Oral Storytelling

WriteRex

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
175
Reaction score
3
I figured the Public Speaking & Education section would be the appropriate category for a thread about Oral Storytelling.

Oral Storytelling, it seems to me, is more of a performing art rather than mere writing. The storyteller is part-writer and part-actor. So, has anybody on this forum or elsewhere tried oral storytelling?
 

Bush_moon

Banned
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
53
Reaction score
1
I have not done it, but after listening to Sir Michael Caine read his own life in his own voice it got me thinking. It would indeed be very nice to hear more of this kind of thing! I have thought of doing it myself with some of my pieces.

BM
 

WriteRex

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
175
Reaction score
3
I have not done it, but after listening to Sir Michael Caine read his own life in his own voice it got me thinking. It would indeed be very nice to hear more of this kind of thing! I have thought of doing it myself with some of my pieces.

BM

You may have tried it before, if you have ever told a short story to your family members or friends or acquaintances. A gossip, in my own words, is the oral transmission of informal news, sometimes noteworthy and sometimes sensational.
 

zenjenn

Minion Wrangler
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
80
Reaction score
12
Location
Huntsville, AL
I *love* a good storyteller! I have a cousin that is a professional storyteller and folk musician. People who can do it right are amazing.

It's a skill I very casually hone myself. I'm a Girl Scout troop leader, and I always try to prepare a couple good stories to tell my scouts at camp events. The kids LOVE it. Every one of them. And I always encourage my girls to try it as well and when it's a nice night and there's a roaring campfire, I'm always amazed at how these plugged-in, screen-obsessed kids jump at the chance. Even my shyest wallflowers eventually get into the spirit and try to tell a story. It's a lost art and VERY fulfilling.

Some storytellers really familiarize themselves with existing stories and deliver them more like an actor, but having a writer's mind truly helps if you have an interactive audience that is going to ask questions. I've even had kids ask me to retell a story with a different ending!
 

FlaDan

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
54
Reaction score
1
Location
Florida
I have been a story teller for many years. Now I would like to transition to writing stories. This is much harder. When I am telling the story I key in on alot of visual signals. My stories while basically the same never come out the same way twice based on my audience. I find I really miss it when writing a story.
 

Howleyer Than Thou

Registered
Joined
Jul 21, 2014
Messages
43
Reaction score
1
Location
Beautiful British Columbia
I figured the Public Speaking & Education section would be the appropriate category for a thread about Oral Storytelling.

Oral Storytelling, it seems to me, is more of a performing art rather than mere writing. The storyteller is part-writer and part-actor. So, has anybody on this forum or elsewhere tried oral storytelling?

I have. My Toastmasters club started a storytelling event that happens every year and I find it to be very different than giving a regular speech (even though most of my speeches are story-based).

I find storytelling to be a lot looser, a little less formal and there is a quicker connection with the audience it seems. I really enjoy storytelling- it is indeed a performing art- but I consider public speaking to be that too.
 

dantefrizzoli

Banned
Spammer
Joined
May 28, 2013
Messages
245
Reaction score
5
I did Public Speaking in high school and although I didn't do it, there were members on the team who did and it was very fun to watch and is really a great skill.
 

Elly_Green

Daydreamer or Living Nightmare
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2014
Messages
157
Reaction score
10
Location
Virginia
Website
eratosmusings-erotica.blogspot.com
As a mythology teacher, I frequently regale my students with the stories of those crazy and wacky times via storytelling. I perfected the skill over a number of years and am pretty darn good at it now. I figured if the ancients did it the oral tradition way, to really express the story, I would have to do it the same way. Each time, I tell the story, it changes a bit. Becomes bigger, more modern, a little less in places, and sometimes a lot more graphic. Depends on the audience that semester and what draws/holds their attention.

Although a performing art, I would dare say there is quite a bit of the storyteller in the writer, too.

I've always wanted someone to tape my stories, so I can write them down. Would be interesting to see how much they change from year to year and whether they would work the same written down... just curious.
 

Booklover199

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 1, 2015
Messages
182
Reaction score
8
Location
Toronto, Canada
I read a lot of book podcasts and it makes reading the story a whole different experience, which is kind of like oral storytelling. I'm looking forward to Reese Witherspoon narrating Go Set a Watchman