Want to be a good story teller- any advice?

Question

Hi,

I wan't to be able to tell stories, metaphors, anecdotes, better- can anyone reccomend a resource, book or site that has some cool short stories or shows you how to create your own stories???

Native american, zen, american folklore etc welcome :-)

Answer 1

First Pick the Right Material.

Not everyone is is suited to tell every story in the way it needs to be told, with all the richness it deserves, all the nuances, inflection, timing, delivery, resonance, and believeability necessary to take your audience with you. To see what I mean, I think a good example is to see Hal Holbrook in full Makeup and Costume play Mark Twain. Get your Hands on this Video. Within a few minutes I WAS watching MARK TWAIN tell me stories. it was mesmerizing. No one else that I can think of could have pulled that off, - not Tom Hanks, not Richard Harris, or Tom Selleck.

Believe in the Story you are telling. Feel it !

You are reliving it, or recounting it as it was told to you, and you adbsolutely believe it to be true. Again, a good story teller is telling the story to him/herself as much as to anyone else, recounting the details, the sounds, the smells, and textures of the moments, the emotions, motivations, alliances, secrets, weaknesses, and strengths of the characters, the physical locations of the settings in which the story takes place, the interveining factors, such as trolls, faries, animals, talking treees, or historical charaters to give the story a time reference.

Immerse yourself in the Characters

Be ready and able to change your voice, facial expressions, and body language, and perhaps a costume prop like a hat or wig, or mustache - as your dialogue of characters changes. Remenber that the Seasons, the weather, nature, and even times of day can have have effect on the inflection and tone of your voice - the shiver and chattering teeth of winters cold; the soft, small scared voice of night, the loud wind tossed calling of a storm.

Find the Rythum of the Story and keep to it.

The momentum of the story can change, but the tempo should not vary, unless you have a series of stories within a story - which is a very difficult thing to manage, unless you've REALLY GOT YOUR AUDIENCE HOOKED. It's like the beat to a song, if you keep changing the beat - I guarantee you - 95% of the time - you will not have a hit, unless you are truly a master of aranging musical scores.

Maintain Eye Contact with your audience

Find the eager listeners in you audience and play to them, take their energy and approval, and work with that, give them a wink of thanks now and again. Sweep the room, try to make eye contact with most of your audience - even if you are working the boards, and the footlights make this impossible to see the audience. In that case create one person who you really want to tell this story to, and seat him / her at the back of the house, and speak to that person as he/she walks back and forth at random accross the back of the Hall.

How Long? Who are you following? Who is your Audience? Be aware of current events when you choose your material.

If you are going to be the "Story Lady" to a group of 1st graders and Kidnegardners, keep the story time down to 15 - 20 minute maimum.

If you are at a National Story Telling Competition, the last thing you want to do is to follow a former National Champion and TELL THE SAME TALE - so do your homework

You have been invited to provide the entertainment at a small convention, this gig - if it goes well could turn into a bred and butter set up that would amount to 15 to 20 engagements a year at $ 1,500.00 a pop plus all expenses and airfare. You decide to WOW 'em with your best tale " Bambi". You hope this NRA (whatever that is), will like the story., and all the cute and cuddly animal props that you use in the tale.

After the Disasterous affair with the NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION, (Who KNew?), you have the opportunity to redeem yourself, (in a small way). You get another shot at being the Story Lady at the Down Town Main Library - where you are going to tell a tale to over 200 kids!!!! WOW. PERFECT!!! - Now is the proper time for "Bambi" to the Rescue - you just know it!!! You wonder why such a big group this Saturday? Most Saturdays there are about 15 - 20 kids - oh well - 200 - Wow!

In the mean time you're busy with other interests, part-time work at the drug store, Beading Class at the YWCA on Thurs. nite, Golf league on Friday afternoon, and laundry on saturday morning,and of course "Story Time" on Saturday afternoon. You never watch the news - it's just too depressing wild fires, the fightiong in Iraq, China has the Nuk, - it's all so Horrible. Time flies by, and it's Saturday already.

The Library is a riot of small voices and little bodies darting about, and the whole place smells of child. Finally Mrs Devile the Head librarian appears on the scene; the temperature drops 10 degrees to anouince her arival; as lights flicker and dim, the books in the stacks tremble, and several of the smaller children simultaneously wet themselves. Quiet descends like a fog over the entire childrens section is reduced to small quivering statues, small quivering QUIET little statues, then with a curt nod of her head she is gone in the stacks again, the lights flicker and return to normal levels, the room temperature rises, but the quiet lingers, and 200 somber little penguins take their places in the story area, and the Legend of Bambi begins..

Things were going so well, the kids were riveted - so engrossed in the story I was afraid they weren't breathing. It was magical, every little body was leaning forward, eyes wide open, straining to to somehow enter in to the meadow with Bambi and Thumper, I was thrilled, congratulating myself - lost in my own self congradulatory thoughts for a moment as I droned on about the fire scene in the forest - when I was jared to my senses by the wailing and crying of a chorus of 200 children - who only 2 minutes ago had been in such rapt attention. What was going on? Mothers, nannies, and care givers were all rushing in to comfort the children and shooting me looks like I had lost my mind and tried to kill the tots. I had no Idea, (once again), of what was going on. One of the assistan librains helped me gather up my things, and wisked my out of the Building to my car. All the while I'm asking what's going on? What did I do? What happened?. When we got the the car, she finally stopped to answer me, " Didn't I know that all of those children we survivors of the Big & LIttle Sugarloaf Mountains and Topanga Canyon Wild Fires? Their family members were either hospitalized or dead in one of Californias worst natural disater's in 45 years? Did'nt I watch the News? Where had I been for the 12 hours?

So there are a few things to help you along in your caraeer as a story teller, and a verbal historian, (Yes verbal historian - how do you think man was able to pass down his traditions, language, and rituals, and he develped and that which was passed down to him from those who went before. Before there was pictographs, or written language everything that was to be passed ddown was passed down through stories and songs - mostly songs for the melodies made it easier to remember the wordsand the message they carried. So men passed down stories to their sons, and women passed down stories to their daugthers, and early man migrated much like the animals and birds with the weather, and young men who had never seen or been to a safe encampment in a forigen land knew just where to go to seek shelter, water, and game, because one of the "Old ones" had told him the story of this place before he passed thru to the "Sun Place". So an abstrat concept was relayed by one hominid to another by story telling - perhaps even before early man was capable of speech.

So stay alert, read, increase your vocabulary every day, tell jokes when you can; and speak whenever you can. Join Toast Masters, the Community Play House, and take advantage of any place to do public speaking when it arises. Record Commercials and TV shows and do the dialogue or sales pitches, practice diction & different voices. Work on inflection, and exaggerated accents. Try to mimic famous Actors and Personalities - pick up some old Frank Gorshen's Albums, and get some of Frank Calendo's DVD's and listen to their mimicry. if this is going to be your trade craft you need to work at it just like any other "Job" - 8 - 10 hours a day.

Yes there are some "Natural Born" story tellers out there, are you one? If not the get up, and get to work. Good Luck.

I'm pulling for you.

Answer 2

Ibex has some great advice for you. If you would like to see a Master Storyteller at work, go to Odds Bodkins website and order or download some of his recordings. As a storyteller, you don't have to do *every*thing he does (provide his own music, sound effects, etc.), but he's a wonderful example of what can be done by one person. A bonus is that he not only tells stories from around the world, but has also written some wonderful tales of his own. Enjoy!

Answer 3

Well, it's not exactly a book and it's got a distinct Pagan bent, but here goes...

I've been a writer and a Norse Pagan since my teens. I would often look to my patron God (Loki) for inspiration. Here's the simple ritual I do...

Get yourself a shot of cheap liquor, glitter, a red candle, a cup of water. Pour the shot. Invite Loki to share a drink with you, then Invite Odin to make sure Loki behaves. Light the candle and sprinkle the glitter in a circle around it. Keep the water on hand in case of flare-ups. Lok IS associated with fire. Drink half the shot, then pour the other half into the toilet while you flush. Announce your intention to Create something, and subtly suggest "wouldn't it be great if I could tell a tale like loki can...." He works best with hints. Sit down and write. If it doesn't work, try it again another day. It helps to have lots of reference tools around you related to the theme of your work. Loki is a sucker for the shiny stuff!

Answer 4

If you want to be a decent story teller, go to your library and pick up anything from Fairy-Tales to Creation Myths. A writing class would help as well, along with any advanced English courses.

Answer 5

take college writing courses and practice. my writing course Professor suggested we write to please ourselves first.