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Creating a Story
Tweeting Adventure
I am a consultant
in social marketing specializing in education and health. I am also parent to
three great kids. I drove a lot of carpools back in the day (1993-2010 was the
apex of my career as the schlepping mom in the silver Volvo station wagon—ancient
history yet ever-present), and relished spying on the candid conversations
playing out in the back of the car.
My passion is
storytelling. So I started surreptitiously jotting down some of the backseat
banter and, as my kids grew up, noted how their language, ideas and attitudes
transformed along with their bodies and brains. It was a complete anthropology lesson
in teen social psychology that, as a mom, I found exasperating, but as a writer
and science interpreter, I found fascinating.
The result was a
flight of fancy from childhood—out of time. Literally. Begun in 1997, I have
recently completed writing a screenplay, “Out of Time”, whose protagonist,
Charley Morton, is a 13-year old middle school girl and self-styled Renaissance
Genius, à la her Florentine Idol, Leonardo da
Vinci.
Social media makes
the element of storytelling more intriguing, so when a friend suggested I take
my screenplay public, anticipated Hollywood agents and directors lining up to
option the story notwithstanding, the idea of tweeting it and incorporating
followers’ voices into the storyline seemed intriguing.
The result is @OutofTimeMovie, a new social
experiment to encourage friends and followers on Twitter to interact and direct
Charley M. & Friends on adventures through time.
We’ve set up a
profile on Twitter where Charley has already begun narrating her tale.
Charley’s
adventures with friends and frenemies in multiple “time zones” over 500 years
was seeded by a decade or so of those aforementioned carpool conversations.
What happens next will grow out of your participation in the tweet-adventure.
Screenplay Storyline
A gaggle of over smart teens get
literally carried away while doing a school science fair project: constructing
a time machine. Thanks to two enterprising teens Charley Morton and Billy
Vincenzo’s detective work, uncovering plans they attribute to Leonardo da
Vinci, the intrepid Charley travels back in time to 15th century Florence.
Armed with nothing more than an iPad, cell phone, rigged up solar battery,
Legobot pieces and sour gummy worms, she jumps back show 500 years to meet Leonardo,
her “Italian Idol”.
Both real and fictitious characters
mingle in the present in a Washington, D.C.-area middle school, and in
Renaissance Italy, where 21st century teens learn more than they
bargained for, jumping into a time of social, intellectual and religious
ferment in contrast to their modern lives, and shocking early Renaissance
sensibilities with their relaxed attitudes towards authority, religion, and
women’s place in the world.
Charley finds herself continually
censored for pursuing her passions—culinary, scientific, technological and
musical (ranging from a search for the best spaghetti pomodoro (tomatoes not yet having made it to Florence from the New World-Columbus just circling), to playing Words with Friends on her iPhone to
playing violin with Lorenzo di Medici’s orchestra)—while Leonardo discovers a
girl with learning far in advance of his own discoveries, but Charley is
endangered by forces beyond her understanding, including the Dominican Friar
Savonarola, originator of the famed bonfires of the vanities who deems Charley
and her “magic-possessed” friends a threat to the minds, hearts and souls of
the people of Florence.
Making it Social: Drop a Tweet
That’s the
foundation; now we want you to get involved. Please follow along in the
adventure or, better still, jump in and “Drop a Tweet”!
How? Simply tweet
questions, replies, instructions or twists to their adventures to the
characters (listed below). Or ask them to describe what they see, hear or smell
along the way. Charley has already consulted a pediatrician who’s joined in the
tweet chat (@jackmaypole) by asking him whether time travel might bring on
motion sickness. Check out Dr. Jack’s response.
She’d love advice
from technology mavens on how to stay connected to the present with her iPad or
iPhone, since satellites obviously weren’t circling the planet in 1492 (in
fact, Columbus was…barely).
And, teachers in
every subject area from science to art to music could suggest a rubric for
Charley and Billy’s science fair report, how discovery of the Higgs Boson has
implications for time travel, whether Charley’s talent on theviolin would match
the abilities of a professional orchestra in Lorenzo di Medici’s court, or
sharing historical context for Leonardo da Vinci’s role under the di Medici’s,
or whether advance knowledge of the future (gravity, flying) might change da
Vinci’s legacy.
I plan to post a
series of short video updates (aka: serial story tweets) to recap the story for
new followers, and as catch up for those who may have missed episodes.
Five simple story rules for driving
Twitter action:
1. Tweet as yourself; the characters will respond or
change action if, and at the time, your direction fits into the narrative.
2. Please use only these fictional characters to anchor
the story. Will consider introducing a new character if it makes sense as the
story develops
3. Will work on developing only one storyline at a time
(past, present or future) to have time to experience the scene, create a
narrative line (setup-hook-inciting incident-plot
point(s)-challenge-resolution). Will jump into new adventures after these
criteria have been satisfied in the time/place involved.
4. Strive for historical accuracy (please research the
time period): consider actions, interactions and dialog suited to time place,
and historically accurate figures.
5. Appropriate use of technology (time travel and other)
is encouraged.
Characters
Charley Morton, 13-year old girl, dreamer, violin player and self-styled modern day
Renaissance genius who loves all things Italy and Leonardo da Vinci.
Billy Vincenzo, 13, Charley’s science fair partner, class “nerd”, crush on Charley.
Beth Jacobs,
13, social butterfly, smart but would rather be popular, Charley’s BFF (not!)
and rival for Lex Campbell’s attention.
Lex Campbell,
“hot” new guy at school, plays on baseball team and dreams of being recruited
for major league team out of high school, major crush.
Kairos,
15-year old who appears mysteriously at Charley’s Dad’s office on Take Your
Child to Work Day. He can travel across time to show up anywhere, any time.
Origins unknown. In 1492, he is Leonardo’s apprentice, and sits to model for
his art.
Elisabetta,
13-year old in 1492 Florence. Works in di Medici palace and takes the impetuous
Charley under her wing to protect from palace intrigue.
Gwen Morton,
Charley’s mom, concert violinist with National Symphony Orchestra and music
teacher.
Jerry Morton,
Charley’s dad, contractor for Homeland Security, and clueless about teenage
girls.
Mrs. Schreiber, science teacher at Da Vinci Middle School
Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance genius, needs no further introduction.
Lorenzo di Medici, Duke of the Republic of Florence and part of the powerful family that
includes Popes, Bishops, arts patrons, military innovators and enlightened
citizen-politicians
Giralamo Savonarola, Dominican friar, preacher, and self-ordained prophet. Originated the
bonfire of the vanities to burn as “sin” all art, wealth, books and religious
tracts. Repeatedly denounced Lorenzo’s “despotic” rule and pursues any sign of
“idolatry” or “witchery”.
Settings: Home/School, the present
Takoma Park,
Maryland - Suburban Washington, D.C., Da Vinci Middle School, Takoma Park
Public Library
Renaissance Italy, 1492, Carnival time
A rural field
outside Florence, Italy, di Medici Palace, Pitti Palace and Piazza Signoria,
the central square of Florence
Twitter
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