Storytelling is BOSS!
I’ve always considered myself a decent storyteller…more so than a writer. I’ve had to learn about writing: how sentences work, how voice is formed, and how all the ins and outs work together to form amazingness.
Storytelling is much easier
I used to stand in front of a few dozen kids at summer camp and ask them to list three words. I would then craft a story from nothing, and it usually became a crazy piece of woahhhhh. It was also here where I discovered the power of storytelling.
What Storytelling Can Do
Fifteen-year-olds have zero attention span, yet they would always listen, laugh, and comment throughout my crazy tales. For some reason they’d always remember them, too, often asking me about said tale the following summer – during which time I’d forgotten all about it.
Storytelling is powerful. Summer Camp is full of fun-times, yet a silly little tale is something that sticks in their mind. How does this happen? It makes no sense, but when you consider the importance of storytelling it makes all the sense in the world.
Storytelling For A Writer
I don’t mean your fiction. This is the obvious part of storytelling. Your books, short stories, and poems are all great examples of storytelling, but what I want to discuss today is the other side of storytelling. The everyday storytelling that’s all about YOU.
Whether it’s via a Blog, or Twitter, or real world events, you spend your life sharing stories. Each time you come across someone new, you’re sharing a part of YOU. The big question is, what are you sharing?
When someone asks you about your book, or job, or current project, how do you talk about it? Do you make the whole process into a story and take them down a journey to remember? Do you capture their imagination and never let them go?
We build stories for a living, but do we make the most of it? Probably not. I know I don’t. I want to, though. I want to be a storyteller 24/7.
Don’t Just Write Stories, Be A Storyteller
We live in a chaotic world where people are easy to forget. Seriously, try and think about all the people you’ve met in the last seven days.
Is it a ridiculous amount?
Have you forgotten about most of them already?
Storytelling is a powerful tool. I first discovered it at Summer Camp, but I’ve seen it time and time again since. What’s great is that writers have the upper hand. We’re creative, love words, and understand the journey readers take. All we have to do is learn how to implement it into the real world at all times.
Storytelling – it’s a damn powerful tool.
I love sharing stories, but I’ve decided I don’t do it enough. I’m going to make a conscious effort to improve, and who knows, it may just make me a better writer.
What about you? Do you share stories every single day? Is storytelling an important aspect of your world?
Turndog – @turndog_million
