Storify Assignment - Jag

For my Storify assignment, I chose to focus on Twitter fiction, as I've been a follower of @VeryShortStory for a while now and felt that working on a story within the strict constraints of Twitter might help me become a more decisive, concise, and possibly even more creative writer.

Perhaps obviously, I started with the #TwitterFiction hashtag. I had never used or viewed Storify before this assignment but it's quite useful in the way it will help curate and compile a search item amongst many different social media sites. Much like when I would write essays for university, I looked to who I was citing was citing.One of the organizers of a Twitter Fiction festival had her own Storify on the event, which allows readers of my Storify to see other people engaged in this art-form. From there, I found an entire Twitter Fiction festival on YouTube and a visual essay providing some more general background on Twitter Fiction.

I approached my Storify as very much a newbie, and therefore - hoping I'm not the only one - designed my Storify as an introduction to Twitter Fiction for other newbies. The examples, videos and audio I used were all of a wide-scope of Twitter Fiction as a whole and not an attempt to deconstruct a particular facet or account within the broader movement.

My Storify does not give a "full picture" of Twitter Fiction. Although I do feel it serves as a nice introduction to the concept, my Storify does omit some of the criticisms of Twitter Fiction. These criticism include the inanity of stories so short, attacking them as lacking substance or importance, or that they are merely ephemeral and forgettable. It was by design that I took a more neutral and informative approach to the subject, I think it's important the newbie that is my intended audience find their own way to an opinion on Twitter Fiction. Like all art, it is subjective but if it has meaning to you, it can never be discounted.

Since my Storify is one long starting point to Twitter Fiction, I do a feel a longer form, more scholarly piece can grown from what I have done here. However, to give a longer essay value I would have to choose one element covered in my Storify and drill down into it for more detail and exploration. Perhaps the creation, organization and implementation of the Twitter Fiction Festival would be a worthwhile topic or even addressing the aforementioned rejections of Twitter fiction as a viable art-form would make an interesting read.