Welcome to Carolyn Handler Miller'sWebsite!

Hi,there!
THIS WEBSITE focuses on the many hats I wear as a writer (and my specialty in new media), and also on my work as a speaker, teacher and consultant…

I invite you to...


AND HERE'S SOME NEWS…

My Book

The second edition of my book, DIGITAL STORYTELLING: A CREATOR'S GUIDE TO INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT (Focal Press) has gone into a second printing! It was also recently translated into Korean. The new edition covers hot new areas like Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), virtual worlds, serious games, and user generated content. It also contains some fascinating new chapters, such as the one on robots, androids and animatronic characters. In addition, there's a whole new multi-chapter section on using digital storytelling techniques for information, education, training, promotion and marketing. And of course it includes updates of all the topics covered in the first edition, including transmedia storytelling and serious games. It’s available in various retail bookstores, through my publisher, Focal Press, and through Amazon (which you can order from the box on the right)….

Recent and Upcoming Engagements

It’s going to be a busy spring! I’ll be giving talks on creating stories for digital media for the SouthWest Writers Script and Screen Conference and for Friends of Film New Mexico. I’ll also be doing a talk on transmedia storytelling for De Montfort University in the UK. This is in addition to a new course I’m teaching for The Santa Fe Community College (see below) and work I’m doing for private clients. I’m also exploring the possibility of doing a third edition of my Digital Storytelling book.

I was very pleased this past fall to be one of the presenters at the first ever StoryWorld conference, a ground breaking gathering on transmedia storytelling in San Francisco. It was a terrific event and I met many fascinating people. I was also pleased to discover a number of attendees and fellow presenters were readers of my digital storytelling book.

Some months ago, I also did two renditions of my talk, The Seven Kisses of Death of Children’s Interactive Media, once for the Dust or Magic App Camp in Monterey, CA., and once again for the Dust or Magic Institute in Lambertsville, NJ. Most of the second talk was captured on video at the New Jersey Dust or Magic Institute (see below).

YouTube Video

You can see a YouTube video of my “Seven Kisses of Death” talk that was taped in New Jersey, though the beginning unfortunately got lopped off. Also, why in the world am I waving my hands around so much??? Well, I guess talking about this topic always gets me excited.

New Writing/Consulting Projects

I've been working on an on-going basis for a Web-based virtual world for girls in the Middle East, the Jasmine Club. It’s a multi-faceted site, partially geared for social networking, partially for dressing up one’s avatar, and partially for engaging the girls in interactive stories. The target audience, girls in the Middle East, is an under-served group if there ever was one. At present, I’m working on a multi-part series of interactive stories for the site. Right now the Jasmine Club is still in its early stages and isn’t open to the public. Here’s a link to an article about it, though, and here is a second article.

I’m also working on a number of other projects as a writer or consultant, but they are under wraps at present, so I can’t say too much about them. One is for a company developing a line of educational and personal development games and another involves a charming little dragon. And, if all goes well in contract-land, I’ll be starting work in coming weeks on a major transmedia project. For more information about my work as a writer and consultant, please visit the section of my website on writing, speaking, teaching and consulting.

University Teaching

For the past six years, I’ve been teaching various courses for the University of New Mexico, most recently for the relatively new IFDM program (Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media). During the fall of 2011, I taught a class for the program called Activating Digital Space, where my students created games for smart phones, developed interactive stories for the Web and built transmedia projects. This spring semester, however, I am expanding my teaching to Santa Fe Community College, where I am teaching a course called Writing for Digital Media.

I’ve also had a long-term relationship with De Montfort University in the UK, guest lecturing online for their forward-looking Master’s Degree program in Creative Writing and New Media. I’ve also served as a Dissertation Mentor for several students in the program who were getting their masters degrees. Sadly, though, this wonderful program has been discontinued. However, I’m grateful that the university has archived some of my materials and has also archived my lectures, as well as the lectures of other guest lecturers.

Organizations

I am an advisor to Founders Space, an organization dedicated to entrepreneurs. Check them out.

Founders Space

I’m also a member of the Writers Guild of America West (WGA) and the WGA's Videogame Writers Caucus. However, since I’m based in New Mexico, I can’t be as active in WGA activities and committee work as I used to be.

On a more personal note, though, I am also a member of the Rio Grande Mule and Donkey Association, and have very much enjoyed getting involved with a whole new set of equine-related activities.


Please, do come back again for updates and new features! Thanks.

Carolyn Handler Miller