I still remember my first time writing
for e-learning. It involved a lot of squinting, deleting, and scribbling
in my notebook. At first, I wasn’t really sure why I was struggling. I
had done plenty of copywriting in my career. I’d dutifully made an
action map,
but it was a challenge to translate it into a storyboard: a document
outlining text, graphics, narration, and interactions. I kept mentally
repeating my project manager’s advice, “Find a way other than paragraphs
to tell the story.” After a lot of coaching and collaboration, I got
the storyboards where they needed to be. While writing for e-learning
does require strong copywriting skills, it was a whole new beast for
me—and may be for some of you as well. Perhaps these lessons I’ve
learned can help you tame the beast.
Seek Inspiration
I had to learn to resist paragraphs and
strive for interactive experiences. There are some wonderful e-learning
blogs out there where you can get inspiration. You can learn about
challenges and tips from more experienced writers and look for lots of
examples of finished courses, such as those found in the
Articulate E-Learning Community.
Embrace Review Cycles
Because e-learning incorporates
objectives, facts, stories, media, assessments, and technology, it’s not
always clear how to put the pieces together. After other team members
have commented, edited, and made suggestions, my work is always better
for it. Our developers also infuse expertise and perspective into the
final product. Sometimes it is easy to feel protective of this “baby”
you just created, causing resistance to the feedback. Even with the most
experienced writers, different perspectives can help make our work
stronger.
Sketch. A lot.
Sometimes, it’s just easier to draw it
out first. I have half a sketch book filled with ideas for storyboards.
For a digital approach, consider using
Inkflow. I find myself reaching for my iPad mini or sketchbook instinctively during writing or brainstorming.
Learn How E-Learning Software Thinks
Many authoring tools use variables,
counters, and if-then statements. These tools can make the learning
richer. With these tools, you can help the learner see consequences to
action in a branching scenario or earn points towards a goal in a
gamified course. These advanced logic features can seem complex and
intimidating to a writer. But in reality, we use them in our thinking as
well–we just may not realize it. Think of a variable as anything you
want to keep track and use later. Think of a counter as anything you
need to measure. I use if-then logic to help the learner better
understand the consequences of his or her actions in the real world.
Programming logic is now one of my favorite story-telling tools. The
more you understand what these tools can do, the more you can use them
to enhance your storyboards.
Scratch is a free and fun way to explore programming logic.
