Personal Stories Matter: Connecting with Others

This was a paper I wrote on July 6, 2006, which was before this blog was created.

Many people deny that they have personal stories that would be of value for others to hear. As a result, significant moments in time are either forgotten or ignored. Despite our uniqueness as individuals, we share universal experiences. With the proper support and guidance, more people would be willing to share their own stories.

Requests from friends and audience members influenced storyteller Nancy Wang to experiment with autobiographical stories. Normally, she focused on folktales with her tandem partner and husband, Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, through Eth-Noh-Tec. She hesitated because, ". . .I struggle with my fears of being boring and mundane, self-indulgent and self-righteous" (Wang, 2004, p. 18).

Wang is not alone in her feelings as storyteller Donald Davis shared how many people wonder what makes their life so important (1993). Davis continued that we determine our "identity maintenance" or our view of ourselves through the personal experiences we relate.

People tend to know themselves better than any other subject. Writer Henry David Thoreau expressed, "I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience" (Thoreau, quoted in Writing Life Stories, p. 1).

As Nancy Wang had grown up as an Asian American, organizer Susan O'Halloran insisted that Nancy tell at the Just Stories: Asian Voices Storytelling Concert. Wang was tempted to tell a folktale and then decided to tell her personal tale. She noticed that people from other ethnic groups confirmed her experience as one of their experiences. She discovered what Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth, had already observed:

Furthermore, we have not even to risk the journey alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to slay another, we slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world" (1988, p. 151).

In The Power of Story, storytelling is recognized as a folk art form. This art is daily performed throughout the world. Relationships are built between people when history is shared. We become more "real" to each other. For example, when a student discovers that their teacher was once a child, the child realizes that the teacher does not sleep in the classroom (Collins & Cooper, 1997).

Visualization is one key to capture the audience's attention to a personal tale. Donald Davis shared the importance of all the senses and says that the term "visualization" can be misleading as one usually thinks of sight. He encouraged the other senses such as smell, sound, taste, and touch. These senses provide a path for the audience to follow and the plot can be understood.

One way to have clearer images could be through maps through childhood or present places. These maps could be inside a home or the entire neighborhood, which trigger scenes like a movie. Knowing the place means you can know what happened in that place (Roorbach, 1998).

Caroline Feller Baur shared that the best way for her to create a personal story is to tell it out loud before writing it down. In fact, she prefers to delay the print form as the written form may freeze the style of the performance and "lose the charm of everyday speech" (Feller Baur, 1993).

Before the stories reach an audience, Bill Roorbach suggested conducting a self-interview and pretending that the personal experiences are worthy of newspaper headlines or the top story of a television station. With an interviewer like Barbara Walters, how would the tough questions be answered? What moments would cause the listeners to talk about it the next day? Roorbach advised that if interviewing yourself is difficult, then have a friend interview you. This way, you can discover what your potential audience will want to know about your life (1998, p. 117).

Roorbach considered the delving into the soul as "research". He knew this was a word that people cringe to hear. Yet, he insisted that through personal research, as done through the self-interview, you find the pieces that are missing. One missing piece could be the question of world events that happened at the same time as your personal event.

Donald Davis believed that rather than looking at your stories from present time on backwards, he felt it was easier to think of your earliest memory. When it is time to tell the story, the "cradle-to-grave chronology" as discussed in You Can Write Your Family History, could repel the listener since you do not often meet a person on the street and rattle off vital statistics like birth and marriage and death. It is most common to start in the middle of an event and then go back in time (DeBartolo Carmack, 2003, p. 96).

Ultimately, you know if the story works for the audience by the response given when shared. Laughter is a good sign of understanding and your story progresses. Other times, the audience may look confused because an event that seems so clear to you is in need of details by them. When the audience is bored, then you must recapture their interest (Davis, 1993).

Boredom may come if the audience does not understand the purpose of the story. Storyteller Bill Harley explained:

We are not free to share our psychodramas with an audience unless what we are really talking about is the human condition. Every storyteller has an ego, but it should be kept in check long enough to make sure you are not talking because you think everything you say has value. Most often, personal stories are boring because it is not clear what the story is about" (2004, p. 15).

The search for meaning may take years, as was the case when Harley had a story of his friends and himself in the cafeteria and piling peas and carrots on one tray. Finally, he realized the story was about how children overcome powerlessness with adults. The story became clearer to him and, in turn, became clearer for his audience.

Barbara Clark echoed Harley's thoughts and shared that if the point was unknown to the storyteller, the point was also unknown to the audience (Clark, 2003). The stories that have the deepest meaning for you may have already been told as you met family and friends around the kitchen table or on the porch.

As we continue our quest to tell personal stories, then we notice we are not alone. Most people are not comfortable in sharing their lives for an audience yet we tend to share intimate things to our friends. When we hear the applause for telling our stories, then we will come to realize that personal stories matter.

REFERENCES

Campbell, J. (1988). The Power of Myth. New York: Doubleday.

Clark, B. H. (2003). "Developing Personal Stories". A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling. Jonesborough, TN: National Storytelling Press.

Collins, R. & Cooper, P.J. (1997). The Power of Story, teaching through storytelling. Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick.

Davis, D. (1993). Telling Your Own Stories for family and classroom storytelling, public speaking, and personal journaling. Little Rock, AR: August House.

DeBartolo Carmack, S. (2003). You Can Write Your Family History. Cincinnati: Betterway Books.

Feller Bauer, C. (1993). New Handbook for Storytellers. Chicago: American Library Association.

Harley, B. (2004, July/August). "Crafting Childhood". Storytelling Magazine. Jonesborough, TN: National Storytelling Network.

Roorbach, B. (1998). Writing Life Stories. Cincinnati: Story Press.

Wang, N. (2004, July/August). "Just Because". Storytelling Magazine. Jonesborough, TN: National Storytelling Network.



Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Top Book for Professional Storytellers: "The Story Biz Handbook" by Dianne de Las Casas

One book was left and I lunged for it. A lady took it before I could grasp it. Perhaps when the lady saw my disappointment, she offered the book to me and I shyly yet happily took it to the cashier in charge of the 2005 National Storytelling Conference bookstore.

The lady may have been Linda Gorham, the same woman who wrote the foreword to the 2005 edition of a book called The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage by Dianne de Las Casas.

My spiral-bound copy was from when Dianne self-published it in 2005. Other national storytellers, like Elizabeth Ellis, still have the even older binder version. Elizabeth recommends The Story Biz Handbook in her suggested reading list for her advanced storytelling course. Some tellers read the book at least once a year if not more to refresh on the techniques and tips. Regardless of which type you may have (or have yet to get), the book is revered among professional storytellers and performing artists alike.

It is no surprise that Libraries Unlimited approached Dianne to publish a revised version, with special attention to technological tools. September 30, 2008 is the availability date. (Check out Fall Catalog)

What makes this book so special?—
1. Transforms passion into profit
2. Gives most comprehensive look to business/marketing/social needs of the storyteller
3. Influences storytellers to raise professional standards for the art

Transforms Passion into Profit
When you open the The Story Biz Handbook, there is a dedication to Antonio, Dianne’s husband. She laughingly said, “He doesn’t argue with me. He just lets me do what I want to do.” She continued to say that from the beginning, he recognized her commitment to the art. He told her, “Dianne, if this is going to make you happy, I will support it.”

Before becoming a professional storyteller, Dianne came from the legal field as a secretary/office manager in which she earned anywhere from $35,000 to $40,000 a year. For a while, the switch in careers only provided about $10,000 a year. Dianne reflected, “Many people don’t understand how difficult it can be, especially when you start out. In order to become successful, take risks, but make sure they are calculated risks.”

Storytelling became a viable career and with all the touring and publishing requests, Antonio could see that it was worth the wait. Dianne declared, “My husband invested in me. He also invested in my career.”

With Dianne as an independent contractor, Antonio’s job provides crucial health insurance and stability. Dianne, in the meantime, enjoys and shares the secrets to her success in The Story Biz Handbook.

Gives Most Comprehensive Look to Business/Marketing/Social Needs of the Storyteller
“When I first got into storytelling, there was no one to guide with the business sense.” Perhaps Dianne was not alone with this statement.

At the time she pursued her career in 1994, there was Margaret Read MacDonald’s The Storyteller’s Start-Up Book. By 1997, there was Harlynne Geisler’s Storytelling Professionally: The Nuts and Bolts of a Working Performer and the co-authored book by Bill Mooney and David Holt, The Storyteller’s Guide.

Several topics were addressed in these aforementioned books, though not to the depth provided by The Story Biz Handbook. The book is 30 chapters and nearly 400 pages long. Her book, the author said, “is for storytellers who have been on the frontlines but need a push in certain areas.” Often storytellers are retired educators or librarians who decide to turn to storytelling as a career. This means they already have been storytelling most or all of their lives and it is now the matter of gaining some business and marketing sense.

“Not everyone wants to become a touring international artist,” pointed out Dianne. She continued to say that some tellers, like David Joe Miller, pride themselves in making a nice living telling stories within a 150-mile radius from his home. Then there are those like Diane Ferlatte who travel all over the world.

With her strong and ever-rising reputation as a storytelling marketing guru, Dianne finds the pressure challenging. She noticed, “When you are considered an expert in your field, you are expected to stay on top of the trends and be a trendsetter. I don’t pretend to know everything. Every time I get on the web, I learn something new.”

Dianne said, “The [storytelling] community helped me write the book, and I wrote it for the community.”

As if to give the book an added blessing, Margaret Read MacDonald wrote the foreword for this 2008 edition of The Story Biz Handbook.

Influences Storytellers to Raise the Professional Standards for the Art
With the approach of Hurricane Gustav, Dianne and her family evacuated from the New Orleans area in a 17 hour drive to Birmingham, Alabama. This included her immediate family (husband and daughter), her parents, and her brother’s four children (her brother had to stay behind due to his duty as a police officer).

As soon as the hotel was secured and the luggage stashed, Dianne half-jokingly announced to everyone, “Aunt Dianne is working on a book deadline. You are not allowed in the room. Don’t even knock on the door unless someone is dying.”

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the same area in 2005, Dianne had two book deadlines that she pursued with vigilance in order to remain professional for the publishing companies. Some people thought Dianne should have postponed her projects, yet she persevered, saying, “If I miss my deadline, then it misses the production deadline. That means a loss of money for the publisher and for me.”

Ever since Katrina’s destruction and with the number and intensity of hurricanes rising, Dianne has made her work more mobile so that she can gather her files at a moment’s notice and still carry out her career as a professional storyteller. The Internet has also made it possible to prosper during hard times.

She insisted, “Today is the deadline—hurricane or no hurricane. I’m going to make my deadline.”

Such determination is present throughout The Story Biz Handbook and makes it possible for professional storytellers to be as respected as musicians, actors, motivational speakers and other performing artists.

So lunge after this book and add it to your library. Better yet, read it often and apply its techniques. You’ll be glad you did.

Other Books by Dianne—

• The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage, Libraries Unlimited--$45.00, Available 9/30/2008

• Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle, Libraries Unlimited--$27.00, Available 12/30/2008

• Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill, forthcoming

• Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take, Libraries Unlimited--$30.00

• The Cajun Cornbread Boy, Pelican Publishing--$15.95

• Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling, Teacher Ideas Press, an imprint of Libraries Unlimited--$27.00

• Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts, Teacher Ideas Press, an imprint of Libraries Unlimited--$27.00

Workshops/Retreats Offered by Dianne—

• 90 Minute Workshop

Abbreviated version on how to get booking and where to get them also includes a handout. Dianne shares examples of marketing materials from other professional storytellers. Perfect for conferences.

• Whole Day Intensive

Combines business and marketing techniques that any high-quality storyteller would appreciate. Provides booklet handout and many real world examples in the field.

• Weekend Retreat

Packed with details as well as one-on-one business/marketing coaching. Develop a personal plan on marketing materials, slogans, and other strategies.

About Dianne—
Touring internationally, author and award-winning storyteller Dianne de Las Casas sizzles on stage with “traditional folklore gone fun!” and “revved-up storytelling.” She performs and advocates arts-in-education programs and residencies at schools, libraries, festivals, museums, and special events. Interviewed by “Wall Street Journal”, de Las Casas is a sought-after international professional development workshop leader. She is a frequent presenter at IRA, ALA, AASL and other literacy and education conferences. Dianne de Las Casas continues to make the story connection with thousands of children every year, reaching and teaching through the wonder of stories.

***If you want more revealed about how Dianne and her family are working through this hurricane season, check out her Story Connection Blog or follow her on Twitter.

Until we tell again,


Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Interviewing Others: Map to Marvelous Memories

Every one has a fascinating story to tell. Having someone share his or her everyday adventures can be as tricky as expecting to find buried treasure while holding the map upside-down. Knowing the right way to hold the map— and conducting an interview— determines what gems you find.

So far I have had the fortune to interview over 50 people—perhaps closer to 75—including 24 national storytellers/key people in the American Storytelling Movement. Yet, I would like to honor three people who wouldn’t normally call themselves storytellers: Raymond Rahn, Marcus Mortensen (pictured above with me), and Beryl Andrews-Endow. They have best directed me for conducting marvelous interviews.

Interview Map at-a-Glance:
1. Share goals/expectations with each other before the interview.
2. Involve the interviewee in the process from beginning to end.
3. Invite the interviewee to transform the experience into something personal.
4. Include spouse or other family members in the same room during the interview whenever possible.
5. Smile, smile, smile.
6. Become friends.
7. Listen.

What I learned from Raymond:
Share goals/expectations with each other before the interview. Raymond wanted to preserve memories for his family. It was too broad to cover his entire life so we narrowed it down to his childhood days. He gave me a copy of questions that he would like to cover. Could he have written down these answers? Of course, but by having someone record his answers, we could understand the meaning and the inflections he placed on each word. Pauses say many things during an interview, too.

Raymond knew that my goals were to bring out his hidden memories beyond the normal list of “this was my favorite game” or “this was my favorite toy”. With his permission, I wished to share his stories beyond the family setting and onto the stage.

Involve the interviewee in the process from beginning to end. Raymond was with me in such things as determining questions, interviewing, arranging follow-up interviews, and correcting transcripts. This was not “my” project. This was “our” project.

Invite the interviewee to transform the experience into something personal. I created stories that could be told both in the oral and the written format. Raymond took the stories and put his twist to them. Later, he gave copies to his family. The interview was really a stepping-stone to his ultimate goal. Since I have interviewed him, he has passed on as well as his wife, Joyce. I honor their memories when I tell their stories.

What I learned from Marcus:
Include the spouse or other family members in the same room during the interview whenever possible. His wife, Jeri, never heard him tell most of the World War II stories during our interview. She pulled me aside one day and thanked me for allowing her to be there. I was thrilled to have her in the room since sometimes Jeri would make comments, usually of the teasing nature. Marc would defend himself with a smile. This helped me piece dialogue when crafting the stories. Knowing how they interacted broadened my view of them.

Smile, smile, smile. Respond with your eyes, your face, and even your body. The more I smiled, the more animated Marc became. The more animated he became, the more stories he told. If you sit there as if a statue, then the interviewee will wonder if you are truly listening. During most interviews, I lean forward or at least mimic the stance of the interviewee. For example, if the interviewee crosses their legs, then I cross my legs. I can’t copy everything, as one of my hands must take a few notes while the recorder is on. I do the best I can.

What I learned from Beryl:
Become friends. I didn’t have a car so Beryl had to give me a ride to her home. This was my first time meeting her. We had about 10 minutes in the car to “just talk”. It was easy to become comfortable so by the time the interview officially started, we were friends.

Listen. Sometimes an interview is pure listening. I hardly had to ask a question for Beryl. Not everyone is so open. There are times that I would bring up a topic to hear more details. Otherwise, the interview may go off focus. And yet, if there is too much focus, then you could lose other wonderful stories.

If you’d like other tips on interviewing I have learned or if you have tips, then please let me know. You can post your questions and comments to this blog or you can email me at rachel@storytellingadventures.com.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
rachel@storytellingadventures.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com/
http://www.yesalliance.com/

Memory Madness: 3 Ways to Invent Personal Stories

Some storytellers work like mad scientists as they piece the story of their lives with a brain here and a piece of plumbing there. Finally, they search for the ever-needed bolt of lightning to spark the creation to life.

Our lives have so much adventure to them that rarely should we exaggerate our experiences. Yet, some people feel that is exactly what they must do. Perhaps they would change their minds if they attended “The Fertile Field of Memories: A Panel on Writing the Memoir” as part of the 9^th Annual Great Salt Lake Book Festival on October 28, 2006.

All four people on the panel—Phyllis Barber, Betsy Burton, Rev. France Davis, and Rita Williams—published their own memoirs and shared insights so that others could delve into their own experiences. (See bio info on panel members below.)

Phyllis provided a structure that the others could comment on. The three most important concepts I received:

1. Look at an Angle
2. Remember the Senses
3. Create Distance

Look at an Angle

Often storytellers are tempted to share everything about their lives. The descriptions of a particular chair sometimes last for minutes and the listeners have not connected why this chair is so important. The glazed-eyes look could indicate the listeners’ boredom.

Rather than sharing everything, come up with one to two angles. Anything more could confuse—or worse—bore your listeners.

Phyllis says a question she asks herself is “What do you want to gain in writing you story?” This question can also apply to performing. If you can answer this question, then you may have a better idea of what angle you should take.

Or you may be like Rev. France Davis where he takes chapters 62 and 63 of his book “France Davis: An American Story Told” to go over the same incident through two different pairs of eyes.

Could you see this as an interesting storytelling technique? Rita prefers to “write for the voice that couldn’t speak.” Usually we know what happened to us, but what would a family member, a friend, a stranger, say about the same incident?

Remember the Senses

This step you may be pulling your hair out of your head if you have a bad memory. As for me, rarely do I remember anything beyond the action.

One must almost run their life’s history as if it was a movie. Can you remember the weather? Lighting? Landscape? Phyllis says that, whenever possible, try to visit the place involved with your story. Space can affect your feelings and landmarks can influence you.

Due to my frustrations of my puny mind, I asked this question of the panel: How much do you leave to your memory for the story and how much do you research to aide your personal story?

Rev. France Davis said that he trusts to 95% of memory. For his book, he had someone interview him, had it recorded, and then transcribed. The interviewer could ask questions to delve into the details so that the interviewer’s experience would interface with that of the Reverend.

Betsy also said she mostly wrote from memory while Phyllis shared that she would check newspapers to check on details. Phyllis noticed that she would get some things wrong. She then had to decide which “truth” to go with—hers or the newspapers.

Rev. France Davis said he had “memories that didn’t happen when it actually happened.” He remembered his parents running a store while he was a kid. He discovered through his siblings that this store was out of business before he was born. He smiled and said, “There are always others who help you on the way.”

Rita had an amazing resource to jumpstart her memory: her diary. She had written in it since she was 11 years old. Some sentences were a little confusing and had to be interpreted such as “wore new socks to school” or “the dog got hit by a skunk.”

Create Distance

Usually, if we still cannot seem to shape the story, it is probably because we are too close to the story. Phyllis warns, “Truth disappears when too close to it.”

When you have control of your emotions, then you can look at the surroundings of the story. A line in a journal could really be referring to something else. Look to the background of the story for, as Rita says, “Truth lies in the background.”

You may want to write the thoughts you remember in a notebook/journal and then come back to the story a week, a month, a year, or even a decade later. Your mind will be clear and you may remember things you did not remember the first time.

Regardless of the results, Phyllis knows you “can chase your story for years . . ..” Mad scientists are able to shout victory and laugh uncontrollably when, after much struggle and experimentation, the creation comes.

Your personal stories can come to life, too.

Meet the Panel:

Betsy Burton—moderator of the panel and continues to be an independent bookstore owner for over 30 years called The King’s English located in Salt Lake City.

Phyllis Barber—author of “How I Got Cultured: a Nevada Memoir”, which won the 1991 Association of Writers & Writing Programs Prize for Creative Nonfiction and the 1993 Award for Best Autobiography from the Association of Mormon Letters. She can trace her family history to Nevada to the 1860s.

Rev. France Davis—pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Salt Lake City and creator of “France Davis: An American Story Told”—He calls himself a storyteller, especially since his book came from an interview that was recorded and transcribed.

Rita Williams—author of “If the Creek Don’t Rise: My Life out West with the Last Black Widow of the Civil War”. When she was four, her mother died in a Denver boarding house and the author was left in the care of her Aunt Daisy, the last surviving African American widow of a Union soldier.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
rachel@storytellingadventures.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com/