Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with storytelling

The Greatest Story Ever Told

jasondigitized — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:21:05 -0800

I want to be a better storyteller. What qualities do good storytellers universally exhibit? How much does embellishment play a role? Lyndon Johnson was a great storyteller who was also known to pepper his stories with a lot of bullsh*t. Most importantly, where do storytellers get their stories? Have they led lives of extraordinary experience, or have they read a book full of awesome anecdotes? Help me spin some yarn at a party or at the water-cooler.

Are there any storytelling shows in Adelaide or Melbourne?

chinese_fashion — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:51:32 -0800

Are there storytelling/live reading shows in Adelaide or Melbourne, similar to The Moth in NYC/LA? I write and tell short stories in NYC, mostly through The Moth, though I've gotten stuff onto This American Life and done a number of smaller shows here like The Liar Show, Risk!, and Seth Lind's Told.

Are there any opportunities to do something similar in Australia, by any chance? There's a growing storytelling scene here in New York, sort of like standup mixed with essay-writing ... wondering if there might be something similar Down Under.

A few of my stories deal directly with aspects of Aussie culture, too, as I lived there for about a year. Here's a few samples:

'Roo Shooter
Foreign Soil
Now or Never

I'm leaving for Australia tomorrow morning for a 2-week holiday, spending one week in Adelaide and another in Melbourne. And if possible, I'd love to try some of these out down there. Is there any chance for something like that to happen? If so, would you mind putting me in touch with the right folks?

Thanks so much ...

What are some great joke books?

surenoproblem — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:03:27 -0800

What are some great joke books, written with attention to the craft of how a joke or story is told? Most joke books I see in bookshops look like someone has just found a huge amount of jokes online, then cut, pasted and paginated--many don't even bother to credit an author.

When I was young, I owned a joke book called Leo Rosten's Book of Laughter. It was obvious that Rosten was the sort of person you meet at parties who captivates an entire room with his stories.

Even though the book included some old jokes we've all heard, it was fantastic to see how a great storyteller approached the structure, tensions, peaks and troughs of a joke.

Can you recommend any similar resources? I suppose I'm less interested in just a bunch of jokes, but more in a collection of well-crafted jokes.

I already like listening to the Moth podcast.

Blogs with the same feeling as This American Life?

salvia — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:20:20 -0800

I'm looking for blogs about psychology, storytelling, emotions, why people do the things they do, the human condition, or just good blogs with people's stories. I've been finding some good stuff in this past AskMe. (For example, this blog would be great, if it were still active.) Is there more out there? They can be funny, curious and thoughtful, analytical, whatever, so long as what they're really about is what makes people tick. (In case this question is too vague, my past book questions are asking for similar stuff.)

Basically, I'd like to spend the bus ride home from work every day shifting out of "to do" list mode and remembering what it's like to be a human being.

Leaving Out the Gory Details

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:43:45 -0800

DatingFilter: Should I leave ex-boyfriends out of the story of my life when dating new people, even if the exes figure prominently? Most people have a standard story about how they got to be where they are, and I'm no exception. I live in a big city, and on nearly every first date I go on, I'm asked, "So, how did you end up in the city?" and I tell this story. A significant (but not overwhelming) aspect of the story is that I had already made the mistake of moving someplace to follow a guy, and how it became obvious within a few days of that move that I'd made A Really Bad Decision, and after that Really Bad Decision, I resolved to move to the city I'd wanted to live in for a long time. I don't tell it quite so directly as I did just there; while the ex-boyfriend doesn't dominate the story, he shows up a few times.

It's occurred to me that talking about ex-boyfriends on first dates might be off-putting, no matter the context. I don't always have a great sense of what's appropriate first date conversation and what isn't. Should I modify my story (sort of glossing over the episodes that involve the ex), or, as long as I'm not going on and on about it, is it fine to leave it in?

Anonymous email: phoebe.meryll@gmail.com

don't hurt your brain

dnial — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:48:12 -0800

Is it possible to write a story with no hint whatsoever of any other being but one? I am wondering if it is possible to tell a story about one character, and one character only. What I mean is, can a story - that others would accept as a "story" - exist in which there is no reference to any other living being but the main character? And I mean no dead persons, no thoughts about other beings, no clues to the results of actions of any other life-forms, no imagined people, animals, supernatural beings, no impersonal roles (or groups of people) that somebody would have to fulfill eventually, no imagined life-forms in matter like machines and so on.

The closest I could imagine was
* a story about someone thinking about his or her past or future, but if you are strict you could classify this as another character
* a story about natural phenomena that does not connect them to any possible higher powers
* a story about phenomena that happen in or on someones body
* a story in a technical context which ignores all inherent connections to other people

Does the concept "story" imply that more than one character has to be in it? And are there any philosophers, culture, social or media theorists, linguists, authors, whoever who have thought and written about this?

shouldn't there be a whole website of david sedaris readings?

Mael Oui — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:06:45 -0800

When I saw David Sedaris in 2007, he told a story about a monotonous college professor who would overaccent the word 'Nicaragua'. Even Wil Wheaton liked it. It was my favorite story of the night, and, as far as I know, it was never published. I guess it wouldn't really lend itself to the written page since the hilarity depends upon Sedaris' imitation of his professor, but does anyone happen to know if the full text has been published or, better yet, if there is some kind of recording of him reading the story? It's not in either the printed or audio versions of When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I did check Google, YouTube, and archive.org but to no avail!

Tell me a story.

smitt — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:12:31 -0800

I want to see more movies that feature a storyteller, similar to movies I've seen recently like "The Man From Earth" and "The Wild Blue Yonder"... Know of some? I love stories that feature a story being told, as if by one person to another (or to a group). I'm not looking for a movie with a faceless narrator, there are tons of those.

But if you've seen the movies I mentioned there, you have an idea of what I mean. I'm looking for movies that actively use the viewer's imagination to tell a vivid story.

Those are the only two examples I could easily come up with. I was racking my brain to think of other movies that featured someone telling a story as such a major portion of the movie, and couldn't come up with any others that really fit the bill.
(For example, The Princess Bride fits pretty closely, but not entirely).

What can you come up with?

How to I become more articulate explaining a funny situation

weh546 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:45:35 -0800

Something really funny happened to me, but I am at a struggle for communicating with others how funny it was. How can I become a better comedic storyteller? Today I went for a run in a town that I just moved to four weeks ago. I am still getting to know my way around. I started running and ended up getting a little bit lost, running further than I wanted. I stopped along the road and asked the Culligan man for directions. "Oh you go down there, take a left there, turn on to there". So I follow his directions toward my house and as I am running to turn onto my street, he is pulling to it! I look up and he's there pointing to my street to turn (He didn't follow me or anything). I was so excited I gave him the fist pump and everything!

It was just so funny to look up, and 'meet' this guy at the intersection he had told me, after I had thought I'd never see him again.

That is the story of what happened, but it's hard to express my emotion at the time of this event. It was a great feeling, like I was being cheered as I was crossing the finish line.

How do I keep this short and sweet, while being humorous?

Add a new category to this list: Aliens, Monsters, Ghosts...

Flying Saucer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:51:29 -0800

Aliens, monsters, and ghosts. The big three. But is there a fourth? I am working on a writing project and am struggling with a conundrum that I thought I'd bring to the hive mind.

It seems to me that in speculative fiction (which encompasses science fiction, fantasy, and horror), there are three major elements, or adversaries:

1. Aliens
2. Monsters
3. Ghosts

The brave souls who fight these creatures have been the basis of all kinds of exciting stories.

For example, in the comic book and the movie, the Men In Black fought aliens.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer fought monsters.

Ghostbusters fought ghosts.

Mulder and Scully fought all three.

So my question is...is there a fourth category? Spirits, maybe? Elves? Combining the categories has already been done -- remember the alien ghosts of "Final Fantasy"?

Any thoughts?

Examples of Epic Storytelling

SpacemanStix — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:49:50 -0800

What are some of the best examples of epic storytelling that have taken place? And by epic, I mean "vast, can't-believe-I-got-here-from-there," kind of stories: space operas, long and treacherous journey of the reluctant hero, birth-to-death stores, etc. I think of stories that are on such a grand scale that you feel as if you traveled a lifetime's worth of experiences to create a context for the overall message. I really enjoy this kind of storytelling, whether it be in literature, movies, video games, or song.

What are excellent examples of epic stories that take place in various mediums? Ultimately, I'm looking for some new experiences, so anything off the beaten path (like, not Lord of the Rings) gets bonus points.

Seeking stories in mp3!

po — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:14:15 -0800

I've got a new mp3 player (hooray!). I love storytelling. Recommend your favorite storytelling podcasts or free downloadables! I've seen this post, but it's not quite what I'm looking for. As a point of reference, one of my favorite storytellers is Willy Claflin - so nothing is too juvenile. I have no idea where to start, as this is my very first mp3 player... hope me, Metafilter!

Because I can.

laughinglikemad — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:49:02 -0800

I am a geek, not a businessman. Help me sell my 'albums.' I thought to myself, "I'm how old? And I haven't put out a CD? That's not right." So I put out two.

The only twist is, it's not music - it's stories. People seem to like my stories, so why not? I've always been a big fan of oral history - StoryCorps, Speakeasy DC, my own friends' lives, etc. - so I simply read off prepared (non-fiction) stories in a proper recording studio.

Searching for a stolen kidney, getting mugged in a Turkish cemetery, living in trailers with crazy people, trawling for mesozooplankton in the Pacific, having an awesome transgender father, etc. Twenty stories total, ten per CD - Volumes 1 and 2. I think everyone can and should do it, actually.

I've read though this. But I'm starting cold: no MySpace, no cover art, and a fanbase that consists of enthusiastic friends and family. I'm not a friggin' poet, I'm not a performer with shows, I'm just an occasionally reckless nerd who likes decent stories.

Does CD Baby take 'spoken word?' Can I sell mp3s one at a time, and where? Is MySpace really worth the time - I shudder at the prospect of sitting in front of a computer, rushing to make on-line friends. Should I just wander around with a cardboard sign that reads, 'Stories for Sale'? What's the best route?

"The night was dark, and also stormy..."

greytape — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:45:15 -0800

"Who's got a good ghost story?" This question has come up more than once in my life, usually while sitting around with friends in the dark. How do you guys respond to it?

I'd love to have a killer ghost story that would scare the bejeezus out of proper adults to hand, but I don't, and my searches for one have been fruitless. A literary ghost story isn't any good, I need a tale that is intended to be relayed orally. If anyone can point me to a repository of such stories, give me the outlines of a few or just give me tips on how to tell such stories well in this situation, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.

Short (1 month) film school in DC?

wflanagan — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:16:41 -0800

Increasingly, marketing is about telling stories. In my downtime (next 1 to 2 months), I'd like to take a course on film making in the DC area. Any suggestions as to where I can do this? Any other suggestions or comments on ways to increase my storytelling capabilities? I'm going to have some downtime in the next few months between jobs. In this period, I'd like to take a 1 month digitial video class. Ideally, I'd spend some time learning how to write screenplays, through to digital production and post production.

The idea isn't to become a new filmmaker. I believe that more and more, it's about storytelling. And, video as a means to do that. In my field (marketing), I'd like to get more exposure to how to do this.

Also, I have thought about creative writing classes, etc. I would like to do something intensive (1 month), 8 hours a day, and be done with it.

Any suggestions?

MediatedExperienceFilter

Alterscape — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 16:17:46 -0800

I'm looking for scholarly research and writing on the topic of experience mediated through recording devices, with an emphasis on cell-phone still/video cameras, point-and-shoots, etc -- casual, frequent media gathering activities performed by nonprofessionals in support of blogging and other personal storytelling. As part of grad-school prep, I've been reading a lot of papers regarding everyday storytelling using multimedia (think blogging, flickr, youtube skits, etc). One aspect these specific papers haven't touched is how the use of recording equipment for media-gathering affects the individual's experience of events, as opposed to experiencing the same events as a spectator without intent to record. Is anybody doing research on these issues from a technical or anthropological perspective? If not, why not?

For the record, as a film studies undergrad, I'm aware of the extensive body of work surrounding ontology and documentary filmmaking theory (cinema verite, direct cinema, etc), but I'm interested specifically in non-professionals recording photo/video/audio media for personal (or at least non-'old media') use.

TAL without the annoying bits. And possibly in Spanish.

fionab — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:11:56 -0800

Storytelling, deep news stories, themed narratives: Podcasts in this vein wanted. Think "This American Life" but not always as funny or quirky, or the longer news stories on NPR that use the lens of a smaller story-within-a-story. Artsy takes on news also welcome. In addition, which Latino podcasts (in the same general format) have caught your ear? I'd be *really* happy if they didn't have annoying lead-ins, had relatively good sound quality and didn't blab on and on (and on) at the beginning and end of the show.

I found "Morning Stories" on WGBH and this sounds pretty good so far. I searched the archives and found a few older posts but am wondering what is new specifically in this 'artsier', storytelling form of news.

Ideally it would take current events and put them into a deeper, more human perspective, or it would take a general interest story and make it interesting, not always as funny/witty/shoegazing as TAL. Think along the veins of documentary films but in audio podcasting form.

Also, are there any great podcasts (in Spanish) that focus on Latino stories/issues/perspectives/communities/news?

Troubleshootin The Tale: Temperature Traveler

vanoakenfold — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 06:48:18 -0800

Abstract Thinking Filter: So I created this creature that travels by temperature instead of time, so to speak. Please help me find any potential flaws and limitations of describing the goings-on of a creature that travels by temperature but has no limitation of when.

Just as we, as people, are time travelers in a steady, minute-by-minute progression, we have proximity access to physical objects that continue to exist within our relative progression of time -- that is, I have access to both the contents of the oven and the contents of the freezer as long as they are in my kitchen (or otherwise traveling distance) at the same time I am currently in existence, since the temperature of the objects in question is of little or no consequence as far as my access to them is concerned.

This creature/person, is inversely/reversely limited by temperature but not time -- that is, he has access to the oven's heated contents from December of one year to December of the next simultaneously but by the simple action of moving there (irrespective of when they exist) just as I may walk between my fridge and oven... but he is limited to objects of a certain temperature as his progression through temperature increases/decreases over his lifespan.

The story was going to be an perhaps-equally convoluted method of storytelling, whereby the text is actually a transcription of a microcassette-recorded interview with periodic editorial notes, in the form of (which may bog it down, though I do enjoy irregular storytelling methods):

===
Creature: My people have "always", in your sense, been here. But in our sense, most of your people have only been here since about 98 degrees give or take.

Interviewer: So you're saying our people who have a fever of 101 can talk to your people who are on the degree scale of 101, while those who are at 98.6 degrees can't even see you?

[At this point he stands up as if ready to leave.]

Creature: Yes. As the temperature of this area is now passing into a warmer climate because of your sunrise, we will both no longer have access to each other. However, if I travel to your evening when the temperature reaches this temperature while the sun sets, just by going there because I want to -- as easily as you may walk from a cooled building's waiting area to step outside in the sweltering heat -- we can continue our conversa...

[A cool breeze wafts by, temporarily obstructing our conversation and the fact that I can see him. Upon its passing he is still speaking to me. The poem Who Has Seen The Wind pops to mind out of the blue.]
===

Can you think of any possible flaws or limitations in carrying on a conversation with such a creature, ignoring compatible language issues? I am thinking of making the lengths at which the creature exists within the range of a certain temperature span a number of our months. In one way, the creature could tell me the future as long as he experienced it within the same temperature range as I am currently existing so that he can communicate it to me, yet I could tell him of his "future" predicaments he may experience while encountering an "upcoming" temperature he has not yet "grown" into.

For instance, if he asked me for say, a spoon. If the spoon was not within his temperature range, I could heat it up or cool it down to his level and it would appear as if by magic. Likewise he could acquire an object for me by moving it forward or backward in time by some similar uncertain method of propulsion (just as he has no particular understanding of how I can heat or cool things at will).

Any speculations of problems I might encounter, such as inconsistencies of my concept with the above rough-draft excerpt that I may have flubbed?

tell me a story and make it funny

grumblebee — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 10:40:50 -0800

Please recommend standup commedians to someone who dislikes gags but loves storytelling. Because life is short, I generally tell people that I hate standup comedy. And I’ve half convinced myself this is true. But then I remember the joy I felt, as a teenager, listening to Bill Cosby and Woody Allen tell funny stories. Alas, as I got older, most standup I heard was a collection of jokes or gags. For whatever reason, I don’t respond to shows like this -- even if the jokes are really, really funny. In such cases, I laugh at first, but as the jokes go on and on, I get bored. My brain yearns for narrative.

I’m interested in any recommendations for storytelling comedians. Bonus points for performances that I can actually see: they’ve been recorded or the performer is in my area (NYC).

Go ahead and suggest anything, put I prefer personal stories (“When I was a kid...”) to non-personal ones (“This Republican senator was on vacation...”), and I’m not a big fan of the scatological stuff. I’d rather laugh at failed relationships than fart jokes.

Ideas for language/literature-based events

lalalana — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 17:58:31 -0800

I'm interested in learning more about language/literature-based events. Not so much the traditional poetry reading, more like innovative ways people come together in a relaxed environment to do some sort of activity that revolves around reading stuff aloud and telling stories. I know about the old Fray Cafes, and I know that This American Life had a letter-reading show a few years ago, and I know about the Cringe Readings, where people read from their embarrassing adolescent journals and the like, and I know about the Little Gray Book Lectures .

Anyone know about more these kinds of things? Any interesting ideas for new events of this kind? Experiences promoting and organizing this kind of thing?

Creative talk podcasts?

knave — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:38:17 -0800

I really like Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything. What else would I like?

Interactive storytelling – good examples of both traditional and electronic?

chocolatepeanutbuttercup — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 18:28:43 -0800

There’s a long tradition of telling a story, say, around a campfire, or to a group of friends in a bar, and based on the feedback you get, changing the story to suit or entertain your audience. Today, the web gives everyone the ability to tell a story and receive feedback from a much wider audience than was previously possible. Two examples I can think of are the blogging phenomenon and Shelley Jackson’s hypertext writings. I’m looking for traditional/historical examples and sources as well as as well as online equivalents?

Great Storytellers

jazzkat11 — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 19:09:52 -0800

Who are our great storytellers? And by storytelling, I'm referring to the purely oral tradition; not written stories, songs, poems or the like, but strictly, you know, stories spoken aloud (and recorded). The only name that comes to mind for me is Garrison Keillor. Who else?

it's commentary! it's a film! it's a meta-film!

Tuwa — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 14:31:21 -0800

I'm looking for films about whatever they're about that are also about their own making. Fiction is preferred over documentary--this approach in documentary tends to strike me as more often lazy than profound--but skillful documentaries are welcome too. [examples inside, including spoilers] On watching Man with a Movie Camera again recently, I've become fascinated with films that tell two stories, one of them at least in part about the film's making--it seems an easy way to work in commentary about the power of film and to comment about story-telling itself. Examples include Persona, which reminds you constantly that it's a film, and The Player and Adaptation, which both use the "meta" aspect as a wicked subplot/twist revealed near the end.

In my opinion Ross McElwee can sometimes pull it off in his documentaries (I think he does in Six O'Clock News and Time Indefinite, but for some reason it rankles me in Sherman's March). I like what Varda does with it in her Gleaners films (including others' criticisms of her own choices as a film maker).

Examples where I think it doesn't add much to the story include Beyond the Mat and I Remember Me; for the most part, I think documentary filmmakers seem to fall back on this "making-of" plot once their main plot lags, so it strikes me as a kludge more than a brilliant hack. (Though Blair Witch got a clever gimmick out of it.)

What other examples can you think of? Spoilers are fine; I'm more interested in seeing what the filmmakers do with the "meta" aspect.

YAMCD

Leon — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:25:00 -0800

Mix CD time again: popular songs that tell stories I'm putting together a couple of discs for an 11-year-old boy who seems to like songs built around strong, simple stories - beginning, middle and end stuff. He also enjoys Johnny Cash, NOFX, Nirvana, Radiohead. I think most traditional boy/girl stories aren't going to hold his interest.

Some examples (as you can see, I'm struggling for more recent stuff that fits):

Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy Versus The Red Baron
Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John
Battle of New Orleans
Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe
The Devil Went Down To Georgia
Hot Rod Lincoln

Thoughts, anyone?