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Discover How to Tell a Great Story Every Time! . 
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Dec
17
Create Your Family Heirloom story step by step
December 17, 2007 |
An heirloom is something that is cherished, protected and enjoyed for generations. Mostly we think of heirlooms as physical objects. Grandma’s rosary, Great Grandpa’s wooden train, or mom’s first teddy bear. Some of these heirlooms are worth a great deal financially, some are not. Butwhat is it, beyond financial considerations, that makes something an heirloom?
It is the emotional connection that goes along with the object that makes it a family treasure. Did you ever think of the stories of your family as heirlooms? They certainly can be.
Think about it. In this age of being constantly “plugged in” to technology, we often forget how different things were in the past. My grandmother on my father’s side of the family didn’t talk much about her youth, and I always wished she had. I wanted to know what it was like growing up in an era without telephones or airplanes…a world where the electric light was just coming into use. My mother’s mother, whom I called Mama Lou, grew up in the country adn was more willing, to some degree, to talk about her child hood, but there is still much I would love to have known. I wanted to know what is was like growing up on a farm.
Stories are living heirlooms that connect us with the past and lead us into the future. Stories are the vehicles for passing along the traditions, values, and memories of one generation to the next.
What if you could create a legacy for your loved ones that they would treasure for generations to come? You can! You don’t have to be an experienced author or storyteller to take a memory and share it in a meaningful way.
I invite you to listen to my show on Today’s Guest, “Creating Your Own Special Holiday Story.” The audio will allow you to listen to the process that I am about to unveil for you.
My mark on the world of storytelling is to create Storytelling Templates(TM) that make it easy for you to tell a great story without a lot of work. Because we are in the midst of the holiday season, the radio show focuses on creating a story for the holidays, but the template works for any type of memory that you would like to pass along in story form.
I want you to CARESS your memory. Take out a piece of paper and write
C
A
R
E
S
S
Including these elements gives you an engaging story:
C is for CHARACTER in CONFLICT: By character I mean YOU and whomever was with you. Conflict in a story does not mean you have to tell a tale of an argument or that you will come to blows. Without conflict, there is no story. Shortly I will give you an example.
A is for ACTION: Character in action = plot. Something has to happen. When the newspapers say “everything’s fine today” they won’t sell any copies and it will be a slow news day. So what did you do?
R is for REACTION: Where there is action, there is reaction. It is a physical law of the universe. Action and reaction are often called iscene and sequel in storytelling, especially for movies or books.
E is for EMOTION: What emotions did you feel? It is emotion that binds all of humanity through the power of stories.
S is for SENSES: What did you see, hear, touch, taste and smell? You do not need to include all the senses. There might not have been any tastes or smells, or you might have been unable to see or hear for one reason or another. The point is not to make up something that didn’t happen, but to bring as many senses as you can into your story. Why? Because this involves the listener or reader AND it portrays a much more complete sense of your surroundings.
S is for SYNERGY: All the elements come together in a story in a synergistic way. The term “synergy” was created by R. Buckminster Fuller to describe the phenomonon that as all the parts work together, they create an energy that is greater than each aspect could produce on its own. Once you have the other pieces of your tale in play you will discover the power of synergy.
Now I will assemble the elements of a couple of stories so you can get the idea. These are only sketchy notes that will come alive when you hear the tale.
Dad’s Train
Character: Ron as a boy of about 8 hears a noise on Christmas Eve
Action: He gets out of bed. He sees his brother Tony playing with a train set
Reaction: Tony doesn’t know he’s there.
Emotion: He wants to run down the hall and play with the train, but he knows he should go back to bed and wait until morning.
Senses: sound of train, sight of brother in the dim light, physical manifestatiosn of excitement
Synergy - I’ll share the story I created about my father’s train experience Friday, December 21 on Today’s Guest on Blog Talk Radio, and you can join me too.
You won’t get the synergy until you experience the story, but this should give you an idea. There will not be any dialogue because this was just my dad as a boy excited that he was getting his very own train set. The next example does have dialogue. It is one from my childhood.
How Will Santa Find Me?
Character: Ronda as a tot is taken to see Santa
Conflict: She is afraid of his beard at first
Action: But finally with encouragement she sits on Sants’s knee
Reaction: and tells him what she wants for Christmas
Emotion: But she is afraid he will not find their house because they don’t have a chimney
Senses: sight of Santa’s beard, sound of his voice, the dialogue between Ronda and the others
Synergy: Friday you’ll hear me tell the story based on this memory.
Some of the Fab 5 will also share their Heirloom Stories. But don’t leave it to us. You can create your own tale and join in the fun.
Are you brave? Create your own story and share it on the show. There is no wrong answer and I will definitely encourage you to share your story. I will even give a gift to anyone who is brave enough - bold enough - and joyous enough - to share your Heirloom Story.
Tags: storytelling, mentoring, entrepreneurial authoring, writing help, story, success
Ronda Del Boccio, The Story Lady of Storyation.com is an author, dynamic speaker, author coach, story coach.
She is the author of I'll Push, You Steer: The Definitive Guide to Stumbling Through Life with Blinders On
The Kama Sutra of Storytelling: Positioning, Power and Profit
and her upcoming book...
The Geometry of Success: 5 Simple Shapes that Shape Your Life
Top Affiliate Challenge - Tune in starting July 1st and show a little love for Ronda Del Boccio!
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Ronda,
Your template is great and I especially like the examples you gave. I know story telling is important to all ages. As a baby boomer it is important for us to tell our stories so we can share our wisdom and at the same time mentor others. I can also see your template being used with children so they will learn that their story is important to the world too.
I am looking forward to hearing you on Today’s Guest.
Best wishes,
Jo Caywood