Storytelling Theory & Practice

[Moejoe]

Professor Brian Sturm presents storytelling as a way of organizing information, conveying emotions, and building community. A model of storytelling as altered state of consciousness (the story trance) is presented that inlcudes 16 portals to altered states. Three stories are told to illustrate the theoretical model: Truth and Story; What happens when you really listen; and The stone cutter. Storytelling ethics and the need for trust and truth are discussed.

[PennyPie]

I'm not a writer, but this looks very interesting! Thanks!

[Winter]

I can't say I really agree with him and the psychobabble he uses, but at least it's got some kind of structure and thought behind it. Certainly beats Elizabeth Gilbert and her moon-eyed ravings about creativity and divine sparks . . .

Cheers for posting it.

Regards,
Ryan

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Winter

I can't say I really agree with him and the psychobabble he uses, but at least it's got some kind of structure and thought behind it. Certainly beats Elizabeth Gilbert and her moon-eyed ravings about creativity and divine sparks . . .

Cheers for posting it.

Regards,
Ryan

I love Gilbert, but then again my mentor is Ray Bradbury and my gospel is "Zen in the Art of Writing". Also I'm a free culture advocate and ascribe to the theory that our world is changing drastically into a new culture and as Eben Moglen puts it:

No poet will ever go unpublished now

We're moving away from the profit incentive, the write-what-will-sell to the write-your-passion model. Again I have to quote Eben Moglen when he said (talking about the music industry, but it transfers to all creative individuals)

"There will be no ten million dollar artists. But a million artists making a living, not having to take a day job."

Anybody who's interested in Gilbert can watch her great TED talk here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/e...on_genius.html

[Ea]

Thanks for the links. I write very little fiction, but am quite interested in story-telling and communication. This looks interesting.

[Winter]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

I love Gilbert, but then again my mentor is Ray Bradbury and my gospel is "Zen in the Art of Writing". Also I'm a free culture advocate and ascribe to the theory that our world is changing drastically into a new culture and as Eben Moglen puts it:

No poet will ever go unpublished now

We're moving away from the profit incentive, the write-what-will-sell to the write-your-passion model. Again I have to quote Eben Moglen when he said (talking about the music industry, but it transfers to all creative individuals)

I can't stand her. I've never agreed with making writing into something mystical or beyond normal human mentality, I think it's counterproductive and disingenuous. Anyone can learn how to produce publishable fiction. There's really nothing exceptional (and certainly nothing religious) about the skill of good writing. Some people do have a predisposition to it, but that doesn't make them prophets. Even in a world which could be proven to have no divine influences, there would still be stories, and images, and music.

My motto is, "Whatever works." I've always been a pragmatist. I don't believe in reducing creativity to some mechanical ruleset, because I think there's a little bit more to it than that, but it's just as bad to go around telling people they're precious and unique snowflakes with divine powers.

In the end it's just psychology and the wonderful things the human brain can do. If you've got a talent, that's a great thing, and worth pursuing -- but why dress it up?

Regards,
Ryan

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Winter

I can't stand her. I've never agreed with making writing into something mystical or beyond normal human mentality, I think it's counterproductive and disingenuous. Anyone can learn how to produce publishable fiction. There's really nothing exceptional (and certainly nothing religious) about the skill of good writing. Some people do have a predisposition to it, but that doesn't make them prophets. Even in a world which could be proven to have no divine influences, there would still be stories, and images, and music.

My motto is, "Whatever works." I've always been a pragmatist. I don't believe in reducing creativity to some mechanical ruleset, because I think there's a little bit more to it than that, but it's just as bad to go around telling people they're precious and unique snowflakes with divine powers.

In the end it's just psychology and the wonderful things the human brain can do. If you've got a talent, that's a great thing, and worth pursuing -- but why dress it up?

Regards,
Ryan

Don't get me wrong, I think everybody is a writer, or can be if they want to be. But I also think writing is worthy of some romance, some magic that takes it beyond 1+1=story (Otherwise known as the Dan Brown equation). I believe writing is a kind of magic, only sometimes the magician has no idea how he performed the trick.

[PennyPie]

I don't believe in reducing creativity to some mechanical ruleset, because I think there's a little bit more to it than that

My experience in the art world was in painting (former watercolorist)...American Greetings is located here in Cleveland. The artists employed there to create the greeting cards, calendars, frig magnets, etc, made their living making products the PUBLIC would buy. But on their own time, they produced the art they loved, that which was from their hearts...totally different than the mass production they 9to5'd.

I think that must be the same for the writer...there's the Great Novel (or other prose) in one's soul, but the books for the masses pays the bills, Right??

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by PennyPie

My experience in the art world was in painting (former watercolorist)...American Greetings is located here in Cleveland. The artists employed there to create the greeting cards, calendars, frig magnets, etc, made their living making products the PUBLIC would buy. But on their own time, they produced the art they loved, that which was from their hearts...totally different than the mass production they 9to5'd.

I think that must be the same for the writer...there's the Great Novel (or other prose) in one's soul, but the books for the masses pays the bills, Right??

There used to be an equivalent in writing, during the old pulp days when there were many many markets, now it's a lot less hopeful. I don't have the full stats but something like 1% of published writers are rich, 4% make a living, and the other 95% take a second job to make a living. And that's in the markets that actually sell a lot to the general public.

[PennyPie]

And I sort of think it would be the same in painting...good painters are a dime a dozen (me amongst them)...but the painter that actually makes his living solely from painting is also a very small percentage...the great ones. (Except for Thomas Kinkaide (gag)....marketing is everything)

[Reyben]

Originally Posted by Moejoe
I believe writing is a kind of magic,

Of course it is.

What isn't?



.

[dadioflex]

Edit.

[PennyPie]

Hey! As a jigsaw puzzle fan, I resent that wicked slur!

OOPS! Mea Culpa....Pretty Pictures, yes, great art, no. But they would make nice puzzles.

[AceTachyon]

My take is that its both: part skill, part magic. The skill comes from learning how to create stories that work and move readers.

The magic comes from continually creating stories that work and move readers.

Like the martial arts master. Initially, he/she learned the skills, the punches, the blocks, the kicks, the throws. Later, he/she moves so fluidly between punches, blocks, kicks, and throws you seem to be watching magic.

Just my two cents.