What gets your heart rate going more: reading a story about dinosaurs, or being chased by one? The emerging discipline of immersive storytelling recognizes the power of creative works that put the viewer at the center of the action. In Immersive Storytelling, theme park designer Margaret Kerrison shares tips and tricks for writers on teams tasked with bringing a narrative to life.How do you take an idea from inspiration to manifestation? How do you move from telling a story to creating a world? In this richly illustrated book, the first of its kind written specifically for writers, Kerrison lays out the craft of immersive storytelling. She uses case studies to show what works, and highlights the essential role of the writer on a complex creative team. Ready to take the kernel of an idea and turn it into a full-fledged experience? This book gives you the blueprint.

DedicationIntroductionThis Is Not a TextbookA Great Opening SceneImmersing the GuestWhat Is Immersive Storytelling?Starting the Creative ProcessThe Fundamental QuestionsWhy Share This Story With the World?How Will Your Audience Feel?Who Is Your Audience?What Is the Transformation You Want to Create in Your Audience?What Is Your Theme?Where Is the Authenticity in Your Story?What Is the Wish Fulfillment of Your Story?What Are the Mood and Tone of Your Experience?What Is the Medium of Your Experience?What Is the Audience Role in Your Experience?What Are the Emotional Anchors of Your Experience?Who Are the Characters in Your Story?What Is the Ideal Setting for Your Story?What Are the Comparables?What Is Your Storytelling Narrative Type?Building Your StoryFinding Your Key PillarsDesign PhilosophyReadability and Believability in WorldbuildingDeveloping Your Creative GuideAll in the Details — Your NounsAudience Parameters — Rules of EngagementThe Writing DeliverablesPitching, Presenting, and CommunicatingPassing the TorchYou as a WriterWriting as a ProfessionHow Do You Break Into This Industry?Why We Do What We DoThe Future of Storytelling in Immersive ExperiencesLast But Not LeastAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author