girl trying to understand what’s happening around her. I especially liked the lines: “I think the messages are not hidden but that people fear what they don’t understand. I don’t understand either, but I’m not afraid.”

The Sky Turns Blue and the Sun Appears

This story took some turns that I was not expecting. It starts of so abruptly, “Look at those tits” which definitely got my attention. As she describes her summer at the beginning of the piece, I thought that the story would be about her father’s terrible behavior but once you get to the end, you see that it’s about the day that made her go from being an adolescence to being an adult although she was only 14. I enjoyed her descriptions and I really got into the story, however, I think she added a little too much detail; I wanted to just skim over some parts when she was talking about losing her dog.

Confessions of a Nervous Child

This one was very relatable. I too was a nervous child and was scared of everything. The way the author talks about his trial and tribulations with a touch of humor really made this story easy to relate to. It was really touching to hear about his teacher and his parents who, though exasperated, were there for him and just wanted him to be happy. I thought of my own parents all of the things I’ve made them put up with.

Collection of Dogs, Collection of Selves

I picked this one because I was intrigued by the fact that the author had a collection of dog figurines. It started off a little monotone but by the time it hits 1:00, it has much more emotion and personality. I like that he views each of the figurines as little artifacts from his past self and that it’s now a tradition to keep it going and it’s a great way to remember how far he’s come.

Targeted

This was a pretty funny audio story on The Moth. She gets more comfortable as she continues telling the story and once she gets into it, you can’t help but laugh. It’s hard to juggle multiple things and sometimes it gets a little confusing so her realization is very relatable. Since her story starts off a little lighthearted it captivated me and I wanted to keep listening; it was like listening to a friend telling a really good story.

#learning reflections

Cowbird Stories

I got off the airplane in India this summer and it felt like a dream. I didn’t really feel like I belonged there. Each time I visited I felt a little more distant than before and this was the first time I felt completely removed from my surroundings. I would probably use an image of a city.

My first boyfriend/breakup: After (what seemed like) an intense 4 months, he decided to break up with me over text. I’d probably use a phone or a screen with a text message bubble for this one.

#Story Ideas

Week 3: Keep It Simple

After reading the stories on Brevity and Cowbird, I finally understood what Lisa Norton meant by focusing on a single story and keeping it simple. Writing stories about myself and things that have happened to me seems daunting but knowing that I can express a moment in a simple and casual way definitely makes it a lot easier. Literally just writing a background story for an image seems much more doable to me than coming up with a moment in time in my head.

I really enjoyed most of the stories on Brevity. They were all easy to read and although most of them weren't based on a prompt or a specific photo or something solid, they still managed to encompass what a person felt at a single moment or situation. I particularly enjoyed reading Afternoon Affair and How to Fall In Love For Real. Afternoon Affair was a fun read because of the seemingly random situation that the author was in but readers can each relate to it in many different ways and get something different out of it. It was nice to see how the author articulated how certain moments are so fleeting and memories can stick with you without reason. How to Fall In Love For Real was also an interesting read. I like reading pieces that are about experiences people had while they were around my age because there are some things that every 20-something can understand. The emotions and process of understanding he went through is extremely relatable to anyone who is still trying to figure out life and what you want to do with it.

On Cowbird, I liked the option of having just a single photo or audio track express your thoughts. It was nice to listen to something rather than read it; you can definitely learn more about an author that way. This was the case when I listened to A Speech, and A Song by Eugenia Toure. The way she describes her story and the way she says it full of emotion, the listener really feels like they’re almost there with her. On the other end, there are many pieces with a simple photo and a simple caption. One of these types of stories that stood out to me was Multiple Exposures. Although the author explains why they chose this photo and what they got out of it, it still allows for the viewer to take away many different themes and thoughts from this. I think we’ve all had experiences that have been so rich and full, that they sort of all meld together to create an overall indescribable experience.

#Learning Reflections

I'm just your friendly neighborhood cynic.

#six word memoir

Stop. Think. Feel. Write.

Reading the first few sections of Shimmering Images got me thinking about stories I could recall off of the top of my head. And I couldn't think of a single thing.

I've never been one to dwell on or think about things that happen in my life more than I had to. Looking back, I've realized I try to move on from situations as quickly as possible and don't actually face them head on. I try to continue my life without disturbance so when I came across "you must voice your stories to get beyond them", I tried to dig deeper.

This paragraph really struck a cord with me because I have never looked back and took the time to reflect on important points in my life even though I felt a lot of emotion during these times. In the past, I tried to keep up with writing down my thoughts and feelings but it was always futile. If I wasn't feeling anything really deep, I automatically assumed it wasn't important enough to write down or think about and I think this is something a lot of people do.

Writing memoirs will be an interesting experience for me since I've never put much thought into why there are scenes and words that have stuck with me. Like Lisa says, you have to trust the shimmering images in your head.

#Learning Reflections

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