We all hear about the choices that make us who we are.
In the 1970’s Edward Packard created a concept of second person storytelling in books where the reader was able to “choose your own adventure,” a phrase which has been copyrighted.
Hugely popular in the 1980s they are something that many adults fondly remember.
With Yoto, we have the chance to revolutionize the path choosing genre in audio form. It seems intimidating at first, but one way to do it is to start with a simple outline. What is your character going to do? The hero’s journey path is a great model, using 5-7 points for the story.
Once you figure out what the perfect finish and path is for your character, you can use a mind map to create alternative options. Options can branch, return and dead end. Yoto players can be directed back to an earlier track to begin over, by navigating with the buttons. One way to organize these is to use a number on the mind map so you can refer to each path. These numbers can later become the track number.
For younger children, 2-3 sentences of text and less than 20 path points work well, older listeners may enjoy longer narratives and far more options. Each decision point should allow the reader to have 2 or 3 choices. If 4 or more paths are being offered, they should be simple enough for a player to keep in their memory, like colors or shapes.
In order to make a complete and interesting story you will want to make some icons. The icon should represent the choice made, not the final result. For instance, if the student chooses between a pen and pencil which results in the pencil breaking the picture should be of a pencil. Keeping icons simple goes a long way into ensuring they match the story and don’t distract from it.
Finally, you’ll need to record your hard work. There are many great tips for doing this on the Tutorials page on Yoto Space. And sharing the card is as easy as well, over on the Made by You space. Here is one I made earlier, an interactive story where the listener helps little bunny find Mama by following the story and finding the next clue by using the pixel art displaying on the Yoto Player.
Happy creating!