Today I am so excited to have Jay Swanson on the show.

Jay is the creator of the world’s first real-time fantasy blog, Into the Nanten, and has written a handful of other fantasy and science-fiction novels along the way. He’s also a daily vlogger and has been posting a photo per day for the past six and half years!

In our interview we dive into the creation of Into the Nanten, and the best ways to use different forms of media to craft a unique storytelling experience.

In this episode Jay and I discuss:

• How to craft an interactive storytelling experience for your readers.
• What the challenges of blogging a story in real time are, and how to stay ahead.
• How to use various forms of media to add an extra dimension to your story.
• Challenges that occur when creating a multimedia story, and why understanding how people read a blog versus a book can help keep more readers coming back.
• How to build your community on different platforms and across different media.
• Creative ways to raise money for your projects, and how these initiatives can make your story more real to readers.

Plus, Jay’s #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Jay Swanson has lived in six or seven countries which greatly affected his perspective and writing. He spent his early time in France teaching English and in various countries in West and Central Sub Saharan Africa volunteering on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

When he first got to South Africa six and a half years ago he decided to start posting a photo a day online, and started a daily vlog when he hit the 2,000th picture.

Jay is the author of Into the Nanten, the world’s first real-time fantasy blog as well as a handful of other science-fiction and fantasy novels. Currently he lives in Paris, France, and is embracing the cliché of being an American author in Paris.

To connect with Jay and catch up with Into the Nanten head on over to his website at: https://jayswanson.me. You can also follow him on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram both for Into the Nanten and his Photo of the Day project.

Into the Nanten

The Nanten is a jungle so hostile that to enter it willingly is considered suicide. This is the journal of Marceles na Tetrarch, a warrior currently exiled to the Nanten for murder. He goes in search of a man that he hates, who was exiled there 20 years ago: Brin Salisir.

It’s rumored that Salisir went to discover a cult risen from the darkest dredges of humanity. What Marceles doesn’t know is if the rumors are true.

Into the Nanten is updated in real time (EST) – when he finishes an entry or illustration it appears here in our world, on this blog. He writes almost every evening. If this is your first visit to Marceles’ journal we suggest you start from the beginning, with his first entry, and follow along until you have caught up.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase DIY MFA makes a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 148

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 148: Multimedia Storytelling — Interview with Jay Swanson appeared first on DIY MFA.