The How-To of Storytelling
An Elementary Primer...Why is it pronounced "primmer" when it should be "Pr-EYE-mer?" So irritating.
This is a list of guidelines you may find helpful, especially if this is your first time slamming. They’re suggestions––the guidelines that we’ve found helpful in our own storytelling adventures.
Writing tips:
Have an arc in mind when you start. We give you a theme, you do the rest.
Ask yourself why the reader should care about the story.
Be passionate about your material––don’t do what you think people want to hear.
Don’t shy away from intense material––we’d rather see swinging for the fences than trite and boring.
If you tend to go long, ask yourself what the story is about (to you) and cut anything that doesn’t support that.
As a follow-up to #5, write the whole story without regard to word count and then, take your red pencil to it. You’d be amazed how much you can cut and not only retain the essence, but strengthen it. You get to the core. The message. The sweet music of it all.
How many words are there in a 4-minute-long story? Most of the stories I’ve written for this format are between 475 and 600 words. 600 words means you have to talk faster. That can work for some stories, but overall, less is much more. Give your audience time to take it all in!
Time yourself reading it at a non-frenetic pace (Eileen reads INCREDIBLY fast unless she makes a conscious effort not to do so).
Please slow down, but not too much. When you rehearse, imagine the spaces for laughter for a meaningful rest or beat. BUT make sure you’re timing yourself. Give yourself extra padding. That may mean less words. It’s amazing how few words it takes to tell a great tale.
Getting ready for the live performance:
REHEARSE. Then rehearse some more. Read it over and over until you can’t stand it anymore. Read it until you start to wonder what the hell you wrote. If you read it to yourself do it out loud as much as possible. It’ll help you know if you’re writing from your authentic voice. Rehearse it for your honey, your puppy, your goldfish, the Amazon delivery person…but oh, they only have 20 seconds per stop, so scratch that idea. You can always send them a link to the published post later.
When you rehearse, do it standing up. You’ll breathe more freely, and it instills confidence because you’re rooted and strong. If you can stand while you read for the show, so much the better for you and your success.
Unlike The Moth, there is NO requirement to memorize. It’s helpful to use large index cards (4”x6”) because they don’t make noise and they’re easy to flip through. Print your story in at least 18pt-20pt font-size. Then glue to the cards. I have glue sticks in every junk drawer in my house. The more familiar you are with your story, the less you’ll need to refer to your cards.
Remember, this is a virtual performance space. Please make sure you have a good internet connection for the show. We’d hate to lose you mid-stream.
Okay, kids, let’s put on a show!
Be comfortable––this isn’t a job interview. We want the real you.
Recognize that what you think your story’s about and what the audience takes away will surely differ and THAT IS OK.
ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE. Nervous excitement is great, but…
…nervous breakdowns indicate you aren’t ready to tell that particular story. We want to provide a forum that is safe for you to share material that you have come to grips with emotionally and are comfortable sharing with others...we don’t want the audience to be concerned for your wellbeing. Please keep this in mind while writing your piece.
Invite your friends! You want people who love you to see and hear you shine! You can even bring your puppy and goldfish. You can even invite your cat, but a gentle warning, cats can be cruel, they’re not very subtle. They’ll either love your story or hate it. There’s no middle ground with felines. I’m sharing this tip from personal experience. I wanted you to know.
We will be timing you, and if you go over, we won’t give you the hook (unless you talk for 10 minutes). We absolutely want you to finish your story. We want to hear it. You’ll just be out of the running for the win…this time!
If you’re scared to perform, trust us, do it anyway. We’re 99.99% sure you’ll be more than happy you did, and you might even win a hundred bucks!
And, if you have a question, any question, you can always reach out to Nan or Eileen. We can’t guarantee a response for Slamone, she’s mostly unreliable. Oh, those hyper-intellectuals; she always has her nose in a book, and refuses to be interrupted when she muses on her chaise longue.
We love her anyway.
I’ve been reading this beauty; you might want to as well. Matthew Dicks is a fabulous storyteller and a teacher without equal on the subject. And he’s lovely. He’s won The Moth Grand Slam about 5 million times. I’ve lost count! (That was an example of hyperbole).
If you have other books to recommend, leave a comment, and let us know.
So solid!