For this exercise, you will map both of your potential story directions (2), using your research and gathered content to explore their structure and further build each story.

Work large scale on brown craft paper, approximately 18″ × 24″. You will work physically with your research, imagery, text-based content, and other materials to map and explore each story direction.  

*See some images below of past students’ narrative mapping to give you a feel for the process.

PREPARE + BRING TO CLASS

For each of your two story directions:

/ Write and print a 50-word abstract describing the potential story, goals, audience, point of view, and how you plan to research/develop it.

• See Abstract Resources Here

/ Bring a minimum of 15–20 pieces of potential content/raw materials for each of your two story directions as hard copies/printouts, along with relevant visual research/references. You will physically work with these materials in class to build your narrative maps.

1. 1. Imagery / visual content — photographs, drawings, diagrams, charts, maps, textures, colors, and other visual material that could potentially become part of the story.
   2. Text-based content — content from multiple sources and in different forms. This might include written research, transcripts from audio interviews, survey responses, contextual copy, or language found in artifacts and environments such as signs, conversations, letters, menus, instructions, etc. For this project, it is important to have multiple text-based sources/raw materials to work with.
   3. Visual research / references — design projects, artworks, visual approaches, or other references that inspire you or could inform how you think about and develop the project.

/ Bring tools and materials you can use to physically build and manipulate your maps: X-Acto knife or scissors, markers, ruler, pencils, Post-its, index cards, sketching materials, tape, etc.

MAP THE NARRATIVE ARC/STRUCTURE

Define a potential narrative arc or structure for each of your two story directions. This does not need to be the final structure of your story—it is a way to begin organizing, connecting, and experimenting with your content in a narrative manner.

What is the shape of the story? Is it linear, circular, layered, fragmented, circuitous, or something else? Does it move forward or backward in time? Does it have a conflict and resolution? Where does it begin, and where might it end?

Draw a large-scale representation of this structure on your paper.

BUILD THE STORY

Begin placing your gathered content/raw materials along your narrative arc/structure. Experiment with how the different pieces might relate to one another and work together to build the story. 

Move things around. Group and regroup material. Try different sequences and relationships. What happens when something comes earlier or later? What connections, contrasts, patterns, tensions, or gaps begin to emerge?

As you work, consider what might be missing. What additional research or content could you gather or create to further develop the story?

Your map is not meant to determine the final structure of your narrative. Use it to experiment with your content and explore different possibilities for how the story might unfold.

DEFINE AUDIENCE + GOALS

As your story begins to take shape, reconsider who you are telling it to and what you want the experience to accomplish.

Who is your audience? What might they already know, believe, or have experienced in relation to your story? What do you want them to know, feel, question, understand, or do after experiencing it?

Consider how your point of view and the needs, expectations, or experiences of your audience might influence what you include, emphasize, reveal, or leave out.

Add your audience and communication goals to your narrative map.

LOOKING AHEAD: MEDIUM

You do not need to select your two mediums as part of this exercise.

As you build and map your stories, however, pay attention to aspects of the story that might eventually have implications for medium—time, sequence, interaction, physicality, sound, space, participation, audience control, etc.

For now, concentrate on developing the story. You will explore how different mediums might interpret and shape the story in the next phase of the project.