Storyboard Notebook - Ideas for How to Use

Our Storyboard Notebook is a great tool for unleashing the imagination and  practicing storytelling. It offers 100 pages of just storyboards that kids can use to create original stories. 

At the bottom of this pages are some sample storyboards. Keep in mind, there's no real need to get too bogged down in doing a "proper" storyboard. Kids seem to naturally embrace the format, often as comic strips.

Here is a little bit of inspiration for what kids (or adults!) can do with this book:

> Retell fairy tales or fables

• A great way to start using storyboards is to practice retelling classic simple stories, like fairy tales, fables, even picture book stories
• But you can have a bit more fun by fracturing these traditional tales. You can add twists and unexpected events to the plots, tell them from a different character's point of view, set them in a different timeline, use a different genre (sci fi, comedy, horror), etc.

> Write fan fiction 

• Fan fiction is fun and awesome. You just take inspiration from your favourite shows, movies or books and create original stories for beloved (or the most reviled) characters. You get to create the plots you wanted to see unfold!
• For instance, you can create interesting backstories for characters, you can take their storylines in completely different directions, you can create new endings for shows that failed you...

Create stories from our books

• You can use our books as inspiration to write original stories.
• With the titles in The Storyboard Challenge, you can create all new alternate storyboards. You can also use the improv cards at the back to create new narratives.
• What's the Story, Creative Magic and Animal Squares will also get you started telling new stories. But consider also Decisions & Dilemmas and/or Can You Listicle - you can create original stories around the dilemmas and listicles by coming up with interesting characters who must grapple with the situation at hand.

Write what you know

• Writers are often encouraged to write about things they know most about. In this case, you can take events - even the most trivial and mundane - from your daily life and transform them into movie-worthy narratives. Asking, "what if this happened instead?" can help incorporate drama.

• Look also look to the news for inspiration. After all, truth - as they say - is stranger than fiction. Set a story in a different timeline, or use a fun genre. Twist the real life plot in any way that your imagination comes up with.

Sample storyboards:

Remember! You can draw, write or both draw and write your storyboards. Stick figures are fine, you don't need to be artists! And you can create a story that's 6 squares, 12 squares or as many pages long as you want.

To purchase one or more copies of our Storybook Notebook, head to its book description page.