Listen to me and I'll write it down

December 27, 2008 11:24 AM

I write like I talk and so my writing is not great but my spoken stories are magnetic. Help me put these stories to paper!

I have been challenged to write a very short book of true tales of the last 16 months of my life. But, whenever I sit down to write I get terrible writer's block. However, I can go into a room and use my voice and body language to be an amazing storyteller.

I am thinking maybe the way to do this book would be to be interviewed and then transcribe the interviews. But, how and where can I find someone in the Washington, DC-area who would want to interview me and could, theoretically, draw my stories out into the open. I guess I could always be drunk when I do it! Seriously, suggestions are welcome for ideas and alternatives.

posted by parmanparman to writing & language (10 comments total)

Rather than interviews I would suggest looking for someone that you could sit with and candidly tell the stories to, so that they could write them for you. It would be a good idea to record them as well but I'd still try to find someone who does have the gift for writing and let them help you tell your story. It won't make the stories any "less-yours" if you're not the one writing them.

I'm the opposite of you - I suck telling a story in person but it appears I have something of a knack for putting them to type. We all get different gifts, its important to realize what yours are and what they aren't. The Mefite community has some pretty incredible writers - perhaps you might find someone through there that you appreciate that you might be able to approach?
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:49 AM on December 27, 2008

Video or audio-record your stories when you tell them to audiences. Then transcribe the tales. If the transcribed stories lack impact, they may be "performance-dependent" and in need of further literary development (e.g., given tighter narratives, descriptions, and resonating dialogue).

If you decide to engage a writer for the task, show the person stories written by others whose voices, narratives, and styles reflect what you'd like to achieve.
posted by terranova at 12:11 PM on December 27, 2008

Are you better if you're writing a letter? I am. Sometimes the "audience" is a little too abstract for me when I'm just writing. But I can be eloquent and funny when I'm writing to a specific friend. So sometimes I do that -- "Hey, Bob, you want to hear a funny story?" -- and then I repurpose the story later, rewriting it to take out all references to Bob and filling in gaps where Bob might know something but a general reader might need more explanation.
posted by grumblebee at 12:19 PM on December 27, 2008

Shoot, videotape yourself telling the stories and then send them to me. I'm in Atlanta but I'd transcribe them for you, and maybe even add a little spunk where needed.

You could also try hitting up the local colleges and see who could interview you or if some financially hurting english major would do it for a small fee.
posted by big open mouth at 12:45 PM on December 27, 2008

When I was getting an MFA in nonfiction writing, jobs just like this would sometimes be offered to us students through the department. Maybe Johns Hopkins? Their nonfiction MA is in science writing, but the students still need to work on their skills as interviewers and writers.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:06 PM on December 27, 2008

Maybe the book isn't the right form. Maybe you are like Vince for ShamWow. Can you imagine reading that crap? But Vince hypnotizes me.

Why not tell the stories on video, have someone edit in a few cutaways (e.g., flash animations), and upload to revver (or youtube, but you can monetize revver) and see if that works.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 1:53 PM on December 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

The two books "by" Richard Feynman are like this: spoken narratives told to a gifted friend who eagerly wrote them down, maybe (?) embellishing. Life of Johnson is like this, too, of course. So, yeah: find yourself a Boswell. :^)
posted by quarantine at 3:14 PM on December 27, 2008

I'm the opposite of you. So here is the advice I would give, opposite of what I would tell myself if I had to give a speech.

Record yourself telling a story. Then transcribe it. Remove all discourse markers, conjunctions, unnecessary backtracks, uhs/ums, etc. until you just have the essence of WHAT HAPPENED, in the proper order of how you would convey WHAT HAPPENED if you were saying it out loud. Do not delete statements that provide details or evaluation about what you were thinking or doing at the time – those are really important for giving the reader perspective and building suspense.

The narrative structure, ie. the order of the telling of events, is the most important part of conveying the story. The rest is just fluff that can bog the reader down, especially if you are not skilled at using those things. Think of your story elements as components to a meal, and the literary devices as seasoning. If you can't cook very well, skip the spices and seasoning for now.

Do you remember that thread a while back that was all caps and just some guy who liked to tell short stories about things that happened to him? Go back and find it. Those stories were great, but NOT because they were expertly written. They were great because the order of events and their unfolding was perfectly timed. Reread some of them with the sentences rearranged (in a coherent way). The stories suck.

Since you are great at telling stories (and I know you are cause I've heard you!), using this skill and transcribing what you've said will help you translate the structure that you know works, onto paper. Think of this process like training wheels. Practice enough and you won't need 'em. You can just start writing. Then even later, you'll be able to embellish with some strategically placed adjectives and discourse markers.
posted by iamkimiam at 4:16 PM on December 27, 2008

I've actually done this for other people (family members I knew well) -- I've asked questions and written up their stories in the voice of the other person. It's pretty fun. Maybe you could find a friend (who knows your voice) who wants to do this project, in exchange for something you're good at.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 6:34 PM on December 28, 2008

i would suggest reading a little bit of Richard Brautigan for ideas..

:)
posted by axmikel at 11:19 PM on December 28, 2008