A not so tiny tale

Unlike many of us over-attached to the characters in stories we’ve weaved in our heads, Joel Thottan’s creations, by his own admission, live in the constant fear of being killed off.
TTT’s Joel Thottan was in the city to conduct two workshops on storytelling
TTT’s Joel Thottan was in the city to conduct two workshops on storytelling

KOCHI: Unlike many of us over-attached to the characters in stories we’ve weaved in our heads, Joel Thottan’s creations, by his own admission, live in the constant fear of being killed off. The chief curator (app content) with the storytelling platform Terribly Tiny Tales (TTT), Joel was in Kochi last week to conduct two workshops (140 and beyond and Long Story Short) at Nosh Haus, wherein he broke down the basics and essence of writing stories, with ease.

Joel, already a fan and writer when the platform commenced in 2013, was handpicked in 2015, first as a freelance writer while working in advertising, and then as the content lead for the brand collaborations team. “I refused twice, and then said yes the third time. From there, I moved on to be the assistant curator where I managed social media platforms and now I’m chief curator,” he says. Joel speaks to TNIE about TTT and the crux of storytelling formats.

Pic   Aravind  Haridas
Pic   Aravind  Haridas

From ‘everyone is a writer’ on social media to battling writer’s blocks, how can a TTT workshop help an individual discover the author or poet in themselves? “I think the word writer gets romanticised for different reasons. So the first step is actually to make everyone realise that their story is worth telling and to get those who stopped writing, to start again. We give them tips and tools. They take it from there,” he explains. Since its inception in 2013, TTT has come a long way. The platform has tales, talkies and books being published. “As a team we constantly have discussions on fresh approaches towards themes and topics that are already done. It’s challenging when there’s so much good content around. And we spend a lot of time learning, talking, and sharing ideas in the office.

At the heart of it, we know it’s about telling a powerful story no matter what medium you pick. So we always try to be sure that we’re telling it in the best way possible and pushing the craft while we’re at it,” Joel explains. Meanwhile, TTT has a slew of projects lined up for the future. “More books. More films. Richer stories. We’re also updating the TTT app to have some cool features like audio stories so I’m excited for that,” he says. Certainly, writers churning out tales and trying their luck to get a post published on TTT’s social media handles are curious as to how to make the cut.

“The editorial team has a certain set of defined rules and we use them to curate and publish all our stories. It’s in a brown file with a Top Secret stamp secured under 5 different lock combinations. Just kidding. Maybe,” Joel says. Tough luck, writers! With Kochi steadily becoming a space for standup comedy, art sessions and theatre, TTT’s storytelling workshops in the city have begun to pique interest bringing participants all the way from Pathanamthitta. However, this is TTT’s second tryst with Kochi, having conducted one last year. “The city is still warming up to the idea of these workshops so I’m hoping more people turn-up for future editions. For I’ve seen not just Kochi but Kerala be the hub for some amazing stories especially in Malayalam movies. I love watching them even though I don’t understand the language,” Joel adds.

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