While I consider myself a natural-born storyteller, as soon I sat down to tell a tale, my whole body began to panic and my mind went blank. How could I not tell a story when I believe this to be one of my greatest talents?
Then it hit me- the recurring theme of the texts:
Write what you know.
Write how you would talk.
Know your audience.
Evoke a reaction.
As much as it seems trite at this stage, it felt true to me and by now a universal experience to fairly Tweet about my experience navigating our healthcare system through COVID.
At the same time, I was struck by news of the Alberta government’s plan to do a 3% salary rollback for nurses who are still on the frontlines of the pandemic battle.
So I used this opportunity to follow Nick Reese’s advice on how a good story will outsell a good product to use my dramatized tale of being a big ol’ baby getting my COVID test as a call-to-action for advocacy for healthcare workers from government.
The blessing of hindsight allowed me to find humour in the situation while still capturing the anxiety I felt not only about the actual nasal swab, but the reality of living through pandemic in general. I believe that both the ability to laugh at myself while also reflecting on all my emotions add strength to my story as they follow the principles of Kristin Tysnki’s analysis of Buzzfeed’s best performing articles.
Additionally, I capitalized on my strengths as a millennial to craft the story specific to what works best for Twitter as a platform, and incorporated GIFs as a visual aid to represent the feelings of the story.
Overall, this was a fun exercise and a tale that I hope would inspire others to a) Overcome the fears of the nasal swab (because as I now know it truly isn’t that bad) and b) Remember the value frontline workers have provided throughout this pandemic and beyond, and the prioritization they require in government policy.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 