You have been telling stories all your life. You began in childhood. Children learn language and how to make sense of the world by telling stories. They are forever weaving stories into their play. You are still telling stories as you relate the ups and downs of your daily life over the dinner table, exchange the latest gossip around the water cooler at work, or share the latest news about what’s going on in a phone conversation with a distant friend.
Writers spend years trying to develop their “voice” and learning how to communicate with their audience. You do both naturally every time you talk to someone.
There are some things you probably do without thinking when you tell a story. First, you are focused upon your listener and the way that person is reacting. You will naturally try to craft your story in a way that will take it as close to your audience as you can. Most often that means that you will aim your story at your listeners to make sure they are interested and they "get it".
Most story tellers keep it brief and simple; they want to get to the heart of the story without confusung digressions. Still, you will recall details that will stimulate your listeners’ senses. You allow them to see vivid pictures while smelling the smells, feeling the things they might touch and hearing the sounds associated with the picture you are creating. Most of all your words will convey your character’s feelings and help your listener empathize with the character, whether the story is about you or someone else.
If you are like most storytellers, you probably give your story a frame. You begin by telling the listeners why you have chosen to tell this particular story. Then you tell the story. Finally, you will indicate to your audience the significance of the story. This is a pattern that story tellers have been using since the beginning of time.
As Duke University English Professor, poet and novelist Reynolds Price put it, “A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species homo sapiens – second apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter.”
