Transmedia Storytelling

Reading has always been my escape.  I grew up on words.  It was the way that I could learn lessons without experiencing them first had, and eventually helped me figure out who I am today.  This is why I am so passionate about writing and keeping the written word alive.

As the world continues to evolve and everything becomes more digital, the way the written word is received is changing.  With children beginning to use the Internet at younger ages the way they receive information and narrative changes – the publishing industry needs to make use of this technology, this digital media, or the written word could be lost forever.  Because of these shifts in our culture, I believe that these changes need to occur to preserve the written word:

• With access to the digital world, developing stories with transmedia intentions will engage the readers on a whole new level 
• Transmedia will revolutionize the way that stories are told, and will keep the written word alive 
• There is a need to publish young adult literature that has significance to the age group 
•  Publishing companies need to listen to those that are reading what they’re publishing 

Referring to what I’ve stated previously, the world is becoming digitized, easily providing a platform for publishing companies to capitalize on, and use to their advantage.  There are a few transmedia (media – I this case a narrative - that crosses more than one platform) projects in the works, but for them to be successful they have to be engaging the readers on a whole new level.  Using transmedia is a way to save the written word, and grow at the same time.

I believe that the use of transmedia in the young adult literature world will revolutionize the industry in such a way that it won’t be able to go back to what it originally was.  As the written word on the printed page dies, and ereaders take over, we need to realize that it’s time to make a change.  It’s time to embrace the digital world, and work with it, rather than fight against it.  That is why I’m calling for a change – a change that will save the written word, and engage current and new readers into a whole new world.

Transmedia can draw a reader in, and never let them out.  Creating such a diverse, engaging world will draw a reader in on a whole new level.  They can become part of the story – which is a whole new aspect to the concept of the narrative.

To make this possible, publishing companies must start signing on novels that will work in a transmedia aspect.  They need to pick projects that will engage the young adult demographic, and draw them into these alternate worlds that can be developed through a transmedia platform.  The way to do this is through reader input.  If they listen to what the readers want, then they will instantly have created something that will have an active, engaged, and interested audience.

Some say the written word is dead.  I disagree.  Reading can take you places, as well as create an understanding. It can foster communities and form friendships. With the use of transmedia, we can change the industry for the better, and make those places and worlds in literature become a closer reality.  It can help further the creation of bonds between readers through the use of the multimedia platforms.  The story and bonds between the readers can become reality.  The words that influence someone’s life will never die – they, and the ones you share them with, stick with you for life.