Z is for... zowie PLUS an announcement!

This is going to be a self-indulgent post. Rather than writing about a specific storytelling topic, I'd like to take just a moment and say Zowie. This was really fun. 

Ultimately, that's what we should be saying after most of our storytelling experiences. Not all, sure. There are always the crummy gigs. The ones where the kids just didn't want to listen, where the parents talked over you, where you forgot something crucial, where your slides didn't work, where you just weren't into it, where it didn't gel. It happens. But most of the time we should come out of our storytelling work saying, yes, this. Zowie, this was fun. I did something meaningful. 

Because, really, why devote our lives to something that takes so much work and time if we're not going to enjoy it? If we're not going to feel as though we made a difference in the world?

We are so lucky to be storytellers, whether it's what we do for full-time employment or if we incorporate storytelling into our other work. We are so lucky to know that this artform is a basic part of what it is to be human, to be able to think and talk and live in story. We are so lucky.

My friend and mentor, Brother Blue, used to say that the room was full of angels, regardless of how many visible people were there. He was right. When we tell stories we evoke our own best selves, we become beings of voice and image and breath. We have a chance to remind ourselves of what we could be. We remember the connection one human can make with another. We are saying I'm here. I'm alive. I have experienced this, dreamed this and am sharing it with you. Now you can experience it, dream it. And if that's not a zowie I don't know what is.

I have some exciting news I'd like to share with you, but first I need to thank some people.

First, thanks to everyone who read these posts. Thank you especially to those of you who commented on my blog or reposted with my permission (that really helps in google search ratings), sent me private notes or commented on other forums. It means the world to me when I hear that something I said was useful or meaningful. If you want to use this material in other forums please let me know. Let's talk.

Second, thanks to Megan Hicks, who brought my attention to the idea of a-z blogging.

Third, thanks to my sweetheart Kevin Brooks, who brainstormed some of these ideas with me. I couldn't do what I do without him.

And my news. Many of you wrote to me privately suggesting I do something with this content. I have a lot of storytelling content on this blog and I've been debating for years how I can disseminate it more effectively. Well, the time has come. I'm going to take these a-z posts, expand them and publish the ABCs of Storytelling. At this point I will likely release some of it electronically then publish in print. I'm still working out the details. I'll keep you posted.

I do need some help. If there are topics you'd like me to address, let me know! I am planning on several entires for most letters. If you have stories that you think would be perfect for a particular topic and would be willing to let me use them, let me know. And mostly I need your good wishes. I'm very excited by this idea and hope you will be, too.

Zowie. The adventure continues. I think happily ever after really means they had a cup of tea and then got ready for the next adventure. I'm sipping my tea and can see the next adventure around the corner. Ready? Let's go!

(c)2013 Laura S. Packer