Even though my whole concept is based on classic narrative structures particularly used in literature my methodology changes depending on who I work with.
To be able to create rapport and a safe space for sharing I use some skills I learned as a journalist. I try to ask the correct questions to the person that I am talking to, I do prepare some questions beforehand but go mostly on instinct depending on the way the interview is going. (If I know the person before the sessions then this is much easier) If I notice the person is willing to self-reflect, be vulnerable and dig a little deeper then I go for it and ask them the questions related to feelings and emotions.
These questions usually result in great answers to build their stories.
If I have previously reviewed their project and know a little bit of what they want to do I will have prepared what I think would be a great narrative structure for their project. However, sometimes this will change during the sessions, maybe they don’t feel comfortable with a particular theme, or they don’t resonate with a particular narrative structure or there is some element that doesn’t really apply to their story, so we have to adapt to that.
Narrative structure has many layers to it and there are many different types of structure, I don’t think it would be useful to copy here all of the different types so I will link some pages that I have found helpful and that I use when preparing for the private sessions and for the workshop.
https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/
https://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/narrative-structures
On the other hand the methodology for the workshop is a bit different since it is a group session I use exercises to help the participants feel more comfortable with their writing. If they know each other or find it comfortable to share some more personal things we will do some self-reflection prompts that mainly help to boost their confidence and feel more in control of their creativity. After this I explain the different types of narrative structure (I choose a particular one or two depending on what we will be working on) and then they start writing about their projects within the structures of narration that we have chosen. Then it’s a sharing and commenting process until they are satisfied with the result.