How I write
How I tell stories
There is a difference between writing stories and telling stories. That might seem obvious, and it mostly is. But you might be surprised how hard it is for a storyteller to write stories. On the other side, I know many writers who find it almost impossible to tell a story.
There is also a difference between telling a story and reading a story. Most writers I know, there are always exceptions, cannot “tell” a story to save their life. Many aren’t even that good at reading stories. Most writers of stories typically find themselves asked to read their stories aloud. It takes a little something extra to transform the writing into interesting reading. It’s harder than you think. Most “readers” fall into one of two categories. The dull, dreary reader, kind of like that guy from the “Ferris Bueller” movie when calling the role call, and the ham, who has to overdue every change of character and over emphasize the dialog.
A good reader can take the pages in front of them and bring the “life” the story from the pages. One can close their eyes and listen to a good reader and “see” the story as it’s told.
A story teller can be a good writer, I know a few who are. I am not one of them. For me, taking the story in my mind and putting it to paper ( or monitor ) is almost like pulling teeth.
To be specific, some things I can put to paper and oddly, those things I can’t “tell” first. Like poems and rhymes. Those I must put to paper first. They don’t come to me the same way the stories do.
In order to help me tell my stories and such, I visualize a character to tell it or even write it. Many of my stories just kind of hit me. out of the blue and I have to tell it or it will seriously give me a headache till I get it out. Depending on what kind of story it is, determines which character tells it.
I write stories to tell. There is a difference to me. in the structure and cadence of the writing. Stories that are made to be told are made to be embellished. There must be room for creative flexibility. You will see some stories here that I write to be read, those are only an experiment. An opportunity for me to practice the skill of writing for readers. By the end, far many more of these stories will be written to be told, not read.
Often, I base my characters on people I know. they have a way of speaking and acting that is great for storytelling. A certain accent to their voice, their personality, some are subtle and laid back, others are gregarious and loud. They all have a unique quality to lend to the story.
Big Daddy Bear is the main storyteller for the tall tales and fun stuff. He is mostly me, but me having a lot of fun. Telling the story, acting out the story characters as their part is told.
Xubby Xicano is kind of based on Cheech Marin, he has the stereotypical “mexican” accent and speaks “Spanglish” mostly. ( spanglish is what we call the mix of English and Spanish that many people who have lived their lives speaking both often end up speaking, throwing together words from each language in a single sentence.) He is a good guy, I call him a travieso, which is ornery or mischievous. I have a lot of XX’s in my family.
hijodedios is the old storyteller. He is based on a couple of old guys, one Mexican and one Lakota. both of these guys have wonderful, slow expressive qualities to their voice and manner. and hdd is them rolled up into one. He is the one that mostly tells stories of a spiritual or “hopeful” nature.
Yes, when I tell stories, I definitely get into character. A good story is always a good story, but a good story, told by the right character can become sometimes more than just a story told, it’s an event unto itself.
T