Story Table
Once you have your three-part structure, you can plan your story with a story table. This is a bit like a script, except it’s organized to make it easier to see all the parts together. It’s where you write down exactly what you’re going to say, what images you’ll use to go with the narration, and what music will play over it.
Write your narration for each segment in the left side and write what image will go with it on the left.
Here’s a sample story table:
| Narration | Image |
| About a year and a half ago we got two cats, Boo and Pumpkin. We were told they were a bonded pair, but they weren’t that interested in each other. | Boo and Pumpkin looking tense |
| Boo had a lot more energy than Pumpkin. He bothered her all the time, and she mostly just wanted to relax. | Boo getting ready to pounce on Pumpkin. |
| Because he was bored, Boo got in a lot of trouble, too. | Boo about to knock over the flowers. |
If you already have lots of images you may want to start by organizing those to tell the story like a comic, and then write the narration after. If not, you can start by writing the narration and then find images to illustrate them, like a picture book. You don’t have to write down exactly the image you will use, just a general description of what it will be or how it should make you feel.
If you want, you can wait to fill in the second column until you browse the Digital Story Maker’s image gallery.