How to become your own story

Listen to Jim:

HOW TO BECOME 

or read on…

How many times have I told that same true story during my considerable lifetime? You know—the story that usually begins with, “Did I ever tell you about…?” or “Stop me if you’ve heard this…” or “That reminds me of the time I…”

How many times have I told that story?

An even more interesting question is, “Even though the story is the same, how has the telling of it evolved over the decades?”

And, to me, the most interesting question is, “How does each identical telling change each time I alter the medium in which it is told?”

Seriously.

You can find out how YOUR true story changes by switching media. For example:

Write the story using only a quill and ink on parchment paper.

Then…

Write the story using crayon on butcher paper.

Then… 

 Write using ballpoint pen on a napkin.

Then… 

Use large felt-tip marker on a legal pad.

Use an old non-electric spidery typewriter and typing paper.

Dictate the same story to a secretary or scribe.

Recite into a recording device.

Talk to a video camera.

Use an old inky fountain pen on acid-free paper.

Employ an electric typewriter.

Use a computer device.

Spray paint the story on a wall.

Carve the story into stone with a chisel.

Try to fill an exact space with the entire story (140 characters?).

Write with the other hand—see how different the story becomes.

Put the story to music and sing it entire.

Tell the story to a four-year-old, then write down how the child re-tells it.

Do a blog.

If you try these exercises, the results will be rather remarkable. You’ll begin to understand how the medium changes the message, how the settings alter its flavor.

And, most dramatically, you’ll see what a thoroughly practiced storyteller you really can be.

Give it a shot

(Adapted from HOW TO BECOME YOUR OWN BOOK by Jim Reed)

 

 © Jim Reed 2014 A.D.

jim@jimreedbooks.com

http://www.jimreedbooks.com

Twitter and Facebook

Comments are closed.