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August 28 - August 30, 2022
A RECIPE FOR CREATING INTERESTING STORIES
Step 1: Don’t be boring.
Step 2: Live life for the story.
Step 3: Don’t wait for things to happen to you. Make them happen.
Our worst fears lie in anticipation.
Our worst misfortunes never happen, and most miseries lie in anticipation.
In order to fully express yourself, pretend the boss/ex/friend/etc. your story is about is dead.
The best way to do something is to do it.
Option 1: Start your story with a little intro about yourself and then get right into it.
Option 2: Start your story as if your audience is your best friend and you’re letting your BFF in on a little secret.
Option 3: Start your story with a thesis statement about yourself and then tell a specific story that proves your thesis to be true.
STEPS TO TAKING LIFE’S MISHAPS & MAKING THEM INTO STORY MAGIC
1. Let time pass between the event and talking about the event.
2. Have you moved on?
3. Is it actually over?
4. Are you able to take a step back and see what that life event was really about?
WAYS TO ADD NOSTALGIA TO YOUR STORY
• What were you wearing?
• What music was playing?
• What type of car were you in?
• Who were your idols? Crushes? Role models? Heroes?
• What foods did you eat or drink?
TOOLS TO MAKE A BENIGN STORY ABOUT “NOTHING” POP
• Set the stakes at the top.
• Show us how much you care.
• Tell us what happened regarding the dumb thing you care about.
• Tell us how irrationally you reacted to said dumb thing you care about.
• Have a sense of humor about it all.
• At the end of your story, give us a little zinger, showing us that you still care about the “dumb” thing.
Spalding Gray’s book Morning, Noon and Night,
STEPS FOR WRITING YOUR STORY
1. Intro:
2. Middle/“Meat”:
3. Conclusion:
4. Tag/PS (optional):
Every person you meet is an opportunity to learn about a world you’re not a part of.
CHARLES BUKOWSKI, Factotum
Harvard undergraduates believe that inventing a job is better than finding a job. —LARRY SUMMERS to the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network
Alan Stout and me too.
Now is the perfect time to embark on your storytelling journey. So … here are some ways you can pursue this craft and maybe even monetize it.
1. Start your own storytelling show.
2. Try and get your written stories published.
3. Write your memoir and try to get it published.
4. Start a podcast.
6. Tour the public-speaking circuit telling your story.
I Love You More Than You Know by Jonathan Ames
Monster in a Box by Spalding Gray
Other writers have greatly inspired me—Dan Savage, Charles Bukowski, David Sedaris, David Rakoff
H Coffee House in Los Feliz.
1750 Hillhurst Avenue, between Kingswell and Melbourne.
