Don’t make your theme too specific. For instance, a theme like “my first date” might get a lot of similar stories and be boring for the audience. Set a time limit so you don’t get stories that are too long and rambling. Ten minutes is usually a good limit for the average story. Alternately, you could just get your closest friends together in your living room on a Friday or Saturday night and swap stories in a semi-structured way. You could select a specific theme, or you could just provide an open forum for sharing stories. StoryCorps is a podcast which attempts “to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. ”[2] X Research source For the hefty sum of $3,500 per day, you can host a StoryCorps event in your community. (You might consider soliciting public funding or private fundraising to help with the fee. ) Interviews can last forty minutes and are added to the Library of Congress archives. They are also available online.
Podcasts can be hard to produce. Get help from a trained sound engineer to record and produce your podcast. As you build your audience, seek local businesses for financial support. Offer them advertising space on your podcast. [3] X Research source While you can easily do a simple podcast on your home computer with your built-in microphone and recording software, a good podcast will need to invest in high-quality technology. [4] X Research source If conducting interviews over Skype, Pamela is a great program for PC users. A similar program, Ecamm Call Recorder, is available for Mac users. Adobe Audition is a useful program for editing purposes.
The largest festival – the National Storytelling Festival – takes place each year in Tennessee. Check the National Storytelling Network’s calendar at https://storynet. org/calendar/ to search for storytelling events in your area.
While you might intuitively understand some or all of these storytelling elements already, explicitly recognizing how these elements work in conversation with each other will hone your storytelling skills You probably have lots of questions and issues about becoming a professional storyteller that someone else has already dealt with. Learn from their experiences, avoid their pitfalls, and adopt their paths to success.
Beyond some simple feedback and nurturing, consider getting real coaching from another storyteller. A storyteller coach will tailor their advice to your specific needs and presentation and give concrete steps to help you build your business. [5] X Research source
If you plan on telling a story and you know you’re limited to a certain amount of time, ensure your story is the right length. Do not try to jam a 15 minute story into 8 minutes. Use repetition of a certain action or event to set up a pattern that will later be broken, or drive home feelings of drudgery or disappointment. For instance, if your story is about a person’s boring life, don’t just say that they walk home “alone, every single day. ” Say instead that “They walked home. Alone. Every. Single. Day. ” This emphasizes the monotonous, lonely nature of their life. Speak rapidly – but not so fast that the audience can’t understand you – to describe or depict a sudden, jarring event or action. Work on your timing not only within each story, but between stories as well. If you intend to deliver multiple stories to a class or group of people, follow a longer story with a shorter one, and vice versa. This will give your listeners a chance to mentally rest and reset their attention.
Be authentic when telling your story. Even if the story you tell is fictional, show enthusiasm for the characters and events. Don’t be afraid to use unique voices for certain characters. [8] X Research source For instance, if your story features a fierce monster, make your voice harsh and scary when reciting the monster’s dialogue. If your character(s) are afraid, speak in (audible) whispers, as they would. Getting into character can bring the story to life.
Your audience should also be able to summarize the main theme or events of the story in a succinct way. If other people who read or hear your story get confused in the telling, you may need to edit the story. For instance, if you rehearse your story in front of a test audience of friends or family and they all have competing and contradictory ideas about what the story is about, you might want to revise the way you tell your story. Examine each part of your story and ask yourself if it adds to the narrative flow. The events of your story should be clear and connect with one another in a logical way. Listen to the advice of others when developing your story. It is important to understand how other people receive and understand your story if it is to be effective and memorable. Soliciting feedback from other writers is especially useful.
For instance, if you’re telling a story about a big bird, you might say, “Then the bird swooped down from its nest. ” While saying this, you might raise your hand high above your head and bend it at the wrist in a ninety degree angle. You could then move the hand across and down your body at a forty-five degree angle and elongate the long “O” sound in “swooped. ” This would add an exciting physical dimension to the story and help the audience visualize what it was like to see the bird swooping down from its perch. Don’t over-perform your story. A storyteller is not an actor. [12] X Research source Always keep your body language appropriate and relevant to the tone and style of the story.
For example, you might decide that if you make $1,500 each month from your storytelling, you can become a full-time storyteller. A supportive spouse or partner who contributes to the household income can make it easier for you to take the necessary risk which becoming a full-time storyteller entails. Keep enough money in the bank to carry you through lean times. Maintain at least six months’ worth of funds.
Upload audio and/or video of your stories in part or in whole Provide a bio of yourself, including how you got started as a storyteller and what drew you to it. Make your own life a story! Be sure to include contact info for people who want you to deliver some stories to their event or party. Get listed in online directories. The Storyteller. net directory is a good place to start. List your available services on local marketing sites like Craigslist to get your name out, too.
If you are performing in a large hall in which sound does not easily carry, suggest – or insist – that your hosts provide a microphone for your performance. Remember, your reputation will suffer whether a bad storytelling performance is or isn’t your fault. Similarly, don’t be afraid to ask that a teacher, parent, or other adult stay in the library or classroom with you if you’re delivering a story to children. Always aim to defy your clients’ expectations and leave them wanting more.
Depending on the club or organization your join, you will gain access to any number of neat perks. Becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network, for instance, will allow you to apply for NSN grants, access online discussion groups, and attend the National Storytelling Conference. [14] X Research source
Librarians often pull double duty as both librarian and storyteller. [15] X Research source If you have a passion for telling stories, you might be able to introduce a storytelling program to your library.
Consult with the film’s writer to talk about their vision for the script and characters. How do they see various lines of dialogue being delivered? How do they imagine the characters moving and the sets looking? Since films almost always begin as a screenplay, use that as your bible and integrate the writer’s vision into your filmmaking process. Make shorter films first to get a feel for how the medium works. Most phones have a video function and can be a great first camera for a young amateur filmmaker. Get a production internship with a film studio to learn how the industry works. Continue developing your filmmaking abilities with new projects and developing new contacts with actors, producers, and studio executives.
Another community of professional storytellers includes those who tell their stories with a guitar, drums, or other musical instrument. [18] X Research source Including music in the narrative can get both children and adults involved in clapping or singing along to your story. Musical storytelling can also constitute an important educational tool by providing new linguistic structures to young children. Think about adopting a spoken-word storytelling style. While spoken-word storytelling requires no musical instruments, it does require a sense of timing, rhythm, and (often, though not always) rhyme. Look for opportunities to perform at open-mic nights in your local coffee shops and bookstores.
