Hello, dear reader, and welcome to this blog on telling a story better than you used to. Really, it’s more about learning in general. I’m going to lay down a couple of tips I’ve learned over the years, from a variety of sources, and inspire you to have at it!
Abraham Lincoln started life as a boy who loved to tell stories. I’ve been to his birthplace, and have seen the roads he would walk. If anyone around was willing to listen, Abraham was there for them. A story already on the tip of his tongue. We know Abraham eventually became one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever seen. He used his talent and drive to tell stories to, as an adult, inspire people with his speeches. He didn’t write the Gettysburg Address when he was 10. In fact, he thought the Gettysburg Address had been a flop after he gave it. If you’re interested in history, then you may want to follow this link to learn more about Lincoln’s address and his thoughts about it http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2009/11/lincolns-audacious-address.html. If you aren’t interested in history just know, Abraham Lincoln worried and fretted over the words he would say. Words we now consider to have changed a nation. If he had never started telling stories, do you think he would have ever pursued law? Politics? Would he have ever become president? Abraham had to start somewhere.
So do you.
Now, how do you start? I want you to answer several questions for me. Do you like coming up with random stories off the top of your head, do you like modifying existing stories, or do you like retelling stories in exact detail? Wherever you land, start where you’re comfortable. Have fun and keep telling stories. You can copy pages of your favorite book, be a role-playing game master, or even change the ending of that one movie you loved and follow the idea into another story. Your story. The more you practice, or play, the better you'll get at it. As Shia LaBeouf would say, “Just do it!!!!”
The most important thing is to start. Have fun. Make mistakes. Play! Don’t worry about whether your story is the best thing ever. It won’t be. It will be the first of many stories. The beginning of a life of laughter, tears, and wonder.
Each story you create will build on top of the last one. Each story will be better at something, and you'll get better at storytelling. The process will start when you start.
Have a good day, dear reader! Let me know what you think, and feel free to post any other ideas for starting to be a storyteller.
Abraham Lincoln started life as a boy who loved to tell stories. I’ve been to his birthplace, and have seen the roads he would walk. If anyone around was willing to listen, Abraham was there for them. A story already on the tip of his tongue. We know Abraham eventually became one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever seen. He used his talent and drive to tell stories to, as an adult, inspire people with his speeches. He didn’t write the Gettysburg Address when he was 10. In fact, he thought the Gettysburg Address had been a flop after he gave it. If you’re interested in history, then you may want to follow this link to learn more about Lincoln’s address and his thoughts about it http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2009/11/lincolns-audacious-address.html. If you aren’t interested in history just know, Abraham Lincoln worried and fretted over the words he would say. Words we now consider to have changed a nation. If he had never started telling stories, do you think he would have ever pursued law? Politics? Would he have ever become president? Abraham had to start somewhere.
So do you.
Now, how do you start? I want you to answer several questions for me. Do you like coming up with random stories off the top of your head, do you like modifying existing stories, or do you like retelling stories in exact detail? Wherever you land, start where you’re comfortable. Have fun and keep telling stories. You can copy pages of your favorite book, be a role-playing game master, or even change the ending of that one movie you loved and follow the idea into another story. Your story. The more you practice, or play, the better you'll get at it. As Shia LaBeouf would say, “Just do it!!!!”
The most important thing is to start. Have fun. Make mistakes. Play! Don’t worry about whether your story is the best thing ever. It won’t be. It will be the first of many stories. The beginning of a life of laughter, tears, and wonder.
Each story you create will build on top of the last one. Each story will be better at something, and you'll get better at storytelling. The process will start when you start.
Have a good day, dear reader! Let me know what you think, and feel free to post any other ideas for starting to be a storyteller.