Folktellers 101: A Storyworld Primer

It all begins with a boy, a book, and a shadow…

The Folktellers Universe is a transmedia storyworld built upon the premise that the tales we tell are not only meaningful, but powerful. And in this place, whoever holds the story, wields the power.

The most fascinating thing about this metaverse, is that storytelling operates on multiple levels simultaneously. The Droste Effect is at serious play here, (known in art as the effect of a picture recursively appearing within itself, producing a loop which mathematically could go on forever). Thus, we are given an introductory cryptic clue to this mysterious storyworld:

There’s a story in the story,

Like a wheel within the wheel,

Spiraling forever,

Through the world we see and feel.

There’s a tale within the fable,

Like a gear within the gear,

Marking time forever,

Until the secret is revealed.

As the universe unfolds, we learn that in every age, across time and space, there have been Folktellers. These are the select few who have been chosen to collect and share the stories that must be told. From that point on, we find stories are everywhere, ready to be told, shared, and even captured within the pages of a Master Guidebook — the Book of Books that holds all the tales that ever existed.

Storytelling permeates everything.

Once this premise is established, the real trouble starts. A mysterious narrator informs us that sections of an ancient tome are being discovered in odd places around the world with desperate notes like this one:

In the first series, within these excerpts from an unknown book, we meet Aaron, an average midwestern teen — or so he thinks. When his grandfather disappears under strange circumstances, Aaron’s ordinary existence changes forever. He will soon discover a mysterious world where stories are powerful and dangerous, where deadly enemies and dark forces lurk just out of sight.

But, What’s the Big Problem?

Every storyworld needs to have BIG problem. In the case of the Folktellers Universe, a portal gets inadvertently left open, flooding the world with phantoms from the Shadow Realm.

Now, shadows have always existed across this universe, but in controllable numbers. Folktellers have faced them for millennia, as these spectres try to steal the stories that allow people to fulfill their destinies. But now, things are really out of control as these wispy wraiths start to manifest as creatures of myth and legend. To make matters worse, they now have a leader, Apscind, who now has a legion of monsters at his disposal.

And that’s only the half of it…

The other wrinkle is that the Master Guidebook has been separated into 13 sections. Whoever finds all of them first will control the entire universe — if time and space don’t unravel before the master book can be assembled.

So, Why Should You Care?

For an audience to really connect with this storyworld, we needed to create meaningful interactions and relationships between the characters, scenes, and sub-plots that are woven into the universe and its lore. Audiences care more when they can see themselves within the story, in the personalities and actions of the characters, and within the scenes and settings of the storyworld.

In the Folktellers Universe, the audience eventually learns the fabric of the universe is coming undone, but this only matters because they care about what will happen to Aaron, Wendy, Jake, Eddie, and the others (as well as Zinnia Melville and her friends in Series II).

What is happening at a macro storytelling level resonates at the micro storytelling level. The teenagers struggle to come of age in a turbulent time, each having to overcome their own personal trials and tribulations. Here we see the Droste Effect manifesting again, as each individual storyline feeds into the overarching narrative across both Series I and II.

In time, even the Shadow People becomes more compelling. These entities from another realm, who begin as vapor and smoke, transform into something more solid and menacing as the series progresses. The audience engagement grows deeper as the enemy shifts from a simple, negative force of the unknown into a much subtler, fascinating form — myriad creatures of myth and legend.

Now, our narrative taps into stories and tales that resonate across cultures, becoming the connective tissue that bonds international audiences together, celebrating the diverse, yet universal roots of folktales from around the world. The stories of the people now operate on the micro level, feeding into the macro conceits of the overarching narrative.

Collectively, the audience is now part of something strangely familiar, yet uniquely different. They are engaging with strange and wondrous yarns that may have originated on the other side of the world, yet resonate within themselves at a very deep level.

Over time, the micro and macro levels of the story arc merge, bringing Series I and II to a satisfying conclusion (SORRY, NO SPOILERS!), resolving the Big Problem, while leaving the universe wide-open for more adventures. This is the framework that establishes the canonical stories, while laying the foundation for an ever-expanding storytelling universe.

Ultimately, there are the three key attributes to this storyworld model that allow the Folktellers Universe to thrive:

1. A foundational structure and framework people can follow

2. A compelling, overarching premise and problem

3. The gradual unfolding of an expandable storyworld of great depth (characters, scenes, sub-plots, dialogue, etc.), that allows for multiple points of engagement with its audience.

And therein lies the magic of Folktellers… A universe where both teller and audience hold the story, and wield the power.