Written by We often think that great storytelling is reserved for best-selling authors and movie directors, for those who have lived through a war or a catastrophe or finding their true love after all odds kept them apart. But anyone can be a storyteller—even you.
Stories that entertain the mind are effective, but it’s hitting a bull’s-eye on the heart that really sets a storyteller above the rest. The best stories engage our imaginations, send a message to our hearts, and end with hope. Because we all need hope for tomorrow, even if our tomorrow never comes.
Unfortunately, people die; but our stories don’t have to. They can live on forever, if we choose to share them.
That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.
–Walt Disney
Think about the last time you sat around a table or a bonfire exchanging stories. What happened?
We’ve all been there—listening intently, learning about the lives of our friends through story. So in tune with the storyteller that we are captivated by what could happen next. The best is a bunch of kids around a campfire getting to tell their version of a funny… or not so funny, story. The dark stage around a crackling fire is the perfect place for a young storyteller to take flight.
I say young, but I don’t mean to suggest age. No matter how young or old, find a place where you can begin to share your stories. Maybe it’s sitting on a porch step like Grandpa Holbrook in Little House, or at the park while your little ones play, or with your friends walking down the street. Don’t miss out on the chance to become a storyteller.
Will you botch a punchline? Yep. Will you completely forget the moral of the story the first time you tell it? Probably. Sometimes your stories will be a hit and sometimes they won’t. Don’t stop; your stories are worth listening to even if they aren’t perfect.
My storytelling advice for you…
Instead of perfection aim for laughter, love, and hope. And be quick to laugh at yourself because storytelling is full of blunders.
You’ll never go wrong. You’ll never regret it. When you share your stories they live on forever.
Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation.
Joel 1:3 NLT
Now go become a storyteller!
Much Love,
Wendi
*This post was written based on chapter one of A Prairie Devotional. Join me every Tuesday at 9am on Facebook to hear the next chapter and a few stories to go along with it.
OK, here goes (you asked for it wink). I was all on my own and so very scared but I decided to camp out in a tent for the weekend at a local state campground.
I arrived, drove all around to find the perfect site, and struggled to set up my tent, etc. After a rather uneventful evening, I finally settled down for night.
I was reading some by lantern, alternating with just listening to nature and all her sounds, when suddenly a loud, terrifying sound pierced the darkness. It was like a loud, sharp almost scratching sound. WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS IT??!! I had no clue but all I could think to do is slap the bottom of my tent as hard as I could, which slapped loudly against the tarp underneath, and yell, “Get outta here, go away!!!”
Then I stopped to listen, it was quiet. Maybe this horrible creature wasn’t going to consume me after all, maybe.
So, after I stopped shaking enough to hold my book again, I resumed reading. After about 20 minutes, the sound came again, louder this time, and my response was exactly the same. However, the result was not!! The noise kept coming and coming!! What WAS it??!!
I sprung up in bed and although to this day, I still don’t know why, I whirled around and peered out the other end of my tiny tent, where I’d previously unzipped it a few inches for ventilation, and what did I find?? A raccoon’s face peering right into mine!! Whew.
He’d been climbing down a tree at the butt end of my tent and although I apparently scared him from coming down the first time, he refused to be scared the second time and shortly went on his way. As for me, I lived to tell the tale, and learned a lesson in how much noise raccoons make.
This is awesome!! I love your story and I even have one similar that really freaked me out camping. But it was a bear breaking into a car in the campsite next to us. So scary!!