I don’t know how old I was when I realized I was the only one who was going to save me. It might have been 17 or 35 or 46, somewhere around there. It probably involved death or heartbreak because those are the only two things I can’t talk my way out of. I do know that when Life-As-I-Know-It-Is-Over I tend to lay on the ropes for a while like an old boxer waiting for the other guy to get tired and punch himself out. Only when it becomes clear that he’s never going to get tired do I stand up straight and start punching back.
Whenever the bottom falls out of my life, my initial reaction is always, “This can’t possibly be happening. Somebody’s going to come over and tell me this is a joke.” Of course, no one ever does because it’s always real and it’s never a joke. Lovers leave. People die. Bad things happen and the kids still need to be fed.
Come tell a story about a time when you had to save yourself. It could be about a time when you were in a plane crash or an emotional crash. Were you trapped on a mountain or trapped in a bad relationship? Maybe you had to talk your way out of a mugging. Or maybe you really were lost at sea and had to swim to shore. Whatever it is, we’d love to hear the story.
If you want to tell a story, remember to practice out loud on as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. All stories have to be under 8 minutes. Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. The rest of the rules and guidelines are below:
Workshops are a great way to get feedback on a story you’re working on. Here are two I highly recommend:
Both are run by experienced tellers who have performed many times at FGS. I’m also happy to help with stories. Send me an email at freshgroundstories@gmail.com and we set up a call.
If you want to tell a story at the show, email me as soon as possible so I can get you on the list.
I send out a Zoom registration link to everyone in the Meetup group the Monday before each show. You must register for the show in order to attend.
After you register, Meetup will send you a link to the actual show. Each link is unique to the person who registered so you won’t be able to share it with anyone.
Feel free to RSVP on Meetup if you want their automatic reminders, but I’ll be sending the registration link to everyone in the group regardless of your RSVP.
We only have 100 spots in each show so the first 98 people to register for the show will be the only ones who can attend.
Hope to see a bunch of you on June 17th!
Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com
Fresh Ground Stories 