I am taking four courses this summer for postgraduate certificates in Social Media and Event Management. Earlier today I was studying for an Event Theory test I have on Thursday and finding it hard to focus given the weather was finally great (the past week had consisted of an unbearable heat wave followed by all of the rain imaginable). In the midst of trying to fill my head with knowledge, I looked up from my laptop and saw that I had company!
My mom had mentioned that there were bunnies living under her deck but the family had a hard time believing her because no one else had ever seen them. I was glad to have a study buddy, but also wondered: how is one expected to study with this adorable furballl around?! I decided to live tweet my bunny watch (and failed attempt at studying) until – spoiler alert – the bunny was chased off by another creature of phenomenally cute proportions. Check out my journey down the rabbit hole and then read on for a discussion on what story elements I used to craft my live tweet thread.
Elements of a Story
In general terms, there are five main components to a story: setting, character, plot, conflict, and arc. I tried to incorporate these elements into my live tweet thread in the following ways.
Setting
I let the viewer know my location right away by stating in the first tweet that I was in my mom’s backyard. I also explained that it was a beautiful morning and the videos I attached to my tweets provided both visual imagery of the sunny weather and examples of sounds I was hearing (peaceful breeze and singing birds).
Character
While the bunny was the main character that the viewer sees and learns about (I named the bunny Thumper, inspired by the classic Disney movie Bambi), there are secondary characters in the birds that sit on the fence and the hero of the story, my mom’s dog, Milo. I also tried to infuse personality into the narrator of the live thread (me!) by showcasing a little humour with GIFs and hashtags.
Plot
The plot refers to the actions undertaken by the characters within the setting as they pursue a goal. I tried to describe the events that were occurring in the backyard as they happened – i.e. finishing my plate of cookies, the arrival of the birds, the bunny’s movement, etc.
Conflict
The conflict in the live tweet thread revolves around my attempt to study in a prime-summer setting while other distractions continue to arise. My academic grade is at stake (and it turns out so is my mom’s pot of planted lettuce) and I have to be able to concentrate.
Arc
Good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. My live tweet thread starts off with the arrival of the bunny, continues with commentary on the ways in which the bunny distracts me from studying, and finally ends with a “hoppy” ending when my mom’s dog scares the bunny away (that was the quickest bunny hopping I’d ever seen!)
In addition to incorporating story elements into my tweet thread, I also tried to convey the story in my own voice and tone (which is key to writing good social media copy). I tried to pretend like I was having an in-person conversation about the bunny with my friends. All in all, I got some studying in and it turned out to be a very productive day! And the best thing that came out of my encounter with Thumper: we now know that my mom wasn’t just imagining the bunnies. Ha!
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 