The How-To of Storytelling
An Elementary Primer...Why is it pronounced "primmer" when it should be "Pr-EYE-mer?" So irritating.
Write, rehearse, refine.
This is a list of writing and rehearsal tips. They’re guidelines you may find helpful, especially if this is your first time slamming. They’re suggestions 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 you 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. I try to stay as close to 500 as possible. 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.
Slow down, but not too much. When you rehearse, imagine the spaces for laughter and add a rest or beat. Make sure you’re timing yourself. Give yourself extra padding. 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 video later…but they’ll have to be a paid subscriber to watch your story.
Stand when you rehearse. 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, that’s great. If you can’t stand, make sure to sit with great posture, and breathe from your belly.
Unlike The Moth, there is NO requirement to memorize. It can be 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 more comfortable and confident your delivery.
Remember, this is a virtual performance space. Please make sure you have a good internet connection for Zoom. We’d hate to lose you mid-stream.
Okay, kids, let’s put on a show!
Be as comfortable as you can––this isn’t a job interview. We want the real you want you to have a great time. The audience is rooting for you. I promise.
Know what your story’s about when you tell it and know that the audience takeaway may be different, because they land differently for everyone. It’s all good.
ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE. Nervous excitement is great, but…
…nervous breakdowns indicate that you might not be 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 invite your cat, but a gentle warning, cats can be cruel, they’re not shy about sharing their “felines.” They’ll either love your story or hate it. No middle way with a cat. I’m sharing from personal experience. I wanted you to know.
We will be timing you, and if you go over, you won’t get the hook (unless you talk for 10 minutes). We absolutely want you to finish your story. We want to hear it. Respect the time limit. Keeping it to 4 minutes is part of the craft needed here.
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 from 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. That woman. Freaking figurehead.
We love her just the same.
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!