|
|
THIS WEEK'S LESSON
In the time of pandemic, many of us are doing far less in the world than ever before. We are seeing fewer people, going to fewer places, and finding ourselves with far less variety in our lives.
One might think that this would be a terrible time to find stories in your life, but that is wrong. In fact, looking back on my Homework for Life for the previous month, I can find more storyworthy entries in the last 30 days than the previous three months.
Why?
Because of this simple fact:
Stories are not about the stuff that is happening on the outside of our bodies. Stories are about the things happening inside our minds.
So often, people think that in order to tell a great story, you must do something extraordinary. Bungee jumping. A terrible first date. A vacation to Tibet. A car accident. A battle with an in-law. Marriage. Divorce. A gun battle with a drug cartel.
No, no, no. These moments might all make great stories, but not because of what you were doing but because of what you were thinking.
Stories are about transformation or realization. Change over time. These changes always, without exception, take place in our minds.
During this period of social distancing, I've been spending an enormous amount of time in my head, thinking about the changes taking place in the world. The fears I have for my family and friends. The shifting beliefs about how and where our world will finally end up. They way my friends and family are managing their lives. They way my wife and children are reacting to the pandemic.
Think about the story I told at the beginning of this newsletter. That moment - when my daughter tells me that it's been the best day of her year - will make a great story.
The thesis statement for my story goes like this:
I was once a father who worried that his children were losing out on precious childhood days because of the pandemic, then something happened, and I realized that I was wrong.
That's it. That's the story. And what happened in order for this realization to take place?
My daughter looked at some clouds and then said a single sentences to me.
Hardly bungee jumping or a gun battle with an army of drug smugglers.
The moment couldn't have been more benign. Yet it was incredibly profound, and it'll make a great, great story someday.
So don't give up on seeking out stories during these strange, isolated days. Don't worry about the lack of people, places, and variety in your life. Stories happen inside each and every one of us. Constantly. And so many of us have so much happening inside of us during these uncertain, frightening times.
Stay tuned to those moments when something fundamentally or incrementally shifts inside you.
When that happens, you probably have a story to tell.
|
|
STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS
April 18: Storytelling workshop (beginner), MOPCO Theater (online)
April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20, and 27: Advanced storytelling workshop (online)
July 27-31: Storytelling boot camp, CT Historical Society
- Our beginner's workshop is designed for anyone who wants to take their first steps into storytelling. This is a low stakes day designed to introduce participants to storytelling. No participation is required. If you want to learn how to tell an entertaining, engaging, and soulful story but aren't quite ready to stand up and speak, fear not. This is an opportunity to learn in a safe environment where you will not be asked to speak a word unless you want to.
- Our advanced workshops are designed so that storytellers can take them again and again (and many do). Every advanced workshops is completely different from the last, with new strategies and lessons taught each time. Storytellers learn new techniques through specifically targeted lessons, they have the opportunity to watch a story crafted from scratch, and they tell a story of their own and receive a critique. Lessons are then generated from these stories, too. Space is limited in order to ensure enough time and attention for every storyteller.
- Our storytelling master class is an opportunity for storytellers to perform in a workshop environment with the goal of receiving a critique. This workshop is absent of any explicit instruction and is dedicated solely to the telling of stories. Each storyteller will have the opportunity to tell two stories over the course of the day or a single story twice, incorporating suggestions from the first telling. Space is limited in order to ensure enough time and attention for every storyteller.
- Our boot camp is a weeklong experience for storytellers which culminates in a showcase performance on a Friday night for invited friends, family, and former Speak Up storytellers. It's an opportunity to spend a week taking a deep dive into the art and craft of telling stories.
|
|
-
On episode #92 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Matthew and Elysha Dicks talk storytelling!
In our follow up segment, we debut our first bot of content on our Patreon page , announce online workshops and shows, and a weekly free storytelling workshop for families on Facebook Live and YouTube.
In our Homework for Life segment, I talk about combining two moments from your Homework for Life into a single story, as well as being open to the idea that you might still be in the midst of a story.
Next we listen to a story by Monica Malaver.
Amongst the many things we discuss include:
-
The power of self deprecation
-
Scene setting
-
Humor through vulnerability
-
Connecting the beginning and endings of stories
- Avoiding process language
Next we answer a question about the beginnings of stories.
Lastly, we each offer a recommendation.
RECOMMEDATIONS
Elysha:
- Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 1 and 2
Matt:
_______________________________________________
Support Speak Up Storytelling through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/speakupstorytelling
Purchase Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling: https://amzn.to/2H3YNn3
Purchase Twenty-one Truths About Love: https://amzn.to/35Mz1xS
Homework for Life: https://bit.ly/2f9ZPne
Matthew Dicks's website: http://www.matthewdicks.com
Matthew Dicks's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/matthewjohndicks
Matthew Dicks's blog:
http://www.matthewdicks.com/matthewdicksblog
Subscribe to Matthew Dicks's weekly newsletter:
http://www.matthewdicks.com/matthewdicks-subscribe
Subscribe to the Speak Up newsletter:
http://www.matthewdicks.com/subscribe-speak-up
Subscribe to Matthew Dicks's blog:
http://www.matthewdicks.com/subscribe-grin-and-bare-it
|
|
PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS 2020
April 18: Storytelling workshop (beginner), remote beginner’s workshop, MOPCO Improv Theater, Schenectady, NY
April 18: A Night of Storytelling with Matthew Dicks (remote solo show), MOPCO Improv Theater, Schenectady, NY
April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20, and 27: Advanced storytelling workshop (online)
June 6: “Teen Angst” at the Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, CT
June 18: Summer Buzz Author Event, Mandell JCC, West Hartford, CT
June 23: Storytelling solo show, Whiton Branch Library, Manchester, CT
June 24: Story slam, Morse Institute Library, Natick, MA
June 27: “Grow: Stories of Hard Lessons and Forward Progress” at Bears Smokehouse, New Haven, CT
July 27-31: Storytelling boot camp, CT Historical Society
September 26: Best of Valley Voice, Music Academy, North Hampton, MA
November 15: Descendants of the Shoah Conference, Mandell JCC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|