©1984 -• Leanne Carson Boyd • All Rights Reserved.
The Story Within
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StoryTelling - The Land Of Enchantment
We All Have A Story Inside
Effective storytelling is a fine and beautiful art. A well-developed and presented story can cut across age barriers and will hold the interest and reach its listeners. Stories will be remembered long after other orations. Knowing and applying the basics of storytelling will strengthen your stories.
~ Barry McWilliams, Effective Storytelling — A Manual For Beginners, ©1998, http://www.eldrbarry.net/
Humanity. We sure are a chatty lot. Yak and more yakkity yak! The reality is, our “oral tradition” is probably one of the biggest factors in the survival of our species. We love the details… and the more, the better. We love stories… from “What happened at Aunt Minnie’s 93rd birthday party?” to “What happened in the Middle East today?” to “What happened to Goldilocks after the Three Bears incident?”
Storytelling — It’s NEWS!
Yes, we love a good story, and are fascinated by a good storyteller. If you want to dig more deeply into the art and science of storytelling, visit Storytelling — It’s NEWS! Keep in mind that our race is constantly evolving, and storytelling techniques have had to change over the eons. But, remember, the most important piece of the story telling experience is… the audience. What your listeners take away from a story is what becomes the oral tradition in as many families as there are members of your audience.
Adapting To Our Audiences
The audience has a very important role in storytelling – for their minds are the canvas on which the teller paints his tale. Oral storytelling involves much interaction between teller and hearer. I have observed that our audiences have lost some of the skills to follow a narrated story and see things in their minds. Storytelling has become more difficult. Attention spans are shorter and more demanding, more sophisticated, yet less able to independently imagine or visualize. People seem to need more visual stimulation.
Take The Story As Close To Them As You Can
- Keep it brief and simple – especially for younger children – pare down to the heart of the story.
- Stimulate their senses so they feel, smell, touch, and listen, and see vivid pictures.
- Describe the characters and settings, and help them sympathize with the character’s feelings.
- Aim your story at the younger ones when telling to a audience of mixed ages!
~ Barry McWilliams, Effective Storytelling — A Manual For Beginners, ©1998, http://www.eldrbarry.net/
Native American Indian Childrens Stories
Storyteller, Tales, Legends, Myths, Flute Music
Stories… Communication… So, What’s Not To Love?
Stories paint word pictures and use the sound and rhythm and repetition of words. In developing and learning a story, concentrate on its visual and audio aspects: either assemble it into a series of visual pictures like a filmstrip, or consciously absorb the rhythm and arrangement of the sounds of the words.
~ Barry McWilliams, Effective Storytelling — A Manual For Beginners, ©1998, http://www.eldrbarry.net/
© 1984 – 2011 (All Previous Works), and © (Current Works) • Leanne Carson Boyd • All Rights Reserved.
