Storytelling alphabet F-J

As you know, I'm working my way through the storytelling alphabet. Each week I'm posting a summary of the last week's adventures. You can find a-e here.

F is for fun.
If you're not having fun when you're telling stories then you might want to take a good long look at what you're doing. Storytelling is a playful art, one that requires us to be agile, quick and responsive to our audiences. When we tell stories, even hard ones, with a sense of wonder and delight in the world, the story, the audience and ourselves, how can it not be fun? You can read more about fun storytelling here. 

G is for gratitude. 
We are so lucky to be storytellers. Each time we tell a story to an interested audience, we are lucky. Each time we hear a story that moves us, we are lucky. Moving through the world and through our storytelling lives with gratitude means we are not taking this incredible art form for granted. When we express our gratitude we are letting other storytellers and listeners know we can't do this alone. We are more connected and more responsive. You can read more about storytelling and gratitude here. 

H is for healing.
Storytelling is a healing art. As Elizabeth Ellis says, when we tell our stories of hard experiences we are saying to our audiences I've been through hell and back. Here is a map. This might make your journey easier. You can read more about storytelling and healing, including a list of further resources, here.

I is for imagination.
Stories are composed of images. When we know the detail behind each image (be it a character, an event, a scene, a setting or some other facet of the story) we can make that image come alive for the audience. Imagination, like any other skill, has to be practiced, so by pushing ourselves to imagine more and better, we become better storytellers. You can read more about storytelling and imagination, including a list of exercises, here. 

J is for jokes.
Humor is a part of storytelling, though not all stories are humorous, Incorporating jokes into our stories is a risky proposition with high risk and high reward. You can read more about jokes and storytelling here. 

And we're off to explore more of the storytelling alphabet. See you next week!

(c) 2013 Laura Packer