Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds: A Writer’s Guide

by Margaret Kerrison

Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds guides writers through the entire creative process, starting with the blue sky/concept phase and ending with the production/installation of their experience. This thorough, well-illustrated book:Describes the artistic, inspirational, and practical skills writers bring to the project;Defines and discusses writing terms, tips, best practices, and processes;Reveals how writers approach storytelling and develop an immersive experience;Details the process from asking the big questions of storytelling to constructing a creative guide for the team;Shares case studies and examples of exemplary immersive storytelling from around the world;Breaks down the unique process of creating a memorable and emotionally-compelling immersive experience;Provides useful tools, checklists, tables, and worksheets to help writers in all stages of the process.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Design, Audiobook, School, Film

320 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2022

Reviews

[Margaret Kerrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello Immersive Storytellers! Margaret, the author, here. Thanks so much for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully you'll get a lot of useful insights and information to create your experiences. Keep writing, keep telling your stories. Never forget, your stories matter.

[Marena Galluccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. As a professional writer determined to write in multiple media spaces during her career and a lover of all things Disney, this book emotionally touched me and inspired me to focus on those dreams. While this is not a “how to” book, IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING makes everything make sense and is very clear of how a project is brought to fruition. I can’t wait to tackle some of my own projects using these guidelines.

[Sophie Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic resource for anyone with even the slightest interest in immersive theatre – or, frankly, in any kind of storytelling, placemaking, or creating experiences for people. Speaking as a professional creative writer with a lifelong love of bringing stories to life, Margaret Kerrison’s “writer’s guide” clearly and succinctly explains concepts I’ve already learned on my journey while also setting out new ideas that have opened my mind to a whole new world of possibilities. Kerrison supports every theory and concept with real-world examples of immersive experiences, from museums to theme parks – and I now have a very long list of places I want to visit! Her love of her craft shines through in every chapter; I was particularly touched by “Why We Do What We Do,” which brought up all my memories of seeing audiences react to my stories. I have no doubt that Immersive Storytelling... will not only inspire new themed entertainment writers but also give them the tools they need to make their way through the future of this incredible industry.

[Hannah MacLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a game writer by trade, so I wasn't sure how much this book would apply to my own writing. It turns out, quite a lot! This is mostly targeted at newer writers trying to "break in" to a specific industry, but who knew interactive, immersive live performances had so much in common with video games. (I should have known.)

I especially appreciated how often this book talks about collaborating with other teams, something newer game writers often don't realize is a core part of their job. Designers, audio engineers, set designers (or in video games, environment artists), etc. are all just as responsible for telling the story as the writer is, and Margaret Kerrison makes that VERY clear here.

This has me rethinking how I approach my own job in a lot of new and interesting ways. Just a standout little book.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed, expansive exploration of and discussion around what it means to write for immersive entertainment. I really appreciated the attention to small details in the process and Kerrison's extensive use of examples.

I would have loved clearer section breaks (aka some sort of section title page rather than simply chapter names), and her pontifications on being a working woman of colour felt a bit out of left field (regardless of how important those thoughts and callouts are!) but overall I'm glad I invested the time and money into this book. I'll be getting use of this for years to come, no doubt.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully straightforward and comprehensive writer’s guide to immersive storytelling. As someone who has written and designed for movies, games, theme parks, and other immersive and/or interactive experiences for over ten years professionally, I found Kerrison’s book both informative and true to my experience so far.
There’s a lot to learn in this book — I was definitely taking notes! — and I wish I were still teaching multimedia storytelling so I could assign Kerrison’s work to my students.

[Super unique username Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to create an interactive art installation and picked this book up by chance. I absolutely devoured it and finished it within two days. Really good writing and concepts that are applicable beyond story telling for theme parks (though lots of examples are drawn from Disney world, where Ms Kerrison was involved).
Perhaps it would have been nice to also get a few counter examples where immersive story telling did not work super well and why, but otherwise great book with lots of practical advice.

[Reachandteach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you are looking for insight in creating the next great video game, a theme park attraction, or creating an engaging book and toy retail shop (like me), this is a really good book in that it models good storytelling in the process of learning about immersive storytelling experiences. The author also describes a number of examples that ended up temporarily suspending my reading as I checked them out on YouTube.

[Alice Anglewood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't the sort of writing book I typically read, but it is always important to expand your horizons. While most of the advice won't be helpful to me, it was nice to read about how immersive experiences are made, and it introduced to ones I never knew existed like the ones by teamLab.

Writing: 3/5
Total: 3/5

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written and very insightful when it comes to this particular industry. I bought it in order to have a referent for an immersive experience design course, and it definitely helps to have a highlight in the storytelling approach.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of Kerrison's experience and advice writing for immersive experience. A comfortable intro to story development for beginners. I liked hearing about building authenticity into an experience, through something real - the location, personality, artifact, etc.

[Christine Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the read. Excellent discussion of considerations and design philosophies behind building immersive experiences.

[Sam Albala · Rating 4 out of 5]

experience / team / varied views / details / support / each project supports the next

[Trey Northcutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerrison’s deep-dive into the hows and whys behind what we do in the themed entertainment industry is a must for anyone that aspires to work in creative roles. Wholly recommend.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has a career in interactive storytelling, I connected with this book so deeply. It gave me an insight into other avenues of immersive storytelling and how impactful and wonderful they are. It was an extra special treat that it was written by a former Disney Imagineer! I've been enamored with Disney Imagineering for as long as I can remember and it was so special to gain insight on some of the iconic experiences they've crafted over the decades (my heart leapt at seeing the Haunted Mansion script).

Margaret Kerrison being an Asian woman in a field like hers was really inspiring. She changed what being a Disney Imagineer meant to me. I've idolized them long enough to know that women of color are historically few and far between at the company, but Margaret's story and expertise proved that someone like me could belong. This quote from the book is one I'll take with me forever:

On top of being a working mother, I'm Asian-American, relatively "young," and an immigrant. Every day, I represent all of these groups in my workplace. Often times, I'm the only woman, person of color, mother, or immigrant in the room. I represent story in all of my projects, but I also represent so much more.

If one day I find myself a Show Writer or Lead or Consultant on a future Disneyland experience, let it be known that it would never have been possible until I picked up this book.