Every story you've ever read was constructed from building blocks - but usually, they're completely invisible! On VocaTales, you can see the hidden structures that support effective storytelling, for a closeup view of just how the magic happens. We're thrilled that Anubhav Srivastava 🧌🐉's novel will be among the first we publish - it's a great example of how combining craft and vision will make your writing shine!
Every storyteller dreams of creating something unforgettable. But do you know writing stories is all about the foundation and structure of the story. These structures are called building blocks. Writing my fiction novel taught me that the magic of storytelling doesn’t lie in big ideas alone—it lies in how those ideas are crafted, layered, and connected. I loved writing—but what I wrote was several non-fiction and business blogs and then in my free time, I sketched and drew the sun, the moon, ocean, trees, birds and animals. So writing down a 55,000+ words novel was not easy. But 1000+ hours of writing, rewriting, editing, I can say that I've learnt something. Not mastered it. Not yet. Probably never will. But I can tell you something about what made me finish my fable fiction. After the starting point and then learning my lessons at The University of Chicago Graham School in the creative writing program, I learned to break down the process of creating stories into manageable building blocks and then putting them all together piece by piece. Will it be a masterpiece. Who cares. But did I learn something out of it. Heck yeah. With this technique and some extraordinary collaborators in Alex Andrews and Pauline Harris, and then the alpha and beta readers who came along the way, I not only finished my book but also discovered the joy of creating something truly relevant for the young audience I want my book to be read and internalized by. And by the way, while I did this, this approach is now at the heart of VocaTales. We’re building a platform where storytellers can: ↳ Visualize and organize their stories from the ground up. ↳ Track themes, motifs, and symbols for deeper storytelling. ↳ Invite targeted feedback on specific elements of their work. ↳ Keep the creative chaos organized and intentional. Here's how it'll benefit the several creators who want to create stories of the future. What building block are you focusing on in your story right now? Is it a character arc, a pivotal event, or perhaps a theme waiting to shine? Share your thoughts—I’d love to hear about your process.
