Thanks to everyone who came out to our first post-pandemic in-person show! We had a great turn out and heard some fantastic stories. 

I’m not able to do my usual wrap-up this month because my asthma has kept me in a pollen-induced coma for the last few days. Today is the first day I can breathe right and that means you can see me tell a story tonight at the Fremont Abbey at the Locally Fameless show!

They have a great show lined up for you and, as always, they invite three people from the audience to tell stories too. I hope you can come out and see me wheeze through my story. Special bonus if I have to bring out my inhaler at the 4-minute mark 🙂

Emily Pitts, who was the final teller at the FGS last last week, will be hosting. 

Click here to get tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/locally-fameless-storytelling-show-fremont-abbey-tickets-310822647907?aff=erelexpmlt

I’ll get each teller’s audio from last week’s FGS show to them in a few days when I have energy to do the editing. Next month’s theme is “Cravings – Stories of Desire.” It’s on May 19. I’ll get the official invite out as soon as I can.

Take care,

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re looking forward to our show this Thursday! It’s going to be the first in-person show we’ve had in approximately 200 years 🙂

The good folks at the Starbucks on Olive Way are happy to have us back and I’m doing what I can to make sure I remember how to run the PA system.

Think about bringing a chair if you can since Starbucks is still getting their regular chair/table inventory out of storage. Of course, they still have a bunch of chairs there but I’m bringing a couple myself just in case they run a little short. The show starts at 7 pm but get there early to either find a seat or get a good place to put your chair.

Our theme this month is Bumbles, Stumbles, and Fumbles – Stories of making mistakes. 

https://freshgroundstories.com/2022/03/26/fgs-bumbles-stumbles-and-fumbles-stories-of-making-mistakes/

Matthew Dicks, a multiple-time Moth Slam winner, has a great free newsletter he puts out with storytelling advice. Here’s is last week’s advice on how to grab the audience’s attention:

Say the suspenseful thing first. 

In a story I’m working on for next week, I plan to begin with a line like, “The scissors hidden in my lap are sharp. Sharper than I expected. Now I wait for the teacher to turn his back so I can use them.”

The most suspenseful object in the scene – and perhaps the story – is the pair of scissors, so I lead with them to create wonder, suspense, and even worry.

Why are you hiding scissors in your lap?
What do you plan on doing once the teacher turns his back?
Why are they so sharp?

The scissors play a very minor role in the story, but I lead with them to grab the audience’s attention. I force my audience to wonder what will happen next. String enough “I wonder what will happen next” moments together and you’ve got yourself a story.

Here’s a link to the entire newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/12662fa87d0c/a-lesson-on-starting-with-the-suspenseful-stuff-also-what-a-cheetah-and-my-mother-have-in-common?e=a4dd06ea14

Let me know if you have any questions about the show coming up or FGS in general. Email me directly at freshgroundstories@gmail.com. If you reply to this email Meetup will lose it so you’ll have to start a new email and send it to me at that address.

See you Thursday!

Paul