Storytellers are learning how to make art, share our work, and find audiences that are just as hungry for us as we are for them.
Artists Standing Strong Together and other online groups found their feet and started connecting people from various parts of the storytelling world with each other.
What did all of this wild change mean?
We suddenly had access to international performers we could never see live!
I know I have not done much blogging during these crazy times, but I have been trying to reform my own business model. Now that I have a little more knowledge in me about how to make this work, I have some information to offer.
I will be blogging more about the business of storytelling in the time of COVID. In fact, that is what my next series is going to be dedicated to doing.
I am going to answer the questions I have been fielding, explain how I transformed residencies into online products, and go into detail about how we marketed this product, how we figured out what we wanted to do, and offer as much information as I can about this new world of work.
I am of the opinion it will be at least 2 years before we are back up to capacity in a safe way. Even after that, I don't think virtual telling will ever go away.
Let us march forward with both of these great skills under our belt.
You can't stop storytellers when stories are on the line.
Some years ago, after a storytelling set, a curriculum teacher told me she really wanted to start using storytelling in the classroom. She asked me what would be the best grade to implement such a thing.
I know I had one of those run over by a train looks on my face.
What’s the best grade?
Well........
We seem to have forgotten that educating a student is like using a slow cooker to make dinner. You put the raw ingredients in, turn down the heat, and over the course of many hours the various ingredients in the pot simmer and blend to become a savory stew.
So, what is the best place to start using storytelling?
Oh, bring it on! Third is a great year to start storytelling! It will help those students struggling with comprehension! This could curb that pesky fourth grade slump when you get all of these kids who can sound out words but haven't learned how to connect them with images.
Fourth? (This is a long read, but if you are interested, it is interesting. You can also skim the bits that look interesting.)
Yes, fourth is clearly the best grade to start...right?
Wait. What about Fifth?
They are getting ready for middle school, right? Fifth would ensure they are getting that oral presentation piece. Right?
"What is the best grade to start storytelling?" is a question that needs a long answer about building skills, reading and vocabulary, but in schools today where some amorphous "they" need a provable quick answer that can be tested immediately by a rubric...I'm thinking fourth grade might be a place to start.
The kids are developmentally ready to incorporate the lessons, and it will make a huge difference to them at once.
I am brought to mind of that famous Donald Davis story about storytelling and writing. He was teaching in a school and he had a number of kids who were struggling with writing. He had the teachers send those kids to him in the library every Friday for a month for stories. At the end of that time, all of the kids could write stories
.
So, for anyone who might be curious, this seems to me to be the progression in question.
1. Before you can write a story, you have to know what is in a story.
2. In order to know what is in a story, you need to be exposed to stories. If you can't read, hearing them is perfect. Even if you can read, hearing them is perfect.
3. Once you are exposed, you will figure out that stories are built out of images. So, you need to figure out how to build images with language
4. Once you understand that you can build images with words, you have to start figuring out what words you know that can be used to build images.
5. Once you start looking through your own vocabulary for descriptions, characters, and settings your ability to visualize language will improve, and that will also increase your joy of reading.
6. f you can’t associate words and images, you can’t read, and writing will be impossible.
So, the best answer to the question, "What's the BEST grade to start storytelling?" is pretty straightforward.
EVERYWHERE. Start EVERYWHERE.
If that isn't feasible...sigh...start in fourth grade.
When I started this blog, I made several assumptions. I assumed people who found their way here would already be somewhat involved in the world of storytelling. What did not occur to me was that there would be people who were trying to figure out how to get into storytelling.
Recently I was on a thread, and a person made the comment, "This is all well and good, but how do you get into storytelling?"
I get this question fairly often when I'm out traveling. People want to know how to become a professional storyteller. They aren't asking how to get to the next level, no, they want to know where to begin.
This is such a common question, it even has a Wikihow page.
Most people who decide to become a professional storyteller have encountered the art and been taken with it. They see a professional up there doing their thing and say to themselves, 'I could do that'.
Here is one of the best rocking the stage. Go on with your bad self, Donald!
If you get a professional doing their thing, it looks easy. That is their power. Good storytellers seem to just bring the story to life.
What you don't see is all the work that goes into making it roll off of the tongue. So, if you are just beginning, you don't start at the art point. You have to start at the beginning.
Wikihow offers five steps. I thought I would do the same!
1.Get some stories under your belt.
You can either tell traditional stories or you can write your own, but you need to know some tales. Where do you find them? Well, you can google folktales or folklore and take your pick. You'll have to write your own personal material if that is how you wish to go.
Under no circumstances should you tell anyone else's personal stories!!!
As you learn stories, you need to make sure that you are shaping them with your own personal tastes.
Try not to completely copy an existing storyteller. Find you own style.
Craft is how you put stories together, and how you present them. This is important, because it shapes what type of storyteller you are, and what types of stories you tell. You will spend a great deal of time in this stage before you ever get to the last step.
I went to Northwestern University and studied under Rives Collins. Call your local community college and find out if they have a storytelling program. Go to festivals and conferences given by storytelling organizations and take workshops and classes.
You most likely live in a state where there is a storytelling guild. You might live near one and not know. Go to a guild meeting and get to know your local storytellers. Listen, get feedback, and consider what people have to say. The link above is for the National Storytelling Network organization that has catalogued guilds for every state. Click on your state, find out where your guild is, and enquire if there is a group near you.
I cannot stress enough that you should read about storytelling. Parkhurst Brothers, and August House publishers have a great number of books about storytelling.
d. Tell!
You must find opportunities to tell your stories to the audiences you wish to serve. Whether adults or children, you must find willing guinea pigs. Find out if you can volunteer to tell in your local public library. Find open mic nights. Do what you have to do.
3. After you are confident that you've got some stories ready, you feel comfortable telling them, and you are ready to roll out your carpet and invite the paying public into your world. You have to tell them you are alive and offering a service. That brings us to the most annoying part of this whole thing. You have to start the onerous part of the whole process.
There are lots of books about marketing. I did mention you should read, right?
4. The Business of Storytelling. I haven't written much about this on this blog, but the thing that goes here is the business of storytelling. This is the part where you schedule, produce contracts, set prices, cold call, put together email lists, contact people, and make connections with others. I don't do this part of the business, but it is an essential part of making this job work.
While all of that is happening, you get to the last step in the process.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather rinse repeat! This cycle of gathering material, crafting it, working the material, engaging with new audiences, marketing to new places, and working the art is not a fait accompli...it is a cycle.
So, there you have it. Some really basic steps to becoming a professional storyteller.
Is this a really simplified list? Yes. Will it be quick and easy? No, probably not, but it is a roadmap to becoming a professional.
There is a difference between crafting a story and just getting up and telling one. Pretty much anyone who isn't afraid of speaking in public can get up and tell a story of some kind. We share stories at weddings and funerals. We share them during worship services, and amongst friends. We share them on the radio and television.
In this series of Blogs, I will look at a single story, and show the process I use to get from my first exposure to a tale all the way to the finished structure.
This entry will deal with my first exposure and the questions I grapple with before I do anything else.
The first storytelling class I took was taught by Nancy Donoval. She was putting together a piece of story theatre, and she needed actors who could also rock some storytelling. It was fascinating and it opened me up to an entire art form I never even knew you could spend your life pursuing.
Nancy Donoval doing her thing
Rives Collins was my next teacher. I spent two years at his feet soaking up any and all of the information he cared to offer. He shaped my understanding of solid story structure, helped me begin to identify the types of stories that drew me, and gave me an incredible platform on which to build my career.
My mentor at Northwestern University, Rives Collins
My next teacher was Donald Davis. I spent a summer as a scribe in one of Donald's classes. I learned a great deal from watching him work a fictional story based on his life into a performance piece. I also began to understand that this was not going to be a type of storytelling in which I would specialize. As much as I enjoyed it, telling stories from my own life on stage does not interest me overly much.
The Amazing Donald Davis
I'm pretty sure that's because I like really far fetched fantastical stories. The less reality the better. That's the kind of literature I like to read. Those are the movies I like to watch. If I could see it on a street corner, I don't want to read about it, tell it or watch it. This is just a personal preference.
A few years ago I took a master class with Bil Lepp on crafting, which I found fascinating since my brain doesn't work like that at all. This coming summer I will be taking a class from Bill Harley mostly just because. I mean, who doesn't want to spend a few hours playing with Bill Harley?
So, how do you craft a story? Well, that depends entirely upon who you are and what kinds of stories you tell. Here is the method I use.
First, I identify a tale I'd like to tell. Some years ago I called Milbre Burch and asked if she had a story she could share with me. She told me this old story called The Pot Maker and The Tiger. Click the link to read a very quick and dirty version of the story.
The marvelous Milbre Burch
Okay, where to start?
- Do I like this story? Yes. This is important, and obvious. Don't tell stories you don't like.
- Do you know any variants of this tale? No. I'd never heard of this story before. I liked the variant Milbre told me, so I decided to work on it from there before I went to find other sources.
When I get stories out of books, I like to read as many variants as I can, when I get them from people, I like to build on the feeling, cadence, and flow that they give me when I first get the story. Later, I will go back and see if I can find some variants. Sometimes I get new material from these written versions, but most of the time, I find the hardest bit of the work has already been done by the teller who gave me permission to tell the story, and the worst of the clunkiness is left on the page where it belongs.
- Do you connect with this story on some level? Yes. It tickled me a great deal, and I wanted to explore it.
Great! Now I've got the story. What's next?
First - Who is this story for?
Well, I wouldn't tell this tale to anybody below the 3rd grade because it has far too many plot twists in it. Most little kids won't follow this very well. Some can, certainly, but most will be lost.
There is also the fact that there are elements in this tale that require a certain amount of knowledge in order to be understood by an American audience. How much background do I need to give, and can it be done in the body of the tale as I tell it?
Second - What are the beats in this tale?
Where are the obvious funny bits?
What kind of pacing does it need?
When does the audience need a break from all of this nonsense?
when do I need to drive a point home?
Third - What is the feel of this story?
What sort of tone does this tale have? Does it need to be broken up into 'chapters' or is it a story told seamlessly. In other words, is there some, 'Meanwhile' that actually needs to be said, or does it have more of an, all of this is happening over time feel?
Is it serious in places, or is the whole thing completely farcical?
Fourth - How much interior structure do I add as a teller to make this story feel authentic to me?
Do I need to add explanations?
How much character enhancement do I need?
How much do I do in the way of sound effects?
Are there parts that need more wallowing?
What sort of structure does this story need to be graspable by different ages?
Fifth - What is the audience's job during this tale?
Are they just watching the whole thing?
Is there some type of audience participation?
Is there some kind of repeating phrase or idea?
Sixth - Last and most important; how do I introduce this tale?
Does it need another story to introduce it?
Does it need some kind of personal narrative?
Does it need just some geographical info?
What do I think this story is about, and what do I want the audience to focus on in the back of their minds as I tell it?
So, before I stand it up and start telling it to myself, I begin grappling with these ideas.
We may have done future professional storyteller's a disservice by shouting 'everyone can be a storyteller'! Not because everyone doesn't have a story to tell, they do, but because not every one of them is going to be able to hang out a shingle, and become a professional storyteller.
Then, and this is the part we don't talk about much at all, there is all of the competition.
Yes, there is competition in the storytelling world, but it takes on a different aspect than in other art forms.
For starters, you are not competing for the same parts. Unlike theatre where there are only seven parts, and the director makes the decisions based on what they see in their heads, the field is much more open and the players can take on many different aspects.
There are hundreds of festivals all across the country, and they are all looking for tellers. Chances are there is one out there for you if you go looking.
It isn't like Broadway where there are only a few big theaters, and you are trying to sell out every seat in the house, and make money for your backers or they will close you down.
Heck, you can tell stories to tiny audiences for years and years and years. Nobody is going to come and announce that because you can't draw more than fifty people at t a time, you are no longer going to be allowed to tell stories. We aren't competing for audiences.
It isn't like we have a Grammy award equivalent where storytellers are awarded best story, best folktale, best personal tale, best...you get my drift.
Authors put out books, and then their works are pitted against each other for awards all over the country.
Storytellers don't really have that either. Well, you can apply for a Storytelling World Award, but they give out way more than just one. Your work is evaluated on the merits of its worth, not on whether or not it is better than someone else's work.
So, where does this competition come from then?
Go get a mirror. You see that person? That person is your competition.
Work to be better than the person you are looking at in that glass.
When I put a new story together I am not trying to figure out how to be:
I grapple with the tale, my style of telling, my understanding of the story, and how much I like the material; not what any other teller in the world might be doing in that moment.
I ask some simple questions.
1. What does this story need from me in order to be successful?
2. What does the audience need from this story in order for this to be successful?
3. What does the audience need from me in order for this story to be successful?
4. What does this story need from the audience in order to be successful?
5. What do I need from the audience in order for this story to be successful?
I answer those questions, and I've got a story I can tell.
Will it be 'better' than someone else's? Not why I tell that story. I picked the tale, I tell the tale, I stand behind the tale, and I've got to love the tale. If I don't love it, I shouldn't be telling it regardless of whether or not I think it is a 'good' telling. That's just my opinion of course, do whatever you like.
I was having dinner with the incomparable Beth Horner the other night after the Wake County Storytelling Festival. Beth has been a dear friend of mine for over twenty years. She is also one of my early mentors in the field. I always love seeing her.
Beth started telling me about what some other storyteller was up to, and I got that wistful look on my face.
I said, "I wish my career was that exciting."
Beth looked at me, picked up a piece of paper, and threw it across the table at me. She started carrying on about how ridiculous it was for me to make that statement considering all of the things I was doing. Then, to my amusement, she began complaining about her own career, then, stopped and started laughing.
I noted that it isn't possible to do everything, and take advantage of every opportunity, and it always seems like somebody else is doing something more exciting, interesting or fascinating than you.
Beth nodded, "Yes, even in storytelling the grass is always greener."
So, the next time you begin to wonder why you haven't ever been featured at Jonesboro, or why you only did fifty schools last year, or why you don't do more work in libraries, or how come Mr. X is always at place Y, and you haven't even been there once...take a deep breath, look in your mirror, and consider all of the beautiful, luscious green grass behind you. Consider the fact that somewhere out there is another person looking hungrily at that grass, and wondering what you did to get such good, sweet stuff.
Then, put the mirror down and get back to work!
The competition you face is too stiff to sit around wondering what someone else might be doing.
