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"Becoming The Storyteller You Are Meant To Be!"

"Retelling The Family Tale"

"Revitalizing Myths"

"Positive Coaching Experience"

Ldettmn.gif (27099 bytes)November 6th, 1998 was our Workshop meeting:

.. spoke on "Becoming The Storyteller You Are Meant To Be!" ..

The workshop began with a brief sharing of anecdotes-- about your first paying job ... and led into the metaphor of "Storytelling" as a Life's Journey.

o We are drawn to certain stories

n Tell what is 'true' to you .. is a subpoint of this .. and

n Stories find us .. seems to flow, logically from it ...

o We grow as storytellers by challenging ourselves.

o Images which are true to one's self are the most believable and most real;

n draw upon your personal life for 'inspiration'

Donna included 'caveats' such as:

Ö "Remain in control" and

Ö "Make sure you understand the story you are telling." Most importantly, she could not stress enough:

Ö "Research!"

Aside from the obvious potential for copyright infringement -- which was also discussed -- there is a real need to learn as much as possible not only about the individual story itself (and its variants) but also about the culture from which the story is drawn. Why? Because, in the quest to make that story your own, you are going to change it. Personalize it. Combine it -- perhaps -- with several other versions to strike the chord for that tale which is closest to you. And it is important -- to you as teller -- that you understand the story well enough not to change something integral to its structure.

There were several points of interest covering the logistics of research -- where, precisely, to find the information you are looking for -- notes, for example, to various editions of a book or a particular story, bibliographies, introductions ... . We discussed permissions and copyrights, and ethics.

Donna Dettman telling at the Fox Valley Festival

Oh my!

Storytelling Etiquette

Compiled by Barbara Griffin, Olga Loya, Sandra MacLees, Nancy Schimmel, Harlynne Geisler, and Kathleen Zundell in July 1993.

Stories are to share and tell. While we encourage the art of sharing stories, we also want to encourage respect in our community

¨ You deserve respect. Respect other tellers.

¨ A storyteller's personal, family, and original stories are her/his copyrighted property.

It is unethical and illegal to tell another person's original, personal, and family stories without permission of the author/storyteller.

¨ Folklore and folktales are owned by the public, but a specific version told by an  individual teller or found in a collection is the teller's or author's copyrighted property.

If you like a folktale a storyteller has told, ask that teller for a reference of where it can be found. Research the story by finding other versions and then tell it your way.

¨ Published literary tales and poetry are copyrighted material. They may be told at informal story swaps, but when you tell another's story in a paid professional setting, you need to request the publisher's/author's permission.

¨ You need to research copyright law.

¨ When telling anywhere, it is common courtesy to credit the source of your story.

Pass stories, share stories, and encourage respect within the storytelling community.

Please feel free to print out and copy this etiquette statement and pass it out or read it at storytelling events.
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