Storytelling is awesome.

In case you didn't know, I really, really, really like telling stories. 

And sometimes, people seem to really like listening to them.  

There were spectacular crowds for the stories at Heartfelt and Sebastian Joe's today, and I told four different stories.  Two were traditional folk tales (Grandfather Frost, which I changed slightly because I couldn't remember it, and Cap o'Rushes) and two I made up ON THE SPOT.  David Sewell McCann of Sparkle Stories talks about doing that here.   I have a deep belief in just letting stories tell themselves, although it's kind of like letting a little kid lead the family hike in the woods.  I ask the questions I need answered in order to keep the story from totally falling off the rails -- who is this about?  Where are we going?  How do we get there?  What do we need?

I love telling stories in performance, but it's not my only goal here.  I want to empower you to tell stories, and to make stories.  Today, I told one story about a boy who saw a moose with one antler.  I had asked the audience to name a favorite treat and an animal.  The treat was ice cream, which was peripheral to the story that came to me.  I just followed the story where it led, asking my questions, until it was done. 

You can do it.  Try it tonight, or tomorrow.  Find a jumping-off point, and just go with it.  You never know where the story will take you...