We all have stories to tell… Some of us journal, others hold court by the coffee machine, and others still take to their cameras, microphones and/or keyboards to broadcast their anecdotes via their computers. There seems to be as many storytelling styles out there as there are storytellers, and the Internet has made it possible for even the quietest or far away voices to be heard. What this means is that anyone suffering from even a mild dose of creative block needs only to take to their browser for the next flash of inspiration.
For starters, listen to this short
5-part video featuring Ira Glass, the host of Chicago Public Radio’s Peabody Award-winning
This American Life. While talking about storytelling, Glass offers some thoughtful and inspiring ideas on engaging an audience and how even dull subject matter can be made compelling.
With Glass’s words in mind, visit
TheMoth.org, a non-profit storytelling organization out of New York, and hear real-life stories from a variety of different characters, including the creator of cheese-filled pizza crust.
Then, step back and consider one of the world’s most famous storytellers. While she never intended it to be made public, Anne Frank’s diary has been shared with millions around the world. The diary, which Anne kept during the time her family was in hiding, was returned to her father after World War II after he learned she had died. In reading through it, he found his daughter was a gifted, thoughtful writer who dreamed of being published one day. Visit
Anne Frank House for excellent online resources and photos to follow her story, and downloads for teachers including an
Anne Frank Teacher Manual. The
Anne Frank Centre, USA also provides links to .pdfs that assist in classroom studies and the creation of lesson plans.
While book-bound diaries and journals are common even today, the number of blogs flooding the Internet can’t be ignored. Take a look at this 2006 study done on
“Bloggers: The Internet’s new storytellers” for insight into this growing breed. We all have our favourites, but for something new and bizarre try
Oddee.com for a chronicle on the "oddities" of our world, or
Fark.com where the strange collection of real-life headlines can double as a list of writing prompts.
Need something less structured? Take in
Jonathan Harris's latest online projects
Universe and
The Whale Hunt. In
Universe, Harris asks “What is the mythology of today? What are the great stories?…. When we step back and look at life, what are its overarching themes?” Universe lends us the technology that allows the exploration of our own "personal mythologies" as we immerse ourselves in news stories and threads that float through a night sky.
The Whale Hunt he documents nine-days in Alaska with 3,214 photographs, shot every five minutes to simulate a “heartbeat” from the time he boards a taxi to the Newark airport, to the butchering of a second whale seven days later in Alaska. He notes, “In moments of high adrenaline, this photographic heartbeat would quicken.”
For even deeper probing into the human condition, try the
Wellcome Collection's online exhibits to help you "consider what it means to be human" through an intriguing interactive gallery. And in that same vein, for a newer, possibly hipper answer to Chicken Soup for the Soul, the
Foundation for a Better Life offers professional and user-produced audio stories and videos set to remind individuals to "take responsibility for their lives and to promote a set of values that sees them through their failures and capitalizes on their successes."
And for still more storytelling incentive, learn about the campaign in effect to promote
May 16th as International Day for Sharing Life Stories, sponsored by the
Center for Digital Storytelling and the
Museum of the Person. The creators of this campaign take the opinion that "sharing life stories are a critical process in democratizing culture and promoting social change" even if you're not whale hunting or filling pizza crust with cheese.
For starters, listen to this short 5-part video featuring Ira Glass, the host of Chicago Public Radio’s Peabody Award-winning This American Life. While talking about storytelling, Glass offers some thoughtful and inspiring ideas on engaging an audience and how even dull subject matter can be made compelling.
With Glass’s words in mind, visit TheMoth.org, a non-profit storytelling organization out of New York, and hear real-life stories from a variety of different characters, including the creator of cheese-filled pizza crust.
Then, step back and consider one of the world’s most famous storytellers. While she never intended it to be made public, Anne Frank’s diary has been shared with millions around the world. The diary, which Anne kept during the time her family was in hiding, was returned to her father after World War II after he learned she had died. In reading through it, he found his daughter was a gifted, thoughtful writer who dreamed of being published one day. Visit Anne Frank House for excellent online resources and photos to follow her story, and downloads for teachers including an Anne Frank Teacher Manual. The Anne Frank Centre, USA also provides links to .pdfs that assist in classroom studies and the creation of lesson plans.
While book-bound diaries and journals are common even today, the number of blogs flooding the Internet can’t be ignored. Take a look at this 2006 study done on “Bloggers: The Internet’s new storytellers” for insight into this growing breed. We all have our favourites, but for something new and bizarre try Oddee.com for a chronicle on the "oddities" of our world, or Fark.com where the strange collection of real-life headlines can double as a list of writing prompts.
Need something less structured? Take in Jonathan Harris's latest online projects Universe and The Whale Hunt. In Universe, Harris asks “What is the mythology of today? What are the great stories?…. When we step back and look at life, what are its overarching themes?” Universe lends us the technology that allows the exploration of our own "personal mythologies" as we immerse ourselves in news stories and threads that float through a night sky. The Whale Hunt he documents nine-days in Alaska with 3,214 photographs, shot every five minutes to simulate a “heartbeat” from the time he boards a taxi to the Newark airport, to the butchering of a second whale seven days later in Alaska. He notes, “In moments of high adrenaline, this photographic heartbeat would quicken.”
For even deeper probing into the human condition, try the Wellcome Collection's online exhibits to help you "consider what it means to be human" through an intriguing interactive gallery. And in that same vein, for a newer, possibly hipper answer to Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Foundation for a Better Life offers professional and user-produced audio stories and videos set to remind individuals to "take responsibility for their lives and to promote a set of values that sees them through their failures and capitalizes on their successes."
And for still more storytelling incentive, learn about the campaign in effect to promote May 16th as International Day for Sharing Life Stories, sponsored by the Center for Digital Storytelling and the Museum of the Person. The creators of this campaign take the opinion that "sharing life stories are a critical process in democratizing culture and promoting social change" even if you're not whale hunting or filling pizza crust with cheese.