I have a theory that if you counted the number of times in a day people talk about what they hate and what they love, you’d find the ratio is at least 10-to-1 hate-to-love. That’s probably the ratio for me too. There’s definitely a release of some kind when I do it. 

But as much as I tell myself it’s a healthy release of frustration, there seems to be a line where it goes from cathartic to unhealthy. This month, we’re going to tell stories of discovering what we love. Let’s start the year off talking about the good things in our lives.

Years ago I told a story about how I discovered I could make people laugh and how it led to a life in comedy. I could also come up with a story about discovering how much I love walking and how it used to bring up painful memories. If I really worked at it, I might even be able to figure out why I love chopping wood and how I figured that out.

Whatever it is that you love, come tell a story about how you discovered it. What happened and what did you learn from it? Did it change your life? Did it change how you think of yourself? Remember that it has to be a story with a beginning, middle, and end. It should also be about a single thing you love, and not a list of things.

Remember to practice your story out loud on as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. Please don’t get onstage if you haven’t practiced your story. The audience is giving you their time and attention. It’s not fair to them if you get up there and try to wing it.

All stories have to be under 8 minutes. Stories can be as short as you want but not over 8 minutes. Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. Send me an email if you have any questions about that.

The rest of the rules and guidelines are below:

Storytelling Rules and Guidelines

Workshops are a great way to get feedback on a story you’re working on. Here is one I highly recommend. It’s run by two people who have told many times at FGS and other shows in the area:  

https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop/

I’m also happy to help anyone with a story they’re working on. Send me an email and we can set up a phone call.

See you on Thursday, January 18 at 7 pm, at the Chabad of Queen Anne – Magnolia. 1825 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 (Remember, no non-kosher food in the building)

Paul
Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Thanks to everyone who came out last Thursday and supported our tellers. It was a great show. We had three new first-timers and one of them drove four counties to tell her story. That might be a new state record 🙂

As always, we learned a lot that night. We learned that when you jump off a cliff your life really does flash before your eyes and if you haven’t lived very long then you’ll run out of memories before you hit the water.

We learned what happens when you get malaria and the doctor keeps treating you for Dengue Fever. We know what happens when a sensitive young girl grows up watching horror movies. And we know that some of us will do the right thing when we find our ex-husband’s ashes in a closet.

I found out my son is a Swiftie and saw the best of humanity one day in Lumen Field. We know that eight-year-old girls can insult someone so hard that they remember it 40 years later. And we know that a water bottle can freeze on your hip if it’s cold enough outside the day you go hiking.

We found out what it feels like to see your ex-wife show up on a dating app, and we found out that the Beatles’ music can still move an audience 50 years after they broke up. Most importantly, we found out what happens when the government tries to cover up a lie at the cost of human lives. 

It was an amazing night with a stage full of wonderful tellers.

I decided to cancel our December show because the third Thursday falls on the 21st and is too close to Christmas. So our next show will be January 18. The theme is, “Stories of finding what you love.” I’ll get the invite out in a few days so look for it in your email.

I got a good recording of Thursday’s show so if you told a story that night let me know if you want a copy of it.

If you’ve come to our show, you know that I give away a copy of this book to a randomly chosen first-time teller: https://www.amazon.com/Storyworthy-Engage-Persuade-through-Storytelling/dp/1608685489

It’s the best book I’ve read on the type of storytelling we do at FGS. If you don’t want to buy the book, the author gives away a free PDF of his top storytelling tips: https://www.storyworthymd.com/my-best-storytelling-tips-for-storytellers

Don’t forget to support our friends in Burien at 7Stories!

https://www.meetup.com/7-stories/

Have a great Thanksgiving. See you on January 18!

Paul

Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re looking forward to our next show on Nov 16th. The theme is “Just Say No – Stories where you should have said no but didn’t.” 

If you want to tell a story, remember to practice out loud as often as possible and be sure to make the story about one incident and not a list of things you should have said no to. We just had a great online workshop last Sunday and I’m hoping some of those folks will bring a story to tell on the 16th.

I also want to let you know on November 18th I’m emceeing the annual NAMI fundraiser, “The Brainpower Chronicles.” There will be six people sharing their personal mental health stories. I’ve been involved with the BPC since it began in 2017 and I’ve heard some of the most powerful stories I’ve ever heard anywhere on those stages. I hope you can join me there at the Kirkland Performing Arts Center. https://www.namiwa.org/brainpower-chronicles

I’m proud that we’ve had a number of FGS folks share their story at the BPC. One of my goals with FGS is to help people learn how to tell stories so they can go out into the world and make a difference with them. Though not every story is appropriate for our show, the skills you learn at FGS will help you tell any kind of story.

Last year, the WA State Health Care Authority asked me and my friend Zac (another FGS teller) to find people in recovery from addiction or mental illness and help them share their stories. They called the project “Portraits of Hope.” Zac and I went all over the state talking to some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Some I already knew, and the rest I came to know by sitting with them for hours listening to their stories. 

Here’s the interview I did with one of our regular FGS tellers, Mary Anne Moorman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-YVk1UYj0&list=PLFN25X6qxG3-VlxRohLzAqYIxHbkfbSbJ&index=9&t=5s

This is how storytelling can change lives. Mary Anne had told hundreds of stories before she was ready to share the one she’d been keeping to herself since she was a child. The first time she told it was at the Brainpower Chronicles in 2018. The second time she told it was to me during this interview. The skills she learned telling other stories helped her tell this one, the hardest one.

The more we share our stories, the easier they are to bear. 

I hope to see a bunch of you at the show next week. Our next workshop isn’t until December so call or write me if you’d like help with your story. 

Our free monthly FGS workshop

https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories-storytelling-workshop/

7Stories is a wonderful open-mic storytelling show in Burien. Join their meetup group if you’d like to get their monthly invites.

https://www.meetup.com/7-stories/

Take care everyone,

Paul
freshgroundstories at Gmail dot com