Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音

I am pleased to share with you, that Submittable recently published an updated version of my reflection on the “Storytelling for VR” workshop (original post here).

If you are a creative artist and/or an arts industry professional, chances are that you are already using Submittable to submit and/or receive amazing art works. This popular submission management system helps organisations worldwide accept and review submissions. It also enables writers, artists, filmmakers, grant seekers, and entrepreneurs to organise and keep track of their submissions.

I first started using Submittable in September 2015. Soon after that, I subscribed to their weekly e-newsletter to get a glimpse of arts-related news and opportunities worldwide. I have since discovered an abundance of interesting and inspiring content online, featuring global artists, arts organisations, movements, and trends. As a result, I was sufficiently excited with a chance to write for their blog.

At that time my article was more of a personal reflection than something that aims to inform, entertain and inspire. With some editorial advice, I was able to shift my focus, from an emerging user of VR who oohs and aahs about this new form of storytelling, to an experienced writer trying to analyse how VR can help existing storytellers refine their art and craft. It makes a difference, I think, from a journalistic perspective. Pointing out how human experiences can benefit from new arts and technologies may be more useful to readers, than simply grabbing their shoulders and yelling “you’ve got to see this”.

So, please, if you are interested, check out the differences between the original and updated versions of my article on storytelling for VR. Perhaps you, too, can learn as much as I did, about the shift of focus from writing for ourselves to writing for others. For example, it starts with choosing a good title. Then there are practical issues such as how useful the Oxford Comma Rule is (or can be), as well as how to do our best not to sound like an advertiser or salesperson. Finally, there is always the precious lesson on how to work with a professional editor.