Proposal

The following is my proposed strategy for composing a series of transmedia stories.

This story will be an account of my recent trip to Italy. The genre is a non-fiction narrative, written in the style of a personal journal recounting my experience while immersed in Italian culture.

I have chosen this type of story because I find experiencing new cultures fascinating, whether it is first hand or through another’s eyes. Now it’s my turn to share the experiences I’ve had with others who enjoy the same. My intended audience is anyone who enjoys traveling or just experiencing new cultures.

My primarily purpose is to entertain the reader while providing my own insight on traveling in Italy. I intend to show some of the differences in cultures that can catch travelers off guard, often leading to culture shock.

First person focalization will be employed, as it will be told from my perspective. I will be the focalizer and the narrator. Employing human mental temporality, this story will be arranged chronologically in the order I experienced it, and may include references to memories and/or prediction. I do not foresee any changes in focalization or temporal arrangement after each pass.

I anticipate carrying the same story throughout all four passes, changing the media with each pass. Pass 1 will be all text. With the addition of various media in the subsequent passes, text will be reduced. In pass 2, I will add photo images. In pass 3, I will add video. In pass 4, I will create an interactive element. I’m unsure, however, what the interactive element will be. Perhaps linking readers to the sights, hotels, and other information mentioned to allow further investigation of elements they find interesting.

This story is not meant to be persuasive or to influence the reader’s opinion one way or another; therefore, I do not foresee a major change in rhetoric. I expect the photos and video to paint a vivid picture helping the reader to visualize any rhetoric include in pass 1. Through the addition of visual and interactive media to the storyline, memory hooks, making the story potentially more memorable, will be created.

I anticipate a challenge in writing this story. I have been writing technically for so long I fear I may have lost the knack to write creatively. Hopefully, with some practice it will come back. However, my greatest challenge for this project will be my lack of technical know-how. I have grandiose ideas of how I would like this project to appear, but I lack the technical knowledge, skills and abilities to ensure my vision comes to fruition, as well as the funds to purchase some of the pricey software packages on the market. I intend to research free or inexpensive software packages (30-day trials or student versions) with detailed instructions to resolve this issue.