| KIDS IN ACTION
By Kathleen M. Muldoon
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It’s autumn, and I’m counting the days until the beginning of one of my favorite events, Storyfest. Storytellers from all over the county and even some from other states come here to south Texas for a day of storytelling. Now, I don’t go as a storyteller but rather a story listener. Listening to these talented folks telling stories gives me ideas for stories I can write for them to tell.
I hope that some of you will consider becoming storytellers. Storytellers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a wheelchair or walk with crutches. As long as you can communicate, you can not only become a storyteller but you can compete in local and state-wide competitions too.
Professional storytellers do not read their stories, they tell them. But before you can get to that level, you have to begin by becoming a terrific story reader. Select a story that you like, one that you can read in ten minutes or less. Be sure it contains both narrative and dialogue. Be sure it has at least three of four characters and an active, preferably humorous plot.
Read the story to yourself, silently, several times. Get to know the characters. Each one has a different personality. “Hear” in your mind how each would sound. “See” how each character looks as he or she speaks. If one character is a villain, does he sneer when he talks? Does he squeeze his eyes almost shut while he’s speaking?
Once you have a good picture in your mind of the story, begin reading it out loud. Read the narrative (non-dialogue) portions in a pretty straightforward manner, letting your voice slow down and speed up to match the action you’re reading. If you’re reading a night scene, read in quieter tones than you would read a scene in a crowded bus station during the daytime.
Your acting skills will really shine when it comes to the dialogue. As you read each character’s “lines,” read them as you “heard” the speakers in your mind. Your listeners should be able to distinguish the characters just by the way you speak their dialogue. Feel free to embellish—add a burp or two if you think that’s what your character would do
At first, just read to your mirror. Your face should tell part of the story. Roll your eyes, lift your eyebrows, frown, smile—do whatever you can to help put emotion into your story. When you feel confident, gather a small audience—maybe your mother, grandfather, and little brother—and read your story to them. Be sure to look mainly at them. By now you should practically have the story memorized. Just glance at it from time to time.
Now, it’s show time. When you’ve got the story totally memorized (this needn’t be word-for-word, but at least be able to perform the story from start to finish), you’re ready to try out your skill as a storyteller. Maybe your teacher will let you tell the story to your class, or maybe your librarian will let you perform for story hour.
Storytelling is an art, and if you can become a good storyteller, your services will be in demand. Go online and look for storytelling competitions and opportunities in your town. If you have a story about your storytelling that you would like to share with Action readers, e-mail it to action@unitedspinal.org or snail-mail to:
KIDS IN ACTION
United Spinal Association
75-20 Astoria Boulevard
Jackson Heights, NY 11370-1177
A word of warning: Don’t use your cat as a practice audience. He will yawn, fall asleep or do something else equally rude during your performance.
Kathleen M. Muldoon is a children’s book author and writing instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.
