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Telling your story is about playing a memory game. You think, what can I say? Where do I begin? When you tell a story, remember that what makes our stories come alive are the details. Do you remember your grandmother's old stove? Did you heat the house with coal? Who went down on a cold morning to light the furnace?
Describe people and what they were wearing, describe what you ate, describe how you played as a child, and where you played.
Our five senses inform our stories. They provide details. Taste, smell, touch, sight and sound give us the details that are important to the story.
If you enjoyed a spring day, what flowers were blooming? How did the person’s face look who was with you? If you were alone, and received some insight, what brought on the insight? What were you looking at? What were you going through at the time, describe it.
Did the leaves cast shadows across the pavement as you walked along? Even though our lives follow a chronology, our stories are living memories. Some are etched forever, but lasted seconds. Other memories are held and lived daily for months and even years.
When you begin, it probably will not be at the beginning. Unlike Charles Dickens who began David Copperfield with the chapter titled "I Am Born," chances are that your story will begin somewhere other than the very beginning.
You could begin with your most powerful memory, or an inspiration that kept you going during hard times, or with a brief anecdote about a dear friend.
You can begin anywhere! And we'll provide helpful tips and excercises to get you started.
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