tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5980661477245033955.post3119971205708253021..comments2023-11-01T11:17:40.377-04:00Comments on True Stories, Honest Lies: Ask the storyteller: Language, languageLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06434407684834155358noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5980661477245033955.post-72268677400360957282014-12-10T15:48:18.646-05:002014-12-10T15:48:18.646-05:00Also, know your audience. The first time our local...Also, know your audience. The first time our local storytelling festival hosted a noted bilingual storyteller, he told a hilarious personal story, authentic to his experience, about teaching his grandmother English wrong. The next year he performed in our local fringe festival, told the same story, just as hilarious, but the words he taught his grandmother were profanity. To me, it was more hilarious. Both versions were authentic (I'm fairly certain that the profanity-laced one was more truthful), both versions played to their audiences. (I'm the sole member of the union of the two sets of audiences in this Venn diagram)Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5980661477245033955.post-26261489308469293722014-12-10T13:53:46.892-05:002014-12-10T13:53:46.892-05:00Bravo!
ANDYBravo!<br />ANDYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5980661477245033955.post-9270357190579735762014-12-10T13:48:11.766-05:002014-12-10T13:48:11.766-05:00Hi Laura and Friends, For six years I have hosted ...Hi Laura and Friends, For six years I have hosted Speak Up Spoken Word Open Mic every Wednesday evening. We meet in Lynn, MA. There is a ditty, "Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin, you never come out the way you come in." With that in mind we (Don White, my partner and the creator of Speak Up) came up with the three obscenity rule for folks on the open mic. Now you don't have to cuss if you don't want to but that rule lets people know this is not a kid's event. There are times when a well place F-bomb is just right. I know of one person who doesn't come because our language is too salty for her. Hey, we are not going to be everything to everybody. We can be who we are though, our real swearing selves. For the 30+ regulars who come every Wednesday they sure enjoy all the words shared from the microphone, cussing and all. A little common sense goes a long way. Tony Toledohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15651632081490764732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5980661477245033955.post-56733875896789491192014-12-10T13:27:27.202-05:002014-12-10T13:27:27.202-05:00About right on target. I know many well-educated, ...About right on target. I know many well-educated, people-focused performers and teachers who can't go two sentences without swearing. <br /><br />Adult shows are adult shows, PG13 is some swearing and Family is family. We've lost the battle of dirty words- every 5th grader knows the starter set anyway. <br /><br />And, as far as nuns go, you haven't worked with many :-). Gawd, can they tell a dirty joke and gripe about people in very diverse, err, language. Peace. Sean Buvalahttp://www.storyteller.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5980661477245033955.post-89044662212063313752014-12-10T12:59:34.714-05:002014-12-10T12:59:34.714-05:00First to let you know I am an older storyteller - ...First to let you know I am an older storyteller - perhaps even an elder. Cussing to me is different than swearing and, as a listener I will accept cussing or "salty" language if appropriate to the story and the setting. But swearing is never acceptable. That said, often cussing is used as a crutch. The English language has such richness that with creativity you may be able to paint a more vivid word picture, often with increased humor, by widening your word choices. Last observation, the repeated use any word substitutes for "ers," "and thens," and "you knows." The occasional use of "salty" language can be very effective while the constant repetition often causes the listener to tune out the repetitive word(s) and be lost to the story. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com