Introduction to Storytelling
taught by Gary Green
Thanks for enrolling in the Introduction to Storytelling course. I hope you enjoy it.
Should you wish to discuss anything about the information presented here or the course in general, please contact me at my email jrpcnl@yahoo.com and we can set up a time to chat via phone, Zoom or FaceTime
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.” ― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
The prime exercise for this course is to do exactly what Shakespeare, Lafontaine and countless other storytellers did and continue to do - retell a tale from folklore. In so doing, you will learn some fundamental elements of storytelling which will ultimately teach you how to create your own stories.
I will be bringing a selection of books containing various kinds of stories for you to use during camp. However, you can get a bit of a head start on the project by identifying a story which you would like to tell prior to coming to camp. To help you do this, here is some information on types of stories, sources for stories and a process I go through to help me determine if a given story is one which I would like to tell.
Types of Stories
Here is a list of several different types of stories and a brief definition of each. More details about each type can be found online.
Folktale - handed down through generations with no known author.
Fable - main characters are usually animals behaving like humans. Brief with a lesson/moral stated at the end.
Legend - stories about people, places or events which have some basis in historical facts but have been so exaggerated that it is impossible to prove.
“Pourquoi” - from the French for "why" - explains why an animal, plant, person or thing looks or acts as it does.
Fairytale - aka "wonder tale", are for pure entertainment and rely on magic to solve problems.
Formula tale - story follows a pattern which is even more important than the plot.
Tall tale - contains wild exaggeration - lying tales which tell of larger-than-life characters and events.
Urban legend - aka "contemporary legend", telling about usually untrue contemporary events which happened to a friend of a friend.
Religious stories - stories related to world religions.
Literary tale - written by a known author and often difficult to tell because of the language used.
Literary fairytale - written tales set in never-never land, full of kings, queens, princesses, etc., where supernatural things take place. Generally, longer than many oral tales.
Personal stories - stories taken from one's own experience.
Family stories - told by members of a family - birth, death, name origins, migration, etc.
Sources of Stories
Stories can come from anywhere - other storytellers, family members, friends, magazines, television shows, movies, books, websites, personal experiences and so on. Below are some resources for print materials.
Online Story Sources
Aaron Shepherd http://www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/GOS.html
Canadian, American, Mexican Folklore and stories https://americanfolklore.net/sindex.html
Fairytales, Folktales and Fables https://fairytalez.com/region/north-american/
First Nations Storytelling https://firstnationspedagogy.ca/storytelling.html
Folklore and Mythology electronic texts https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html
Long, long time ago https://www.longlongtimeago.com
World Folklore https://www.worldfolklore.net/category/folktales/
World of Tales https://www.worldoftales.com/folktales.html#gsc.tab=0
Libraries
Many libraries contain a very good collection of books and magazines containing various types of stories from around the world as well as books on storytelling techniques and theory. This may vary by library. However, many libraries offer an inter library loan program which allows access to resources in other libraries. If you have an active library account, you may be able to access some of the materials online.
Creating your own resource library
You can build up your own personal library relatively economically by shopping at secondhand bookstores, garage/yard sales and thrift shops.
Finding a story to tell
In looking for a story to retell, there are several key points:
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, choose a story you love or at least like a lot. Does the story “speak” to you? Does it “ask” you to tell it? You cannot effectively tell a story you do not like.
Simplicity is essential – simple plot, few characters, simple and clear language.
Short stories are best to start with. Try to keep them under 5 or 10 minutes telling time (approximately 3-4 typewritten pages or 600 to 1200 words). *** The time limit for our concert is 5 minutes per story. Your story can be shorter but should not be longer.***
Consider your target audience. (we will return to this in more detail later in the workshop)
o Who are the listeners – what is their age, gender, education, etc.?
o Are the story’s characters interesting and relevant to the audience?
o Are the story’s goals, obstacles, risks and dangers appropriate?
o Are the actions and events appropriate?
Does the story lend itself to your style of telling?
Can you vividly see the characters in your mind’s eye?
In the beginning, avoid stories that need a lot of adapting.
Read widely and review at least 5 stories before choosing one.
My technique
Here is a technique I use for quickly skimming through a printed story to see if I like it and would potentially retell it.
Every story has a beginning, middle and end. I read the first few paragraphs to establish the opening – do I like the character(s), setting, and so on? If no, I drop. If yes, I skip the middle paragraphs/pages and read the last few paragraphs to get the ending. Do I like it? If no, I drop. If yes, I read just the first sentences of the paragraphs in between the opening and closing to get a sense of the story's plot. Do I like it? If no, I drop. If yes, I read the middle in its entirety to fill in details. Do I like the story as a whole? If no, I drop. If yes, I prepare for telling.
Key Words to search
To find more information about any of the items discussed above, try searching online or in a library using the keywords below and others that might come to mind.
Folktales, Fairytales, Literary Fairytales, Legends, Tall Tales, Urban Legends, Mythology, Folklore, Fables, Pourquoi Stories, Formula Tales, Literary Stories, Personal Stories, Family Stories, Storytelling Organizations, Storytelling Festivals.