Hi Karen, and all...
When I first got into storytelling in 1981 - everyone
told folk tales. But there were only about 10 or 15 stories that kept
being told over and over again. With the rise in popularity of storytelling some
new tellers were telling the same stories the way they heard other tellers
tell the folktale. Tellers were stepping on each others toes right and
left.
Along came Don Davis (a fine traditional teller) and others who started to
tell personal stories. Wow! Suddenly, we had another whole field to
cultivate. Unfortunately, that field turned out to be a mine field at
times.
Personal stories must be crafted. If you are not a natural-born writer,
then take a course in creative writing. The stories have to hit on a universal
theme that your audience can relate to...otherwise you are just talking
about yourself. Personal stories can be a way of venting or worse of
becoming a therapy session. Most anecdotal stories are fine conversational
stories, but they need to be part of a bigger story in order for them to
be "stage" ready. Another problem in telling personal stories is that
sometimes tellers tend to drift. They fall in love with their own words and go on
and on. They lose focus and then they lose their audience. I've seen it happen
to the best.
Now, I said they were a mine field...yes, but they are also a place for
you to mine for nuggets of gold.
After telling for 5 years, one day, coming home from the Illinois
Storytelling Festival and listening and talking to Michael Cotter, my
first personal story just fell into place. I think it was a combination of
deeply learning about story structure from those years of telling folktales and
that creative energy that I enjoy after a festival or conference. Things in my
life just connected. Suddenly those bits and pieces of memories that I
stored away led me to a full blown story.
That story was the first in a line of stories that, over the years, just
came flowing out of me - sometimes in great bursts and other times in
little trickles. They are MY stories. I feel like they are my babies. I created
them, nurtured them, trimmed them down, and released them to the world.
The downside is that personal stories leave you very vulnerable. You can't
hide behind charming characters...it's you out there! You are opening up
parts of your life that you hold dear....what if the audience doesn't feel
he same? Oh, and you are also using your voice throughout the story. The
queen of personal stories, IMHO, is Carol Birch. She not only crafts the
story but she lets her voice caress each and every word. I never tire of
hearing her tell.
I like to think that my personal stories connect to the human experience.
They are simple. I admit. They take one down memory lane but the end of
the journey has everyone looking back on his/her story as well as mine. Their
themes make perfect companion pieces to the folktales that I tell. It
makes my story presentations much, much stronger.
Do you have to tell personal stories. No-sir-ee! Janice Del Negro is the
perfect example. She not only tells traditional stories but she crafts
them as well. Her command of the language in her folktales is totally awesome
(to cop from the vernacular of valley talk).
So, Karen, take your time. Tell your folktales and relish in their beauty,
their depth. You can tell them forever and never tire of them. However, if
the time comes when those memories and stories that are storied away start
to come together, give them a chance. You will fashion those nuggets into
fine jewels that you will proudly share with your audiences.
Marilyn
