The Art of Storytelling

We, as humans, are wired for story. We learn more when we hear a story, and we tend to express ourselves in story form.  Even the Savior used stories, or parables, to teach his disciples. There are professional storytellers who have tapped into this knowledge, and have created a new brand of performance: storytelling. Storytellers have many different styles and approaches to telling their stories, but there are three things all storytellers agree on: you must (a) have a set structure to your story, (b) tell your story—speak it aloud—multiple times before you perform it in front of an audience, and (c) have a “most important thing” in your story.

Story Structure

Structure is important in all forms of writing. Formal papers, essays, plays, and movies must all be outlined before any solid, permanent work can be done. Storytelling is no different. There are many ways to create a “story map”, or outline a story’s plot”:

·      Create a traditional outline with bullets points.

·      Draw a timeline and decide the order of events in a story.

·      Use the episodic structure to find the inciting incident and climax of the story.

An episodic story map looks a little something like this:

Exposition is the background information to your story. It establishes the “who, what, when, where” of the story. The inciting incident is the moment that the conflict of the story is introduced. For example, in Star Wars, the inciting incident is when Luke returns to find his Aunt and Uncle’s farm destroyed. The incident sends the hero on his journey. The rising action is the events that lead up to the climax, which is the highest point of tension in the story. The denouement, or falling action of a story is the resolution—peace is restored. 

By using such a structure as this, you will have a better idea of where your story is headed, and can therefore piece together a story that is fluid and effective.

Practice

It is said that you ought to practice and tell your story six times before you actually perform.  This allows the storyteller to experience how words feel when spoken. It also helps you improve your story because you see how different audiences react to your words. Telling your story once is worth thinking about it ten times. If you simply think about your story, you sell yourself short.

The Most Important Thing

The “most important thing” is a story’s theme or moral. It’s what you want the audience to take from your telling when all is said and done. It gives your story purpose, which drives you as you tell it. Without a most important thing, your story has no meaning and often falls short.

It takes time to become a skilled storyteller; however, we are programed to tell stories. By using an outline, practicing your story aloud, and finding your story’s most important thing, you will find that creating a story to tell is easier than you think.