Would you like to be one?
Would you like to find out what a storyteller is, what they do and how they do it?
Then this space is for you!
Story practitioners are people who tell real stories about real people (themselves and/or others) that have both a unique and a universal meaning. These stories are transformational in some way, describing how the 'hero' or central protagonist has been moved from one state to another. The transformation should be positive, life affirming, and will usually result in a changed perception about the hero.
Some themes for these stories include:
- rites of passage
- recovery from an illness or accident, and/or making new discoveries about oneself as a result of one of these
- career change
- changes to a family, such as the introduction of new members through birth, adoption or marriage, and death or removal (including self-removal) of a family member
- travel and new experiences
- new beliefs and understanding
- discovery and adventure
- new knowledge
- a change in circumstances e.g. winning or losing a lot of money, inheriting a family business
1) storytelling is a part of story practice, but there are other elements as well, and
2) in story practice, elements are ranked differently to storytelling - i.e their level of importance differs.
Elements that distinguish a practised story from a literary story:
1. Whether it is your own story or someone else's that is being told, an essential element of a 'practised' story is an identification of different ways of thinking, feeling, behaving and being that is directly attributable to the story that has been told, or is being told. Also, while in storytelling things like plot, action, characters have a special place, in story practice the external plot, action and other characters may not be central or even important, rather it is the individual person and the internal transformation they experience that provides the main interest.
2. Unlike a crafted story, which is judged according to a set of standard criteria and which must therefore follow certain conventions, including correct or unified language, the telling of a practised story should reflect the personal characteristics, education, culture and style of the main character - this uniqueness is central to its effectiveness.
3. As a result of this, practised stories may lack finesse, they may be unusually or incompetently told, but are told with integrity - i.e. they are respectful of their heros' contexts, lives and essences.
In chaotic and complex postmodern terms, story practice is a highly democratic narrative tool; it is not restricted to the well-educated and articulate. Story practitioners have a responsibility to deal with the subject matter and principal character in a way that is reflective of that individual.
Would you make a great story practitioner?
Take this short quiz to help you decide if you have what it takes to be a story practitioner. The more 'Yes's', the higher the chances that this might form part of your future career.
Say 'YES if you:
1. enjoy surprises
2. like listening to other people's stories
3. are open to new ways of thinking
4. find people fascinating
5. often find yourself reflecting on how different we all are
6. believe that each person has a special story to tell
7. believe that everyone is put on earth/given a life for a reason
8. become excited hearing about personal victories and breakthroughs, even ordinary ones
9. don't generally make judgements on what is a valid story to tell and what isn't
10. enjoy approaching strangers and start talking to him/her
11. find yourself eavesdropping on conversations on public transport or in food courts
12. are happier hearing other people's stories than telling your own
13. can usually find something positive to say about a story you have heard
14. can identify ways that a person has created positive change for him/herself
15. feel you can assist a person to find ways to use his or her story to inspire others
16. are often encouraged to feed back key elements of a person's story to him or her in a positive way
17. prefer to think about how we are different to how much we are the same as each other
18. are of the opinion that every new day offers a new chance to learn something new
19. think that life is made better through interacting on a deeper level with others
20. believe that the best things in life are not material possessions or wealth, but that these are found in the richness of our experiences.
Score your YES responses:
18-20: Go straight to work as a story practitioner!
15-17: You have what it takes to become a good story practitioner - start your apprenticeship
12-14: With a bit of tweaking, you can be a story practitioner
9-11: You might be a story practitioner who hasn't had the right opportunities yet, so seek some out to see if you like this kind of work.
5-8: You have a sense of story, but developing skills as a story practitioner will take some time and effort.
1-4: Perhaps a related field, such as journalism, web content writing or biography is something you might look at doing, at least on a part time basis
0: You are probably wondering why you bothered taking this quiz! But if you are wondering what life would be like if you were more open-minded and risk-taking, maybe you should do the program, just to see!
Story Practitioner Skills: COMING SOON!
If you would like to find out more about becoming a story practitioner, and/or would like to tell a story, send an email and I will show you how to get started. The full online training course costs just 25 AUD, and face to face group sessions can be arranged for a higher fee, depending on where you live or work.
