Category Archives: How to Tell a Story

Four Key Elements in the Art of Story Development

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

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Every story we hear, read or tell has a story. The place where story-based artistry begins. So, grab a chair, a stool, or a slice of floor and your favorite muse. Now join us for a brief collaboration in the four key elements of story development. For in story, as in life, its characters are as outlandishly adventurous, deviously mischievous and outrageously zany as any of us truly are.

What is story? Isn’t everything we see, hear and talk about a story?

Story: The place where it all begins: Life is as it is . . .
Change happens . . . Now what? . . .
Life as it has been will never again be the same. A new normal unfolds . . .
The place where the beginning is never the same as the ending.

Story: The narrative and the meaning we attach to the events of our lives.

Storytelling: An interactive art form where storytellers, though their voice and gesture, invite people to join them on a guided tour of vivid imagery.

Destination: Ending’s New Beginning

  • What do you love about the story? I mean really, love about it. If you don’t love it, don’t tell it. By its nature, what we love, naturally grows.
  • What is the ending? It is much easier to get there if you know where you are going! A few short words, phrases or movements guides your story’s journey securely into its destination.
  • Memorizing the ending helps insure you and your listeners arrive at their targeted destination; especially when meeting the challenges of unexpected interruptions, brain farts and cosmic disturbances.

Captivation: Love at First Sight!

  • Besides the story itself, what are some key parts or aspects of this story’s storyline which captures your attention? Why?
  • What do you love, hate, regurgitate or scream about the main characters and their antics? Why?

Engagement: The Meet and Greet of Team Building!

  • Take a few minutes to meet and greet your story’s characters. Who are they? What are they like to hang around with?
  • Revisit the key images in your story – this is correct, not the words of your story, but the images inside your story. Step inside each one of them. Who is there? What is happening around you and/or them?
  • What are the dominate feelings and emotions that you and/or your characters are experiencing?

Listen: Story’s Interactive Unfolding

Supportive, or responsive listeners help us grow our stories. Supportive listeners also allow you, the teller, to see what audience members are hearing. Storytelling is an interactive art form. Responsive listeners support storytellers in naturally bring out unexpected and unrehearsed bits of humor; spontaneous internal dialog; insightful moments of awareness; or newly inspired story-line twists and turns.

Select a few supportive; non-critical, non-critiquing, non-judgmental listeners or consult the services of an experienced storytelling coach. Listeners, per your direction, can either:

  • Listen without comment.
  • Listen and offer what they appreciated about the experience and/or the story.
  • Listen and offer bother appreciations about the experience and/or the story and offer any questions they might have.
  • When working with a professional storytelling coach you may also want to add some suggestions regarding the more technical and artistic aspects of storytelling and story development.

Celebration: A gift from my heart to yours . . . Story’s Story Continues . . .

Your story is a gift to your audiences. Like any gift, it is given from the heart. Invite your audience members to join with you on an interactive journey into the enchanting realm of story’s vivid realism and adventurous journey.

Remember: It’s your story to tell, so tell it like it is; in only the way you can! Let your story be the one long remembered after the performance or presentation is done.

                                                                                     

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Begin . . . !

 

 

 

Story’s Setting – Where to Begin

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

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Knowing where you are is as important in everyday life as it is in story. Much like a building’s address, the setting of your story lets the listeners know where they are going and what they can expect when they arrive. Through the vehicle of story, the storyteller transports their listeners into the physical reality of story’s journey. Story’s location and characters live in the physical reality of story. They too have emotions, lives and physical and emotional challenges like any of us experience.

When developing a story orally, you have only a few simple sentences to quickly bring your listeners into the reality of your story’s setting, unlike authors who can fill pages or even chapters about the setting of their stories. Storytelling happens in the moment. It can’t be repeated, re-run or bookmarked for future reference.

In the beginning of the story as well as the ending of your story, a few carefully crafted and memorized sentences will ensure a strong start and the arrival of your designed ending or story’s destination. The middle, just like any road map, the roads, waterways, back alley’s or fight patterns depends on you the storyteller. As in life, as in story, there are many roads to get to a single destination.

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Begin!

Listeners – Story’s Fertilizer!

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

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Storytelling is an interactive art form. One which can not exist or happen without a listener. The interaction between you, the teller, and the listening members of your audience ignite and liven the images of your story’s story. For in the moment it is told, the world of story becomes the listener’s living reality. A story, like our experiences in life, can never be duplicated or experienced in the same way again. The faces of story are as varied as the faces of our audiences. Each time we tell our stories the words, their impact and the audience’s responses will be unique to this moment in time.

Grab a listener and ignite your storytelling jet packs. Take a few minutes and think of a few people who are able to listen. Listening meaning no talking, no editorial comments and no unsolicited remarks. Their job? To listen. To simply listen. Once everyone is assembled, tell your story. Enjoy. Watch and take note. In this moment your story will grow in unexpected ways. Images will become clearer. Your voice tone and canter much stronger. See how unexpected and unrehearsed bits of humor, internal dialog, and moments of awareness or newly inspirited story-line twists and turns happen when you tell and retell your story. By seeing what your audience is hearing and the unique gift of this audience’s interaction, your story’s story-line continues to bloom. Also how easily your story ripens and grows inside of you; the teller.

In the early stages of my story’s development, I ask my responsive listeners to just listen, as I tell my story. Other times, as my story continues to grow and unfold inside of me, I ask, “What do you like about the story? or What did you like about this experience?” Again, I am not asking them for a cirque. I am simply asking what they like about the story and/or the experience. Storytellers through the responses of their listeners are able to see what others are hearing. Storytelling is an interactive, experiential journey into the world of story and the vivid reality of is characters and their lives.

This may also be a great time to secure the services of a storytelling coach. Information on storytelling coaches can be found online or through the National Storytelling Network.

 

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Continue!

 

Words: Do They Speak the Same Language?

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

Words, the only thing that oral language and written language have in common, yet each one possessing their own kind of life impacting, story filled magic!

Word, a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning.

Storytelling – oral language, expressing the timelessness of now, connecting life’s passing moments to future’s infinite streams of possibility.  Voice’s heart sinking, unspoken meaning: That tone – busted, no further explanation required. The “wave of fear” – courtroom’s witnessing verdict. “I love you” between two lovers in passionate embrace. Human expression, gestures, eye contact, voice tone, facial characterization and physical language takes one beyond the scribed letter of any written word.

Literature – the written word: “All the magic of writing is conveyed with those five kinds of elements. All the passion, logic, imperiousness, inevitability and humor of written language is shaped, like sculpture, from the simple clay of words, punctuation, typography, pictures and materials.” Master Storyteller Doug Lipman

Until next time . . . let a Storyographer’s Journey Begin!

Goal Questing – Story’s Adventurous Outcomes

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

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The goals of our lives often masquerade themselves in the form of personal accolades, esteemed outcomes, alluring destinations and athletic’s teaming victories. The word goal is a four letter word for some. An, ‘I couldn’t make without them’ for others and a definite ‘must’ in the world of sports.

In reviewing the book, Crash Course in Storytelling by Kendal Haven, the word “goals” again appears in the multitude of letter-combining words and phrases on the pages in front of me. What! Goals? This is storytelling, not personal achievement, corporate conquest or athletic management; or so I alluded myself into thinking. But goals . . reading on, yes, of course goals, how simple! Stories are teaming with mischievous, magical, overachieving, dimwitted, crazed and deviant goal setters. The plot thickens with murderous intent; romantic conquest, riches unlimited; savory meals and hilarious, dim-witted drudgery. Goals spear a story forward into the eventful, how, where, when or why accolades of story’s unpredictable journey. Goals often comprise story’s navigational force and fortitude.

A trip down folktale lane sites a few infamous goal setting quest-ers and outcome adventurers:

The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Norwegian Folktale)

  • The grass is always greener across the bridge, if only that loud-mouthed goat-guzzling troll would step aside.

Little Snow-White (German Folktale)

  • Seriously, four accounts of attempted murder against your own seven year old child?
  • Wild boar organs with a dash of human never tasted so good.

The Emperor’s New Clothes (Denmark Literary Tale)

  • Royally paid, nameless tailors sell the king on their cutting-edge, custom-designed, fabric-less new cloths.
  • Less than royal street gawkers, wonder if they should enact legal precedence and have this royally acclaimed stripper arrested for inappropriate, flabby and pornographic  exposure.
  • The king’s choice to maintain his legally, royally approved presence while parading through town royally exposed.

Character’s goal setting and adventurous outcomes define story’s cankerous unfolding. Goals support listener navigation through the guided or misguided intentions of its outlandish characters.  They further help us step into character’s devious, mischievous, dimwitted, outwitted goal spearing adventures which lie ahead. Story’s plot is then built around the struggle, humor, adventure and wisdom of our goal quest-er’s journey.

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Continue!

Improving Your Storytelling Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work and Play

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

Doug Lipman’s book Improving Your Storytelling is both comprehensive and inspirational. His work addresses virtually every aspect of storytelling from performer preparation, to audience interaction, listener significance, voice care, oral language exercises, story crafting and image enhancement. Being introduced to Doug Lipman’s work at the beginning of my storytelling journey, while written primarily for experienced storytellers, gave me an incredible introduction into both the dynamics and art of storytelling. A veteran in the field of Behavior Health and Forensic Therapy, I found the chapters on imagery and oral language vs written language invaluable in my work with clients and how story, professionally or personally crafted, is developed through repeated tellings and listener interaction. Lipman’s masterful explanation of his MIT (Most Important Point)formula greatly impacted my work in the behavior health field as well as inviting me to put “who I am” into my stories. His inspirational chapter on imagery further ignited my imagination in “trying on” various characters and what it might “feel like”‘ to become these alter egos. Reading his vivid, sensory filled words in the introduction to Snow White I sat back wondering, imagining . . . What if I were the evil Queen, peering through this ebony black defined window pain; staring intently into the mesmerizing back drop of winter’s whiting perfection, my heart welling with the immense satisfaction of my husband’s timely demise . . . ! Then moving from here into the inner essence of each character in the story. Wow! What an incredible experience and insight into the breathing life dynamics of story interlaced with the interactive nature of storytelling. A must read for anyone desiring to expand their awareness and skills in the areas of oral language, imagery, and story as well as the dynamics and art of professional storytelling.

Thank you Doug Lipman for this comprehensive, dynamic and inspiring guide into the field of storytelling!

 

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Begin!

Story’s Destination: Ending at the Beginning

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

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For any of us, it is easier to get where we are going when we know where we are going. Knowing your destination begins your travel plans, knowing there is an infinite number of ways determining how and where you can arrive.

In developing your story, know your ending. Once you know the ending, decide on where you are going to begin.

Looking back, how did you get here?
Where there some type of goals, plans, affirmations, dreams, bucket lists involved in the journey and/or destination?
Who or what were your biggest helpers? . . . OR . . . Who do you want to hug?
Who or what were your biggest story saboteurs and why? . . . OR . . .Who do you want to strangle?
What kind of terrain(s) did you have to travel through?
Did you meet any helpers or any messing creatures along the way?
Does this journey involve an magic or enchantment of some kind?
Does your journey take one unexpected places such as; sewers, building pipers, inter-connecting anthills or . . . ?

Like any of us, once we know where we are and where we are going creativity drives the vehicle of our arrival.

Having a set and established destination opens up new possibilities of where you can start your story and the multitude of ways that you can reach your ending. As long as you know where you are going, all roads lead here. Memorizing a few key sentences signifying the end of your story’s adventurous can also be helpful in assuring a smooth landing. Disruptions, distractions and other types of things are apart of life, even temporarily forgetting where you are in your story. Again, like a great road map, knowing your ending means you know where you are going; it really doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you arrive and enjoy the ride.

In preparing for a performance, it is often easier to learn the ending before the beginning as it takes longer to get to the end than it does the beginning. A solid ending ensures more direct traveling and minimizes the chance of getting “lost” along the way.

Whether or not you are planning your next vacation or working up a great story,  start from your destination or the ending of your story. Instead of heading there, be there. While you are there, think about how you got to where you are going.

Until next time . . . Let your Storyographer’s journey begin!

Atmosphere – Story’s Presence

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones’ company at the end of a film clip states: “Atmosphere doesn’t just happen. It takes the human mind to create atmosphere.”

lion-617365_1280Atmosphere, the mode or the ambiance enveloping an individual or group of people such as; relief, uncertainty, fear, tension, romantic, chilling, humiliating or terrifying. Atmosphere also defines the gaseous envelope surrounding the planet earth. Atmosphere a powerful word. In the art of storytelling and the artistry of story development, it also means the establishment of a the prevailing mood or tone of a character and their impact on the people and events in the story’s story-line.  Atmosphere, setting and plots have a few interconnecting points or maybe potholes, depending where in the world you live, as each significantly impacts not only the characters within the story, but the storyteller and their audience members receiving the story.

You, the storyteller set the atmosphere of your story. You too both set and bring forth the atmospheric gauges of the character’s within your story. In the story you are telling, ask yourself: “What is the dominate atmosphere of my main characters? What happens when they enter a room? What changes in the mood or the tone of conversations or the general activity of the people around them? How does the atmospheric presence of these characters impact me, the storyteller? Atmosphere has the power to impact the mood and tone of the people around you.

Play with your character’s atmospheric gauges. Strong atmosphere is expansive and envelopes the audience.

But . . . Waite, aren’t we like that too? How many times have each one of us walked into a room of people and impacted the tone, the mood and the feelings of a single individual or the group of people? Atmosphere is power. What type of powerful impact are our characters making in your story? What type of powerful impact are you making your audience members?

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Begin!

Telling a Story? – Tips and Tidbits!

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

A storyteller, though voice and jester, invites people to join him/her on a guided tour of images, the place where a story begins, change happens and where life or someone’s awareness will never again be the same: knowing that the beginning will never be the same as the ending.

  1. Choose a story, myth or tale that you love – if you don’t love it, don’t do it. Ask your self, why do I love it? Why is this important for me to tell? What is the most important part of this story to me?
  1. If it is a myth or a folktale, then look it up in other sources – book and/or audio. Every storyteller adds his or her own unique style and flavor to a story. This might give you some more ideas as you work up your own version. Try reading it out loud to yourself or to a friend to hear the cantor of the story.
  1. Make an outline of the key events. Know your story – never memorize it. Remember every story has a beginning, something that happens that changes everything, now what – how life is different from when the story started.
  1. Practice by telling a friend or a family member. The more you tell it in front of others, the better your story becomes. Watch your story grow and come alive as you “listen” to what your audience is hearing.
  1. Become familiar with and research key elements in your story – main characters, geographic locations, plants, animals . . . Or try changing the setting or the main character in your story ie, retell it from the mouse’s, wicked step sister’s or tree’s perspective. Maybe the tortoise and the hare decided to race through the plumbing in your school!
  1. Review your original sources. It is important to keep the integrity of the storyline.
  1. Remember the ending to your story.  That way you know were you are going.
  1. Have fun. If you love what your are doing and love your story, your audience will too!

“The mythology of Greece survived for centuries before Gutenberg invented the printing press. To know the stories, one had only to listen to keepers of tales – the storytellers. Today, because we no longer need to rely upon the spoken work to know the stories, we forget that they were vividly entertaining vehicles of culture in a pre-reading era. The best written versions, I believe, remind us once again of the oral power of the ancient myths.” Barbara McBride-Smith in her book Greek Myths Western Style: Toga Tales with an Attitude.

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Until next time . . . Let a Storyographer’s Journey Begin!

Images of Slavery – Laura Smith Haviland

Posted on by Grace Wolbrink

boat-151887_1280The power of images. Our minds think in images – not words, not ideas, but the visual images behind those words and ideas.

These past few months I have been meeting the challenge of crafting an original story out of historical research. One of these stories involves the life of Laura Smith Haviland, arriving as a young child in the Michigan territory in 1820. A women that mobilized people, changed institutional policy and forged ahead on her personal belief’s in her work on the underground railroad and participation in the Civil War.

Early in life, once her family moved to the Michigan Territories, no longer being able to attend school, she began to read everything she could, including the books of her parents. One book specially seems to have profoundly impacted the course of her life. A book written by John Woolsworth on the middle passages of the slaves.

Throughout her autobiography, Laura Haviland speaks of the images of slavery; the shackles that held humans together in terror, trauma and degradation. She talks of the sharks following the slave ships cleaning up the dead and dying that were being overboard. Though out her life’s work, the words and images from his book and the images within the stories of the freed slaves she risked her own life to assist further shaped the course and purpose of her life’s journey.

Another image impacting me is her vision. When she still lived on the her family’s farm, she opened a school. A school that was available to all children, including African-American children and Indian children. During this time in her life she was running the school as well as helping to raise their 8 or 9 children and actively working with members of the underground railroad. On night she had a vision. In this vision, she saw an angel riding a horse, then stopping in front of their barn. At the bottom of the Angel’s feet was a fresh grave. Her youngest child, approximately 1 1/2 years old, was standing on the edge of the grave. In her vision she cry’s out, fearing her youngest child will join the dead. The Angel spoke to her saying “Let the dead be buried, you have much work to do.”

Within two weeks Laura’s husband, Mother, Father, sister, oldest child, youngest child and another family member died. Still in the early stages of grieving, she somehow met the challenges of meeting the needs of escaping slaves and their unimaginable needs and escaping the bounty hunters who held a high price tag on her own life.

What images are impacting us as we develop our stories? Allow these images to come forward in your story’s story-line as they already have a great deal of meaning for you in why you choose this story or this story-line. Then allow other characters, adventures and the physical reality of the story’s location come in and round these main images or main points of view.

In story as in live, maybe too you might ask yourself: What images are impacting the life living reality of my life.

 

Until next time . . . Let Your Storyographer’s Journey Begin!