How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling
Author(s): The Moth (Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers)
Publisher: Crown
Year of Publication: 2022
Print Length: 336 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction / Arts & Humanities
Topic: Language & Literature, Communication, Creativity, Visual, Storytelling
The definitive guide to telling an unforgettable story in any setting, drawing on twenty-five years of experience from the storytelling experts at The Moth.
“From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.” —CNN
Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life—including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners—to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth’s Peabody Award–winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year.
Now, with How to Tell a Story, The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Padma Lakshmi, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Hasan Minhaj, Tig Notaro, Boots Riley, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more.
You will be showed how to:
• mine your memories for your best stories
• explore structures that will boost the impact of your story
• deliver your stories with confidence
• tailor your stories for any occasion
Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Padma Lakshmi
Introduction by Chenjerai Kumanyika
Part One: Everyone Has a Story
1. Welcome to the Moth
Why “The Moth?” / Why True Stories? / What Happens When We Listen
2. No Notes, No Net
Your Very Own Moth Director / The Rules We Play By / Everyone Has a Story—Yes, Even You
Part Two: Developing Your Story
3. Mining for Memories
You Are the Main Character / The Kickoff / Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes / Decisions, Decisions / Look for the OUCH
4. The Foundation
Stakes / The What and the Why / Internal Stakes vs. External Stakes / Anecdote vs. Story / A Big Little Story / Finding Your Arc / Your One Sentence
5. The Materials
Narrative Stepping Stones / Finding the Scenes / Details / Backstory / Up and Over
6. Magnifying the Emotion
Humor / Are You Ready to Tell Your Story? / Telling Stories About People Who Have Died
7. Structuring Your Story
Chronological / The Flashback / The Callback as Framing / When a Smaller Story Carries the Weight of a Larger Story / Choosing a Unique Lens
8. Beginnings and Endings
And… ACTION! / Coming in for a Landing
Part Three: Telling Your Story
9. From Page to Stage
Memorization vs. Familiarization / Say It Out Loud / Notes on Delivery
10. All the World’s a Stage
Nerves / Who Is Your Audience?
Part Four: The Power of Story
11. The Ripple Effect
Stories in School / Stories at Work / Stories with Family / Stories in the World
12. Listening
Stories as Antidote / Stories Evoke Reflection
Afterword by Sarah Haberman
Acknowledgments
Notes
The Moth Pitchline
Story Prompts
Notes on Programs
Index
About the Authors
The Moth is an organization promoting the art and craft of storytelling and to honor and celebrate the diversity and commonality of human experience. Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of stories told live and without notes. Moth shows are renowned for the great range of human experience they showcase. Each show starts with a theme, and the storytellers explore it, often in unexpected ways. Since each story is true and every voice authentic, the shows dance between documentary and theater, creating a unique, intimate, and often enlightening experience for the audience.
Source: https://themoth.org/about
More from The Moth in this library, click here.
WRITERS OF THIS BOOK (right-to-left): Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers
