Mango author, Corey Rosen, is (author of Story Power) Kate Farrell’s guest blogger- accounting the story of his new book, Your Story, Well Told.
I’m sitting on a folding chair against the wall, in a nightclub packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. The club has transformed for the night into a theater for spoken word stories; the first time popular radio show “The Moth” has held one of their “Story Slams” in the Bay Area. It’s March 11, 2013.I’d never been a part of this kind of a “scene” before, but the room was buzzing with excitement.
Folks from Porchlight, Bawdy Storytelling, and Mortified, all of who seemed to know each other from before, chatted genially as I sat, nervously fingering the notebook paper in my hand, reviewing the story I’d crafted less than 24 hours ago.
Hearing that this show was coming here, I found a story inside myself that I’d never told in public. A story that called on my improvisational theater training, using character voices, humor, and pathos to remember the recent passing of my cousin Norman. The theme of the night was “secrets,” and my inspiration came from the time when I cleaned out my cousin’s apartment, and I discovered his secret.
When my name was called, pulled at random from “the hat,” I found my place, and my voice on that stage. And when I concluded, and retook my seat, the strangers around me were no longer strangers.
They looked at me like they knew me. They shared stories of their own back to me and each other. I felt the impact that telling, and listening to each other’s stories has: connecting us through our shared humanity, while celebrating our unique lives.
In the years since, I’ve become the host of that show, The Moth StorySlam (in San Francisco and Berkeley), and taught storytelling to hundreds of people. Your Story, Well Told, is the culmination of these experiences, and serves as a primer for anyone looking to face their own fears, find their own voice, and tell their own stories—whether on a stage, in a memoir, to a client, or to a child.
We all have so many stories inside of us that are worth telling.
I hope my book can help people find a story, and use some new tools and techniques drawn from my experiences in improv theater, to develop, structure, and perform it in their own way.
YOUR STORY, WELL TOLD
A story is only great if you know how to tell it. And Your Story, Well Told, by Corey Rosen, tells you how to tell it!
Laugh out loud as you learn the secrets to making your ordinary stories extraordinary! This must-read handbook covers every situation from perfecting a prepared piece to “winging it” and going completely off-script. Moth veteran and master teacher Corey Rosen inspires you to get your butt on stage and tell your story.
Using his secret storytelling techniques drawn from decades in improvisational theatre, Rosen has created a totally accessible guide for all ages and skill levels.
Jam-packed with simple techniques, examples and exercises, this manual gives creatives (and un-creatives) the confidence bump they can use to make that sale, land that client, give that toast, and impress that date. Who knows, maybe even all at the same time!
From brainstorming and development to performance and memorization techniques, you’ll learn how to tell a good story with:
· Foolproof structures and editing approaches that bring out your best tales
· Easy improv exercises to stimulate creativity without feeling foolish
· Fun lessons to find the best part of your stories
· Resources for putting on your own showcase to tell your story
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Learn more about Corey Rosen:
www.facebook.com/storyrosen
www.instagram.com/storyrosen
www.coreyrosen.com
Links to buy the book:
BIPOC-owned Bookstores:
Loyalty Bookstores
Pyramid Books
Other:
Amazon
Bookshop
Barnes and Noble
Your Story, Well Told
Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience
The following is (not) a work of fiction. We’ve all got stories to tell─but how do you make your story the best story? In The Best Story Ever Told, Moth veteran and master teacher, Corey Rosen, inspires you to get on stage and tell your story. Using the best storytelling techniques from improvisational theatre, Rosen designs an accessible guide for all ages and skill levels. Crafted to help ordinary people tell extraordinary stories, this laugh out loud handbook covers everything from how to tell a good story to going off script.
Spontaneous stories to tell. The best storytelling uses improvisation to enthrall, entertain, and keep audiences on edge. Laugh along with tales of performance triumphs (and disasters) and explore ways to tell your story with confidence and spontaneity.