Scenes: the building block

Increasingly, I think the number one thing that characterizes the storytelling we do at Earshot (and Gilead) is that the stories are built of moments or scenes. More than anything else, that’s what distinguishes them from any essay, sermon, op-ed, or toast you might give. Instead of topics, ideas, quotations, or data, we use scenes as the building blocks.

“Scene” — just like you’d use the word about a play, or movie. It’s people, in a place, for a length of time, where something happens. (This characteristic, by the way, is why it’s so easy to mimic this style of storytelling: “It’s July, 1979. I’m standing on the muddy bank of a fast river and my best friend has just fallen in.” When, where, what.)

Are you starting from a topic or theme? That’s ok! You simply need moments that demonstrate it.

A story about forgiveness.

Possible moments:

• a time when I received forgiveness

• a time when I found it hard to extend forgiveness

• a time when I preferred to forgive rather than be forgiven (they were wrong!!! Right?)

Are you starting with an idea? That’s ok! You just have to find the moments that show your idea.

A story of learning what kind of singer I am.

Possible moments:

• musical audition in the HS auditorium when It Girl soprano Colleen’s mouth dropped open: I can sing!

• auditioning for Phyllis in her living room and finding out — haha! — that she’d sung the Aaron Copland song cycle “many times with Aaron.”

• failing the middle school audition? solos in church as the preacher’s kid?

• leading music at Bethany Church as a de facto part of my job

TRY IT. Think of one trait of yours. Now think of 3 - 5 moments where someone observing your life would see that trait. Think of one more, when you found it hard to tap into that trait. Those are scenes! They might even be a story.

Resources

So: you’ve been to an Earshot workshop and now you want more storytelling stuff. See below! Or maybe you’re attending a workshop remotely and need a copy of The Handout. Well, there you go!

TO LISTEN:

To more stories. Listen to The Moth on the radio or podcast

To learn about this kind of storytelling: Speak Up, a podcast I find very irritating but useful. Matthew Dicks is a (sometimes irritating) master. Maybe try his books instead? (note to self) "Story forensics" episodes are the most useful to me.

TO READ:

My own blog entries on:

• "Building a story: getting started"

• "Nitty-gritty story tips"

• How to invite storytellers to prepare for your event or service

• Prompts

On the psychology and benefits of storytelling: Dan P. McAdams The Stories We Live By and others.
On the craft of stories: Long Story Short by Margot Leitman

On how short stories work and what they do (big overlap with storytelling and preaching, if some necessary divergence): A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. I found this to be life-changing. Hugely helpful articulations.

TO DO:

Google "storytelling" in your area and go listen. Go tell a story. I mean it. Take your business cards with you, so when people come up to you afterward and say, "Did you say you're a pastor?" you can give them one. 

Reach out to me at EarshotStories@gmail.com to talk about kicking something off in your own area/town/congregation. I travel and teach this stuff, y'know!

Building an event: inviting storytellers

Planning a storytelling event? Looking to include storytellers in your worship services? Here are some of our best (or just most typical) approaches.

Craft the ask. Over the years, we’ve low-key developed a formula. There’s a title, a subtitle (stories of…) and then a series of options that are literal and spot-on, and options that are metaphoric and the opposite of the theme. The goal is to give people as many entry points as possible:

Our theme for November is It's Not You, It's Me: stories of all kinds of break-ups. The ones you dumped, the ones who got away, the job you needed you break up with and break free from, bad theologies, cigarettes, booze... what- or who- ever it was that you broke up with.

This month, we're telling stories of Weathering the Storm. (And, sure, we may have been influenced by the Great Chicago Derecho of 2020...) Moments when you battened down the hatches, hunkered down, waited it out. Moments like, oh, right now?? [mid-pandemic!]

The theme: stories of wrestling, fancy footwork, and being on the ropes. Tell about a time when you felt conflicted: torn between options, people, or commitments. A moment when you were caught off guard, thrown off balance, or backed into a corner. Maybe you felt pinned — or like you had them pinned — but then there was a flurry of theatrics, a rhetorical (or real?) back flip, and BAM! a body slam.

Reach your people. Direct asks are always most effective. Make your broad ask — “we’re looking for storytellers!” — but reach out to people who you think might be game. There are people in your community with relevant skills: writers, people who keep journals, people who are good conversationalists. (There are also people who will surprise you, so be open to all kinds of tellers!) You can also reach out to people whose stories you know simply from being in relationship with them, and ask if they’d consider crafting a public version of their story. In a direct ask, share why you think it’s a valuable project, and invite their participation. (A common line we use: “We’d love to have your voice in the mix.”)

You can also consider contacting people who you’ve already heard tell a public story, even if you don’t know them. Performers are often looking for places to perform, and folks from beyond your community will broaden the scope of your event, and can further vary the voices.

Book ‘em! Secure folks’ participation by telling them what to expect, and asking them to commit to a timeline. If you’ll be gathering to rehearse or otherwise workshop stories, if you want to see or hear drafts of stories, share that timeline up front and set expectations. There are often unforeseen last minute changes, of course, but when you’ve got enough settled in advance, it’s easier to roll with those changes!

Prompts, please!

“Prompts” is the name we give to the little slips of paper we hand out at the beginning of every Gilead service (or to the question we drop in the Zoom chat). The practice is ripped off from live events put on by The Moth, but story prompts belong to every writer or writers’ workshop ever offered. At Gilead, each week the prompt is a half-sentence, almost always ending with the word “when.” “When” drives people to think about moments (the building block of stories), rather than ideas or topics.

“I knew they had my back when…”

“I did a 180 when…”

”I (finally) felt at home when…”

“I headed into the unknown when…”

“I felt fully seen when…”

People complete the sentence anonymously (with only as much text as fits on a small piece of paper — typically one or two sentences) and we read them as part of the welcome. We also use this practice at almost all storytelling events, church or otherwise, often reading them in between storytellers. The anonymity offers safety. The option of participating, open to everyone, offers the chance to hear many voices (metaphorically).

Whether in church or a broader public, the intention of a prompt is to invite participants into the theme by considering a moment from their own lives. A prompt pre-figures the theme, before folks even necessarily know what it is. Figuring out a prompt starts with the question “What do we think this [service, event] is about?” The prompt aims to come at that sideways, through participants’ personal experiences. At Gilead, we often brainstorm a list of ideas based on the theme for the night or service, and choose the one that feels like it’s the most specific to the event.

Some prompts are quite straight-forward: “The best meal I ever had was when…” (The “when” there means we got stories, not menus!) or “I was grateful when…” Others require more interpretation or imagination by folks filling them out: “Shit got real when…” or “It was a miracle when…”

The best prompts are evocative, clear, and answerable. Can you come up with an answer for the prompt you just considered? If not, maybe change it.

Welcome, Lindsey!

We’re so happy to welcome Lindsey Braun to the team!

Lindsey’s first love was storytelling. It was also her gateway to preaching. As a pastor at Plymouth Church in Des Moines, IA she gets to tell stories in the pulpit, and has also been heard at Moth story slams, open mics, and as part of the Des Moines Storytellers Project. That story led to an appearance on the Today Show. Lindsey’s work curating, coaching, and hosting storytelling events includes the Tri-Conference Joint Annual Meeting of the Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Conferences of the United Church of Christ.  

Lindsey is ordained in the United Church of Christ.  She has a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts (Storytelling) from St. Olaf College. 

Here are a few testimonials about Lindsey’s work:

Lindsey Braun was a fabulous host for the Saturday evening storytelling dinner event at our first Joint Annual Meeting of the Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota conferences of the United Church of Christian June 2019! Lindsey has a relaxed and engaging style that welcomes audience members into instant connection with her. As Lindsey took the mic, I felt like I was listening and laughing with my good friend in a living room rather than in a hotel ballroom with 200 other people. Lindsey easily transitioned between performers, connecting with the audience with her own set of engaging content that tied various storytellers of the evening together into a cohesive experience. Lindsey’s professionalism and grace on stage set a tone for every audience member to be able to relax and receive the entertainment, humor, and poignancy of the night.

Brigit Stevens, Executive Conference Minister, UCC Tri-Conf Ministries

Lindsey Braun is not only a gifted storyteller in her own right, but a gifted curator of storytelling as well. She kindles the story sparks of other tellers with just the right breaths of cheerleading and limit-setting. Her exceptional gifts as a curator made it possible for me to explore the land just outside my comfort zone. Her limit-setting felt joyful and comforting, giving me a structure within which to explore that felt both safe and generous.

Jonna Jensen, Associate Conference Minister, UCC Tri-Conf Minsitries

Lindsey has the ability to cultivate a space where people are willing to open up their heart and mind. During our First Joint Annual Gathering she was able to organize and curate a collection of stories that moved those attending from laughter to tear and then full circle again. Everyone in attendance has commented on how it was one of their favorite experiences and as a quote, “how profound it was for a Person to collect such awe inspiring stories that though different carried a similar theme of invitation and extravagant welcome.”

Darrell Goodwin Associate Conference Minister, UCC Tri-Conf Minsitries