A Story for Solstice: Calling Out a Rising Sun

Altered-Art Solstice by Michelle Buvala

Well, Winter is here in my part of the world. Happy Solstice to You. Here's a story I wrote some time back. It first appeared on my "Calling Out a Rising Sun: Stories for Teenage Guys" CD back in 2006. It was originally written for a multi-mode arts project on "addiction and recovery."

While that project never came to be, some of the stories remained. You can listen to "Calling Out a Rising Sun" now in .mp3 audio when you click on this link here.

Happy Winter to you all. And, Hot Happy Summer to my friends on the other 1/2 of the globe. Peace be upon you.

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The is the official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Storytelling Practitioner: Introducing Characters in Storytelling

Continuing my blog posts where I become your hard-core oral-storytelling practitioner, let’s talk about introducing characters in storytelling. I am writing about how to bring a character (person, animal, being) into your oral storytelling.

To consistently illustrate the techniques, I’m using the image of Jack, of “And the Beanstalk” fame, for this article. This process applies to any and every setting where you are telling stories, from business to bassinet.

1. Go with the literal “story” introduction.

Introducing Characters: Meet Jack

 Go old-school on your audience with the time-worn phrase. You know this one already.

“Once Upon a Time, there was a boy named Jack who lived with his mother in a very small house.”

Here you get right to the point, no need for the audience to catch up with you. Your audience does not need to guess what you are talking about as you lay out the scene. However, the “Once Upon a Time” lead-in will most likely cause your audience of business or teenage folks to mentally leave the room.

2. Use a situational introduction.

Start your story from anywhere but an expected beginning and put Jack in a situation that is from the depths of your story:

“From the middle of the tree-thick, reaching-to-the-heavens beanstalk, young Jack looked down upon the boyhood home that he still shared with his mother.”

Here the audience needs to work a bit harder as you give them something to process.

3. Share your character’s internal monologue.

We all have some type of self-talk. Share Jack’s in a manner like this:

“’What happens if I fall off this crazy plant? It was only a pile of beans yesterday. Mama is right: maybe I do need to think before I act.’ said the teenage Jack to himself, as he climbed the giant beanstalk growing outside the kitchen window of the cottage where he lived with his poor mother.”

Here you let us into the thinking patterns of your character, in most cases sharing with us their struggles. This type of intro is better for older audiences that have good abstract thinking skills.

4. Let another character talk to or about the character.

Let one character speak to another character about what they see, hear and feel.

“’ Jack, in your whole 12 years of your life, you have never done something this foolish. When you come down, I am locking you in your room for the rest of your life!’ screamed Jack’s mother as she stood outside of their small cottage. She was concerned, after all, as it was not every day that a boy could climb a beanstalk that reached to the sky.”

5. Compare the character to the audience.

Think about how the audience can relate to some aspect of the character and use that to connect the story to their experiences. For an audience of kids,

“Twelve-year-old Jack, in my story, may be just like you. He wanted to experience fantastic things. When he looked out the window of the cottage he shared with his mother, he saw the bottom of a giant beanstalk, thick as a tree and reaching to the sky. It was time for this poor boy to have an amazing adventure.”

Business Example.

Okay, you have twisted my arm. Here is one business introduction tied to the examples above. Remember, this is a hypothetical situation and I am writing words intended to be spoken aloud, not read.

“My client, Jerry Johnson, was leaning over the intensive-care hospital bed of his 25-year-old wife thinking that this type of illness only happened to ‘old people.’ It was really hard to clear his head of the ambulance siren from two hours ago and the beeping medical devices now.”

Do not get caught up in the formulas presented here, especially for business or corporate storytelling. They are guides. There is.no.storytelling.formula for everyone. Overall, your stories for business don't need to follow some "mythic journey." I will be writing more about that soon.

So, have we been introduced?


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This is the official blog of storyteller K. Sean Buvala. Learn more about his latest workshop at message15.com. Photo: Public Domain http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002723369/

Halloween Video

A small Halloween tale for you. "Two Farthings" by the Brothers Grimm.








The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Crazy Jack

In my research today, I just found another version of Lazy Jack. Let me share it with you:

"Now Jack," said his Momma, "you just let me know what the farmer pays you with next time and I will you how you should carry it home."

And so Jack, after having completed his workaday in the hot southwest sun, asked the farmer for his wages.

"Jack, I want to pay you with this cat. You to take this little cat home and give it a place to stay. He'll hunt mice and be nice to pet. Take care of him now. Here's a little box to carry him home in. And you can keep the box."

"Well, no thank you, Mr. Farmer. That box sounds like a good idea and makes sense to me, but Momma said I had to ask her what to do. She has more wisdom than me. I'll come right back after she gives me her answer."

As Jack approached his home, Momma saw him and ran screaming out to him. "Jack, why don't you have any wages? You know how bad we need them."

"Well, Momma, I can bring the kitty in that little twenty-inch box the farmer had for me, but you said to check with you first. So, here I am. Momma, what should I do to get that kitty home?"

"Good boy," said Jack's Momma, "you were so smart to seek me out. Now, listen up. You ask the farmer for a five-foot-five length of rope as one kitty is not enough wages. Then, put the kitty in the box and wrap the rope around the box."

"Isn't that a lot of work, Momma, for a kitty?" asked Jack.

"Hush, young one. Listen to me. Take the kitty-filled box, with the rope, and drag it down the dry river bed back to our house," said Momma with an air of authority.

Jack thought about that river. It had once been dry, back when Momma was young. All the townsfolk did use that river bed for all kinds of good things. But now, the river was wet, wild and hard to cross. The rules about river use were very different now with all that water just flowing freely and fast.

"Momma, the river is full of water and the cat will drown, or at least tear me up something fierce when I drag it in the water. Momma, are you sure that's what you want?"

His Momma was angry. "Jack, are you back talking me? That's the second time this month I had to tell you to just ignore them rumors about there being water in the river. Dragging things down the riverbed is the way we have always done things. Jack, hush your rumor-mongering mouth! Go get that cat!"

And with that, Jack's Momma went into their little house, closed the door and wouldn't let Jack say another single word.

So, Jack dutifully dragged that kitty down the river, getting all scratched and bitten along the way. But at least now, Momma had a five-foot-five length of rope. She used that rope to hang up a sign that read, "Jack is a Bad Boy for Spreading Rumors."

And Jack wasn't sure if he really wanted to bring home his next day's wage.

And here is one more little story. When Jack got the kitty home, he named it "Pyxidis." When he told his Momma that this was the Latin word for "box," she grew very angry. She told him to just call the animal "kitty" and would never let Jack name another animal again without her approval.

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

Today was Probably the Last $65 I Will Send to Tennessee

A Fairy Tale for the Beaten, the Bored and the Board.

Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Votary. Her mother had died and left her alone with her father and her younger sister.
The father grew in love with another woman who also had two daughters just a bit older than Votary. The father married this new woman and they blended their families together to create a new family in the woman's house that was tucked away in the middle of nowhere.

Votary was no slouch. After her mother had died, she learned many skills to the running and tending of a household. Because of this, she joined in happily with the new household and worked with her new step sisters under the directions of her new stepmother. They all lived together for a while in their very small house.

Things did not stay so smooth. Each day Votary was told to drag water to the house in buckets. Each day, she brought in 65 buckets of water! One day she said to her step-mother, “Mother, right near the river is a huge house. It has rooms for all of us and even some space to grow. Since it is near the river, we would be able to get water to the house faster and even more frequently. Think of the things we could do being so close to the water and in a much a larger house.”

“Silly young child,” replied the mother. We cannot move. There is so much history in this home, why would we want to be anywhere more convenient? Isn’t this enough? Now, hush, silly one, and go fetch some water. We’ll dry up without that water. By the way, have I mentioned to you that we seem to have a leak in the barrel? Please be sure to bring some extra water, too.” And with that, the mother smacked Votary on the behind with the broom.

Votary tried to carry on. One day, while she was cleaning out the fireplace, she discovered a new way to complete the job. It was not only faster, but the results were a much cleaner fireplace. As she shared her idea with her step-mother, the mother replied, “Oh, so naive you are. I’ve had your sisters look at the problem. I had a meeting with them while you were off doing something else. They can’t find a single thing to change. As you know, they have been here since the house was built from the bones of dragons. You couldn’t possibly know more than them, they are so wise, being your elders and ancestors. But, if you like, you may have that little space outside, on the fringe of our land, to try out your new idea. Don’t make too much noise and remember to always be a lady. Run along, so that I and my daughters may talk about the past.” And with that, the mother smacked Votary on the head with a piece of kindling from the fireplace.

Votary was sad and sat outside on a tree stump. One of her step-sisters came to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. “Dear,” she said, “ do not worry about the needs of the fireplace. I do think your idea is wonderful, but my sister has been cleaning out the fireplace for so long that there is no way we could possibly let you make that change. Here, have some sweet chocolate. You’ll feel better I am sure.” With that, the older sister patted Votary on the head and walked away, leaving the chocolate bar on the stump. Votary picked up the chocolate and took a bite. Ouch! And with that, she cut her tongue on a sliver of ground glass inside the chocolate.

The next day, as Votary carried one of her buckets of water to the house, she dropped it! It fell to the ground, spilling the precious water everywhere. Votary carried the bucket to the house and asked her step-mother if she knew how to fix the bucket. “Yes, of course I do. Someone long ago wrote down the instructions and I have them here in the house, in the magic box in my bedroom.” replied the mother.

“Oh, what a happy day! May I read the instructions so that I may repair the bucket?” asked the broken-bucket girl. The step-mother replied, “Of course you can. You must first bring me another 25 buckets of water and you must clean out the sink twice a day. Once you have done that I will let you have access to that page of the magic book. If you’d like to read anything else, you’ll need to bring in more water.” And with that, the older woman poked Votary right in the eyes with her fingers. Votary, however, was able to find the instructions she needed at a neighbor’s house and she did not need to bring any extra water at all. When she told the step-mother of this, the step-mother changed the requirements to only 5 buckets of water and the cleaning of the bird cage. Votary rarely read from the magic box.

The next day, Votary’s step-sisters could be heard clapping and cheering. As Votary stepped outside, she saw that her young twelve-year-old sister was carrying a small bucket of water from the river to the house. The older sisters cheered at the youngest sister, shouting encouragement and suggestions. Each day this repeated, each day the little sister becoming better at carrying her bucket of water. However, one day, the little sister dropped the bucket and yelled out, “Damn!” The older step-sisters were shocked. The youngest sister looked at them and said, “I am sorry, I was distracted. I met a boy down by the river and we spent the afternoon together....” Votary was captured by the words her sister spoke, finding joy in her sister’s new discoveries of life.

“EEEK!” cried the step-sisters. “Stop! Do not talk like that! What happened to the cute little girl?” they asked in unison. And with that they cast a magic spell together which caused the littlest sister to fly up in the air and land in a locked tower far away. The sisters cast such a powerful “evasion spell” that the little sister would not be able to come out of the tower for eighteen more years. When the sisters cast the spell, sparks flew from their fingers. And with that, Votary was struck in the face with fire which left scars upon her visage.

Votary’s father, who was often away, caught up with her the next day. “My dear child! My wife and her daughters tell me of your sour nature. They say you have burns upon your face, bloodshot eyes, a vicious tongue, disheveled hair and dust upon your backside. I must insist that you have more decorum. Don’t you know that these relationships take time? Isn’t your new family full of nice people? Please be polite and clean up your act.” He quickly jumped on his horse. His horse then reared up and galloped away. And with that, he left Votary in a cloud of choking dust.

Votary took the words of her father to heart. She returned to the home and worked as she was told. She developed an idea to cook their dinners faster and easier. She was told that meals could only be made one way and any other method would not create real food. Her step-mother threw the cold meat at Votary, hitting her squarely and painfully in the back.

The very next day there was a grand party in the neighborhood. Her step-laws created fine foods for the party using the very methods Votary had suggested. “Look everyone! Look at our new meats and cheeses! Enjoy the fruits of our labor!” When Votary picked up the meat, the searing juices burned her fingers.

Her mother-in-law saw the pain on Votary’s face. “Oh, dear one. I am sorry that you are so hurt. Perhaps you just need to know how much we love you. Listen as I say it again: I- l-o-v-e -y-o-u. Today, and today only, you just need to bring 50 buckets of water to the house. I hope that eases your pain.”

At last, with her sister locked away, her body burned and battered, her contributions denied, her labor increasing, Votary could take it no more. She packed her bags and set out from the house.

“What is this?” screamed her new family members. With anger they continued, “You must have a secret, you must be out to cash-in on all you have learned with us. How can you leave? You ungrateful wretch. We gave you chocolate and everything.”

Votary walked down the road as one last tomato came hurling at her and splattered across the back of her head. She heard her step-mother yell, “We’re tired of you and your secret agendas!”

Votary walked on from her house tucked away in the middle of nowhere.

The step-family and even her father have provided the moral of the story: Votary is a witless, selfish oaf. She should stay where she is loved by the elders who hit her. Maybe if she just tried harder they wouldn’t have a reason to hurt her. She is a self-centered, angry, blood sucker whose motives are unclear. Maybe once she is 50 she’ll understand that she got hurt because they loved her so much.

...or maybe they are wrong.

The official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach.

New Video: Rapunzel

Courtesy of the good folks of the Talk Story Festival in Hawaii, I've got a WHOLE bunch of new videos to share with you. So, bandwidth be damned, here is the first of several I can offer you. DON'T repost this, but feel free to have others come here to see it. My take on Rapunzel is here for you now in a video that is compatible with Ipods, Itunes and QuickTime, which is probably on your computer at this very moment. Get the video by clicking on this link right now. WAIT for it, it's a huge file. Patience.

More about TalkStory in a future blog.

October 2007 PodCast from Storyteller.net Is Here!

It's time for those late October seasonal storycasts and you're in for a treat. You can listen now when you click here!

This Storyteller.net Amphitheater Podcast features storyteller Jeff Gere telling "Daddy One Shark" from his CD "Haunted Hawaii, Volume 1."

You'll hear from Storyteller.net director Sean Buvala as he retells the Grimm tale of the "Willful Child" recorded live at one of our "www.storytellingatborders.com" events. Sean also shares a coaching moment about asking your clients for their stories.

Kevin Cordi lends his theatrical flair to the multi-voiced version of "The BabySitter" from his CD "The Road to Urban Legends." All CD's are available in the store at Storytellingproducts.com .

Also featured in this podcast is a recording of "Into the Hall of the Mountain King" by the "string metal" band of "Judgement Day." Their website is at www.stringmetal.com. Permission sought. Permission given. Way cool.

You can find us at Itunes as well! Find our previous podcasts all listed here

Press Release: The Arizona Storytelling Guild Offers Free Workshop

Press Release
Use date: October 2-October 22, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Synopsis:
The West Valley Tellers of Tales Guild changes its name to the "Arizona Storytelling Guild" and offers a free workshop on the "how-to" of storytelling, October, 22, 2007 in Avondale, Arizona..

Avondale, AZ October 2, 2007- Reflecting a renewed energy and a new focus on the many uses of the storytelling art form in all areas of life and work, the longstanding "West Valley Tellers of Tales" has changed their name to the "Arizona Storytelling Guild" (AzSG). To begin their new season of guild events and training, the Arizona Storytelling Guild will offer a no-cost "Storytelling 101: An Introduction" workshop on Monday, October 22, 2007. The two-hour workshop is open to all adults and teens who are interested in storytelling for entertainment, education, health care, business narrative and cultural development purposes. The Storytelling 101 workshop begins at 7:00 P.M. and will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 11460 W. Hilton Way in Avondale. The hotel is just south of the I-10 freeway off of 115th/Avondale Boulevard. For more information, please see the website at http://www.arizonastorytelling.com or contact the office at 623.298.4548.

"Storytelling is a universal art form, transcending just children's entertainment to initiating and promoting change and learning in business and educational settings," says Sean Buvala, the director of events for the Arizona Storytelling Guild. In addition to being the lead presenter for the Storytelling 101 workshop, Sean is a veteran of more than 20 years of national storytelling. Returning from a national tour that included Hawaii, Illinois, Texas and Indiana, Sean will lead the participants in discovering the essential skills of storytelling as well as the myriad of applications for the storytelling arts. Buvala says, "Storytelling really is the mother of all art forms. We'll help folks explore that concept in a fast-paced and fun workshop."

"Changing the name of the guild to the 'Arizona Storytelling Guild' reflects our desire to invite more people to the diversity of storytelling. We're more than just a gathering of friends who love story. We're a coalition of artists and learners who use storytelling in all facets of our life and our careers. We hope that many more will join us, from hobbyists to professionals, to understand how to use storytelling in the places of their lives. We always have a range of skills present at any meeting, from beginners to professionals. There's always great energy around our discussions of storytelling," Buvala added.

The October 22, 2007 workshop is free of charge for all non-members. Membership in the non-profit AzSG is $25 per year and includes a variety a benefits. Potential members and guests are always free of charge at their first meeting before joining the guild. Non-members who who wish to attend various functions throughout the year are welcome to do so for a nominal fee of $10 per event. For more information about the AzSG, please see the website at http://www.arizonastorytelling.com or call the office at 623.298.4548.

Why the Outside In? A Story.

Storytelling is a positive, life-giving and exciting art form. In its purest sense, it can bring people together, build communities and help people find meaning from chaos. In addition, in the body of a focused storyteller and artist, storytelling is tremendously entertaining, matching and rivaling all other performing arts. In may ways, storytelling is the mother of all other performing arts.

Mishandled and misused, the art of storytelling has shadow sides of narcissism, intimidation and irrelevance.

We're ready to start talking about our "Outside In Storytelling"(tm) project. I've had a number of chances to present the "Outside In Storytelling (OIS)" concepts to others in classes and coaching sessions and the response has been very good.

For some time, I've been developing the process of OIS focusing on three circles or areas of excellence. The OIS processes (both training and coaching) allow for anyone of any skill level to enter storytelling as the audience-centered art form it is. Two of the three circles apply to anyone wanting to use storytelling for any aspect of their lives and vocations. By that I mean that OIS is for all people from those who are storytellers as an adjunct to their jobs in such fields as education or ministry, to corporate storytelling, to those seeking to make their primary livelihood as a working artist.

The third circle of "business excellence" is the essential (and most poorly understood) circle for anyone who wants to move into the full- or part-time world of the professional storyteller. With more than 10 years of Storyteller.net (and twice that much time personally) watching storytellers come and go, we know how much this particular circle is a source of tension and controversy for individual tellers and the storytelling community. It's for this reason we've launched the first of many OIS projects: "The Outside In Storytelling Boot Camp".

It would be easy to think this is all about money and not about art. That's not it at all. Let me tell you a story.

One of our tellers on our site is a talented artist who has practiced a variety of art forms for many years. We are going to call this teller "Chris" which is not their real name. Chris has mastered the concept of the "niche" and presents some things that other storytellers have never presented. Chris has the skills to both develop programs and to present those programs professionally. However, Chris is slowly dying in the "business circle" of storytelling. Chris is working multiple shows in their home city. When you calculate the time they spend in travel, prep and presentation, Chris is making less than minimum wage, putting huge mileage and wear and tear on Chris' vehicle and body. When I've spoken to Chris about this, the answer is, "Well, it sure beats flipping hamburgers and besides, I'm not about 'the money.'"

No, Chris, you are wrong. When you don't have enough to live on, when you finally succumb to the breakdown of your body and vehicle that you are headed for, who will take care of you? The answer is "no one." Chris has the skills to survive and thrive as an artist, being able to rely on their own work to support themselves, not having to rely on the income of a significant other to help them along. Chris doesn't have the business skills and somewhere along the way decided that being good at business means being less of a true artist. Chris has decided that being a starving artist is somehow a moral victory. It's not. It's a loss.

I'd like to see less artists suffering like "Chris" out there. I do want to see more artists having the money they need to excel in their chosen art forms.

Although there are three areas of the OIS experience, we've chosen to start with the business and marketing side as our first major endeavor. Our "Boot Camp" is the artist's-eye-view marketing training experience for working artists and those who want to be. If you'd like to know more, I invite you to come read and browse the new website at http://www.outsideinstorytelling.com .

Come to Arizona for February. It's warm. There's no snow. However, there will be a blizzard of learning and growth for you and your art form.

There were still early-bird prices when I wrote this.

Digital Storytelling vs the Oralists?

Interesting blog read.

Just adding to this: However, in my opinion, digital storytelling in the classroom is an easy sell. Speaking in broad generalities: Traditional, spoken-style storytelling is a much harder sell. Read books to kids? Teachers do that. Use PowerPoint and Video in their classrooms? Teachers do that. Use storytelling which are person to person narrative processes between students and the rest of the world? Not yet and there is very little understanding of why we "oralists" would want to be or even have a place in the classroom.

Digital storytelling is an easy sell. We've been doing it since filmstrips and slide projectors. I took classes on it back in the 80's. Two of our schools in our school district just got new "smart" classroom buildings. By reading the news, you would think that communication has just now been invented since kids can "participate" in their classes.

Yep, give me an artist-in-residence week with your kids, allowing me to teach and coach storytelling. Your writing scores will go up, your reading levels will go up and your kids will participate in ways you never thought possible. And you won't once have to plug anything in. And, what I teach them will be used across the curriculum. It's completely portable and can be duplicated by all students regardless of a student's economic situation.

Try that with digital storytelling. You can't.

I Had Forgotten How Good You Are.

"I had forgotten how good you are," they both said.

And it was my fault that they forgot.

Okay, let me see if I can put in writing what I learned this weekend.

Over the weekend, I had a chance to do multiple presentations for an organization. Back in the day, about 10 years ago, I used to work as a storyteller with this group every week, sometimes multiple times per week. For many reasons such as their staff (read that: decision makers) and location change for their group, I had lost touch with many of the members of that organization. I had gotten lazy with my mailing list and dropped people off the list under the assumption that they would not be interested.

Ah, did you see that word in there....assumption....assume "means that you make..." Oh, you know the rest of that one.

Now, this weekend, after many years of not working with this group, I now had a major event with them, primarily because one of my regular sponsors (who is now based at this location) called me and said, "why aren't you coming up to this place anymore?" That put things in motion, contracts were signed and there I was again.

Afterwards, two different people who had seen me work with them "way back when" came up to me separately and said, "I had forgotten how good you are." Although flattered by the evaluations, I asked how come they hadn't been in contact with me for their needs. The both replied that they had lost track of me and that "i stopped getting your mailings so I assumed you weren't doing this anymore."

EEEK!

Yes, I know. They might have used the Internet to find me. A reality check here calls us to remember that not everyone (yet) thinks about the Internet when searching for people they know. And 8-10 years ago folks were barely using Email to communicate let alone Googling storytellers.

Postal mailing still work. These two people judged my availability based on my mailings. How many bookings and good events had I missed because I stopped sending monthly mailings to these two people?

Let's do the math. Let's average a post card, mailed out, to 50 cents each. That's probably too high. Ten years of mailings, 12 months per year gets us 120 mailings. That's $60 each or $120 to both folks over the last 10 years.

How many bookings had I missed in ten years with these potential sponsors because I took them off my mailing list? $120 is a fraction of a single booking. I saved myself $1 per month not mailing to these folks who knew "how good you are" but probably lost several thousand dollars in bookings, coaching and performances. There are also lost relationships and lost chances to promote the Art of Storytelling.

Sigh.

Remember, they did not ask to be removed. I will always remove someone who asks. Rather, I assumed they wouldn't want to hear from me based on the actions of their leadership.

Am I making sense here? Some marketing gurus say that you need at least 50 contacts a year with customers to keep yourself at the top of their minds. I urge my clients to do at least monthly mailings.

And now, I'll urge them to never take a potential sponsor off a list unless asked.

"I had forgotten how good you are," they said.

It was my fault that they forgot.

New Workshop: Storytelling and Gaming

3 Brothers and 1 Golden Axe: Real Storytelling in Virtual Worlds

Welcome to our newest interactive workshop from Master Storyteller K. Sean Buvala

Increase the immersive feel of your gaming world and tap into essential human needs and desires with the power of real storytelling!

Learn what real (not the ethereal read a book to kiddies!) storytelling can teach you about virtual worlds.Learn more at: www.seantells.com/gaming.shtml

Learn: What is the basic structure of storytelling? It's got nothing to do with reading books.

Experience: What are the dark sides of fairy tales? Why are stories so cleaned up from the original versions? Sean will take you through the "unvarnished versions" of some popular tales.

Learn: What are "tale types" and what do they teach about human nature? Tap into these cross-cultural realities and bring new breath to your gaming world!

Explore: What is the "Geometry of Storytelling?" Why good storytelling allows every audience to have a unique experience every time.

Learn: What is the role of numbers in storytelling? 3 brothers, 7 Ravens, 12 tasks? Learn which numbers have significance and what they can tell you about the story and storyline.

Explore: How can the concept of "many voices/one story" help designers? Immerse yourself in quests and game experiences by playing a game of "shifting looks."

Ready to get started? Assemble your designer team and contact Sean for more information. Workshop can be presented in one (good!) or two (best!) workday format

About Your Presenter:
K. Sean Buvala, a 21 year veteran and master storyteller, is the director of storyteller.net, now celebrating their 10th anniversary online! Working throughout the U.S., he is storytelling, training and presenting to and for corporations, schools, churches and private coaching clients. Sean recently received a 2007 Oracle Award from the National Storytelling Network. He is an approved Roster Artist with the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Sean specializes in the folktales of Ireland and the Brothers Grimm, working with adults and teens. He has a variety of CD's released, ranging from stories for children to a specialty product for teenage guys to unvarnished world folktales.

Sean is an "avid casual" gamer with a long history back to the Compuserve days of "Islands of Kesmai." (Here is a picture of his original character: "A"). He currently plays in a variety of gaming world as his travel schedule allows. He's worked as an independent-contractor GM and customer service rep for an old-school gaming company, consulted and taught IT with the

Listen to the Luckiest PodCast Ever: 07/07/07

It’s time for the luckiest podcast of the year! The 07/07/07 podcast is here. Included are two "luck" stories recorded just for this podcast by Sean Buvala, a piece of a wonderful story by Dolores Hydock, and a coaching moment about voice control for stage and recording booth. Listen in (it’s an mp3) and let the luck spread! You can find the CD’s mentioned in the podcast at our podcast sponsor of storytellingproducts.com: "Calling Out a Rising Sun" by Sean Buvala and "Silence" by Dolores Hydock. Visit Storyteller.net for more Podcasts or you’ll find us as well at Itunes. You can learn more about Sean at seantells.com.

Lucky, lucky you! Click Here Now to Listen or Download.

Business Storytelling: Are You Ready for Five Minutes of Fame?

Here is my latest challenge for you.

Let's pretend that the Woman who runs the World's Largest Afternoon Talk (WLATS) show wants to talk about your business on Her show. You Know Who I mean. She is going to randomly pick an employee from your organization to speak.

Let's pretend that YOU have been chosen to represent your company on Her WLATS show. You will have only 5-10 minutes on the show to share your experience and to convince people that they should be calling your company for their needs. Like it or not, 10 minutes on that show can translate into bazillions of contacts. So, you have 5-10 minutes to grab the attention of the audience.

What would you say? If you said you'd talk about your financial security, how nice your buildings are and your 24 hour service, then you lose. All of your competitors say they have those, even if they don't.

You've got 5-10 minutes. What story, the one that touches the heart and imagination of the audience, will you tell? Stop now and choose one. If you have taken my training work, you have your Intentionality Journal to help you. My training courses give you tools that work.

Side note for some of you: This is *not* an exercise in the "elevator speech" process. "Elevator speeches" are dead. Relationships are alive. Stories build relationships.

1.Choose your story.

2.Choose your point.

3. Choose where the story will start.

4. Choose the other episodes that help you get your point across.

5. Choose the ending. Maybe you go back to the opening sentence to close?

6. Find someone and tell them your story. Open your mouth and tell the story. The only way to learn is to do it.

This exercise is for everyone in your company. It is for the Executive Team. It is for the new cashier who was just hired this week.

"Hah Ha, Very funny. WLATS is going to randomly pick an employee? Oh, that will never happen." you say. Do you want to bet? It is already happening every day. Potential customers, guests and potential employees randomly meet your staff every day. Are all of your current staff ready to tell a story or two?

Executive People: Will you model your 5-10 minute talk-show story for the rest of your company within the next seven days?

Of Thank You Notes, Colored Pencils and Corporate Storytelling

Chapter One of this Generic Story: The Thank You Note
The latest thank-you note I got was from a 7th grade boy. It was written with one of those pencils where the lead changes color every few strokes. It's like a box of crayons exploded all over the letters. Every kid thinks they are the first person to ever write a note with those kind of pencils. Adults couldn't have possibly ever had something so cool as this. In his cascading colors note, he told me that he and his friends thought my stories I told in his school were "exciting." I, of course, thought this note was a classroom assignment. You know, something like: write the Storyteller and say "thank you." Turns out, this was a spontaneous action on this kid's part. He wrote a note, put it in an envelope, got a stamp and sent it. Getting these notes, from adults and kids, is one of the things I really like about being a professional storyteller.

When's the last time your (teenagers or students) experienced anything that made them hand write a note...for which they were not getting graded? When was the last time the teens in your life had something that wasn't electric grab their attention so thoroughly? That is the power of live storytelling and that is what I do.

Chapter Two of this Generic Story: Corporate Secrets
I'd like to share with you a little reality. Your customers aren't paying attention to your advertising and sales slogging anymore.

They've heard it all before. Numbers no longer slake their thirsts. If you are using the "we're number one" bit, that doesn't impress them. Your "100's of locations" map doesn't matter.

You've burned out their patience and their "Broca's" region is turned off. Your old "hard skills" have worn down to fracturing thinness. Yawn.

I know, you want to hold on to your slick presentation folders, your staff full of degrees, your nice office building. Your professional self-image. Yikes.

So, what are they, your customers, paying attention to? They want you to "surprise Broca." Go ahead and Google that. They're paying attention to and they are thirsting for, the one thing or two that sets you apart. This thing that will scream past their boredom, grab hold of their right-brains and poke them squarely in their mind's eye.

They want your stories. YOUR stories. What makes YOU in YOUR organization exist? You know, if you were really honest about it, your company is not that much different
than your competitors. Go on, no one's looking. Be honest. Let go of your "corporate mythology" of how your Goliath-ness is David proof.

What is different? Your stories? Do you have the most compelling reasons, narratives, records of what keeps your current customers with you? What's the story?

Put my money where my mouth is? What's my story? There are lots of storytellers out there. Principals at schools get packages from storytellers all the time. What makes Sean different? Here's one of many things: I capture the attention of Junior High kids so deeply and so that they run to their textbooks and computers when I am done to learn more about the literature and world folktales that I've been teaching and storytelling. When I work with teens, they write me thank you letters afterwards. Yes, handwritten letters. It's amazing. 13 year olds (even guys) writing, even when they don't have to. That's what sets me apart: stories about how teens are motivated to read, research and write when I am done in the classroom.

Hold on to your slick handouts and your Powerpoints. Facts are okay and needed. What your customers are going to remember are your stories that frame and focus your number and your facts.

Relationships sell. Relationships are built on our stories. They who tell the best story get the sales. They who tell the best story get the most conversion and buy in. This is a hard skill. "Connecting" is no longer an optional skill in business.

And after all my blathering above, what you're going to remember is the story about the multi-colored-lead pencils. Why? Because you probably had some when you were a kid or you've bought them for your own kids. Connecting.

April 2007 Podcast is Here!

I’ve posted our latest podcast from Storyteller.net and Seantells.com. The link is below or you can find it on Itunes. You can also find it on my Myspace page.

We did something a little different with this podcast. I recently spent a day as guest artist in a 7th grade classroom. That’s with young people about 12 and 13 years old. I recorded large portions of the day. I’ve narrowed those recordings down to a 35 minute podcast. There are four stories in there and a coaching moment. Even the coaching moment comes from the day with the kids.

You’ll hear this again on the podcast, but I wanted to talk a bit about this here. As you know, those of you who have taken my storytelling training or coaching, that although you as a teller and your stories may remain consistent, when you change your audience you change your style. So for this group, I was speaking specifically to a small group (25 or so kids) in a small room. It was a close and intimate environment as oppsed to a big stage or an entire school assembly. The kids had also just finished a week of Arizona's mandatory testing, so they, and the teachers in the school, were pretty exhausted. We like to describe these mandatory tests as "no child left untested." We had a casual, informal day together.

The risk anyone takes when they put forth recordings of themselves is that the listeners will think, “Oh, that is the way they always tell.” That’s simply not true of any storyteller anywhere. Well, at least the ones who understand their craft.

As you listen to this piece, keep the above paragraph in mind. Like all tellers, I have a variety of styles to choose from (and have chosen from) when my audience is 2 or 2000, aged 12 or 72, big stage or small classroom.

And, before you write me (ha ha!) about the Hades and Demeter comment, please know that I know it’s Persephone that brings the Spring, not her mother.

Our podcasts are sponsored by StorytellingProducts.com. Please stop by and support our work by purchasing a CD or Book from there. Thanks.

I hope you enjoy this month’s podcast. Click here to get it now.

Darkness and Light

Dark and cold usually surrounded these moments, but darkness was always required. We’d be gathered with 20 or 200 city teens under the stars, usually standing together in a circle. Sometimes the circle was more clumpy than circular. The depths of how dark it could be, out in the clearing of the forests of Prescott, always astounded them. Their astonishment always astounded me. And, once they turned off their flashlights and were truly surrounded by a smothering blanket of deep night, they would gasp in astonishment. How easy it was to succumb to the darkness, that darkness which we thought we had mastered.

The kids would always start to chatter in the darkness as if their noise would hold back the monsters or at least the unkown. I’d ask them to be silent. When they were able to do so, I’d ask them to look up and that’s when the deepest gasp and awe would begin. For although they had been out here many nights during the week, they had never actually looked up. For if they had, the would have already seen the thick smear of stars across the night sky. Silence would settle over them and I’d begin to sing:

"You are child of the universe,
No less than the trees and the stars.
You are child of the Lord of Life,
Be still and know I am God, you are child."

Eventually they’d join me in song. A Cappella singing by teens in the forest: Mind Opening.

I was and am moved by the power that even these little bits of light, concentrated in such a small area, can have on people. I found it ironic that although we walk amongst the stars for many nights and months, we seldom look up. How many times have we walked (under near over around) points of light and missed it? Is that storytelling in itself?

The Long and Winding Thank You Note.

Last week, I had the chance to be a guest speaker at a Master Class for children's literature course. The class was composed of elementary school teachers working on their Master's degree. We had a great time learning about storytelling and its classroom role. I tend towards a very active presentation regardless of the the audience. We told stories, we laughed, they risked, we all learned. What was most interesting was the hand written thank-you note the group of students. It was printed on a standard 8.5" x 11"sized piece of yellow construction paper and appears that they passed the paper around to build the story. Each section after the leading ellipses was in a new handwriting. This has to be one of my favorite thank-you notes ever. Sharing it with you now:

"...Once upon a time, there was a boy named Sean who liked to tell stories.

...His story started as soon as he walked in the classroom. The faces looking at him and waiting in anticipation made his heart thump and his creative juices flowing.

...The class was mesmerized by his first story, enjoying every word immensely.

..And then he asked his audience to PERFORM. This wasn't meant to be tit for tat, as they say. But this boy named Sean was a risk-taker, a challenger, a rumple-stumple hell raisin' kind of guy and he shook up the crowd for sure!

...The there was an absent gal who's hearing all the grand details...that now is feeling an aweful void in her heart wishing she was there.

...She sure missed the loud voice that come from his lungs and heart. Can't wait to hear such a story in voice on November 21st at Barnes and Noble.

...I hope Sean knows and realizes he has made a great impact on us. "

Such fun. Thanks for the note!!

(Blog keywords: storytelling, storyteller, children's, story, storyteller.net, buvala)