Jeni Bonaldo and her sister, Amy Miller, for their insight and enthusiasm for this book and for storytelling. Having friends who are both English teachers and storytellers is pretty fantastic.
The fans and supporters of my storytelling career, including and especially our loyal Speak Up following. Month after month they have been generous enough to listen to my stories and offer their support. Every storyteller needs an audience, and I can’t imagine a better one.
All of the storytellers who have spent time in my workshops over the years. This book was born from those thousands of hours spent teaching this craft to brave, enthusiastic students. I have learned so much from these people and owe an enormous debt to each and every one.
Georgia Hughes, editor extraordinaire, who believed in this book before I entirely believed in it myself. A writer steps into the wilderness with some dry twigs, a few branches, and fragile hope and must find a hero to spark the fire. Georgia was my heroic fire starter. I will be forever grateful.
Richard Smoley, the copy editor of this book, who saved me from many, many literary embarrassments. And Tanya Fox, proofreader, who not only saved me from many literary and typographical gaffes but also offered me several outstanding lessons in grammar and the correct name of the Canada goose.
Taryn Fagerness, known officially as my literary agent, but a person whom I think of as my friend in words. She has been my hero, my guiding force, and in many ways, my partner. She has made my dreams come true. She is my superhero.
Index
accents, 308
accomplishments, marginalizing, 284–87
active listening, 196
adventure stories, 287–88
allusion, 304
anachronisms, 294–95
“and” stories, 196–97, 202–3
anecdotes, 26, 68, 85, 89, 124
aphorisms, 186
Apocalypse Now (film; 1979), 133
assumption, lies of, 175
Attleboro (MA), 28–31, 81–83
audience: big stories and, 213–14; brevity as viewed by, 221–22; cinematic experience in minds of, 185, 186–87, 189, 291–92; direct addressing of, 293; emotional responses of, 226, 228, 232, 235, 246, 247–48; five-second moments and, 110, 117; humor and, 158–59, 243, 244–45, 246–47; keeping attention of, 134; laughter of, 136, 187; lying for the benefit of, 163–64, 169–70, 176–77; redemption as viewed by, 172; response predictions, 132; stakes and, 141, 144, 150–51, 153, 154, 155–56, 231; story endings and, 247–48; storyteller eye contact with, 317–18; storyteller relationship with, 34, 118, 121–22, 158, 206, 295–96; success stories and, 285, 286, 287–88
authenticity, 31, 129, 316, 328, 329
Babies and Blenders, 251–53
Backpacks, 150–52, 231
backstory, 189–92, 272–76
Bad News Bears, The (film; 1976), 285
Barker, Erin, 113
“Basin, The” (story; Dicks), 174
Bell House (Brooklyn, NY), 113, 313
Bengi (author’s friend), 28–31, 73, 81–82, 95, 121, 122–23, 207–8, 234, 235–36, 315
big stories: as difficult to tell, 213–14, 219–20; five-second moments in, 103–8; smaller relatable moments in, 214–15, 216–19
“Bike Off Roof” (story; Dicks), 173–74, 179–80
Blackstone Millville Regional Junior High School (Blackstone, MA), 255–57
Blaine, David, 280–81
Bonaldo, Jeni, 297
Boston (MA), 86, 140–41, 173
bragging, 283
Breadcrumbs, 152–53, 231
Breakfast Club, The (film; 1985), 285
brevity, 221–22
“Brevity Is the Soul of Wit” (Story Break), 221–22
“Bring Me a Shrubbery” (story; Dicks), 285–87
Broadway actors, 35
Brockton (MA), 61–62
Brooklyn Academy of Music (Brooklyn, NY), 62, 141, 311
Burns, Catherine, 83, 275–76, 312–13, 317
but-and-therefore principle: “and” stories vs., 196–97, 202–3; in author’s stories, 198–201; humor and, 250; opposition created by, 200–201; power of the negative and, 203–5; in student stories, 197–98, 201–2
Calvin and Hobbes (cartoon strip), 300
Cambridge (MA), 93
camouflage, 233–35, 247
Casablanca (film; 1942), 133
causation, 202
celebrity references, 306–8
Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, 206
“Charity Thief” (story; Dicks), 94–98; about, 93–94; anachronisms as used in, 295; Backpack in, 150–52, 231; backstory in, 189–90; beginning of, 122–23, 125–26, 132; Breadcrumbs in, 152–53, 231; but-and-therefore principle in, 198–200; Crystal Ball in, 156, 157; Elephant in, 146–47; ending of, 170–71; five-second moment in, 100, 116–17, 122, 143; Hourglass in, 153–56, 231; lies in, 163, 167–71; performances of, 171, 173; stakes strategies used in, 143, 231
cheating, 166
cinema of the mind: backstory and, 189–92; failure to achieve, 185–88, 192; historical/technical information and, 192–94; physical location required for, 186, 188–89, 190–92, 194, 316; as storyteller goal, 185, 291–92
C.K., Louis, 242
Cleveland, Monica, 218–20
clothing, 295–96
colors, listing, 66
comedy, stand-up, xiv–xv, 187, 242
comedy clubs, xv
commencement addresses, rules for effective, 135–38
communication skills, 323–25
compression, lies of, 173–75
“Concerned Parent Body of West Hartford, The,” 299–302
contrast, 227–28, 244–45
countries, listing, 66
Crash & Burn: author’s teaching of, 66–67; benefits of, 72, 75, 76; commitment required for, 75–76; final product example, 67–68; rules for, 64–66; storyworthy threads gleaned from, 68–74, 75; as stream-of consciousness writing, 63–64, 72; time required for, 75
Crichton, Michael, 103, 104
Crystal Balls, 156–57
culmination, 201
Dark Knight, The (film; 2008), 133
dates, entertaining, 325
delivery, 248
Deschanel, Zooey, 306–8
dialogue: repeated, 303; unattributed, 34
Dicks, Charlie (son), 37–38, 161, 217–18, 269–71
Dicks, Clara (daughter), 37, 56–58, 88, 160, 161, 180, 218
Dicks, Elysha (wife): author’s first Moth experience and, 7–8, 10; author’s hungry childhood story and, 37–39, 123, 251; author’s marriage to, 23–25, 164–65, 223–26, 234, 325; author’s PTSD and, 62; author’s redemption and, 170; author’s stories involving, 70–71, 86, 126, 131, 164–65; author’s storytelling corrected by, 180; as elementary school teacher, 70–71, 234, 299, 301; miscarriage of, 328; as Speak Up hostess, 17, 314
Dicks, Jeremy (brother), 29, 160–61
Dicks, Kelli (sister), 166, 179–80
Dicks, Matthew: arrest story of, 111–12, 214, 215; audience stories shared with, 328–30; as author, 72, 115, 160, 172, 224–25; blog of, 299–301, 302–3; dog named after, 235–36; as elementary school teacher, 88–89, 195, 299–302, 305–6, 325–26; father’s letters to, 74–75, 76, 261–62; hungry childhood story of, 123, 251, 263; marriage proposal of, 223–24; near-death experiences of, 213–14; nervousness experienced by, 140–41, 311–13; nightmares of, 62; PTSD experienced by, 62–63, 311, 315; rental car story of, 126–27, 129–31; reputation of, 302; as storyteller, xvi–xvii, 59–60, 328–30; storytelling workshops of, 77, 182, 257–58; as wedding DJ, 320
Dicks, Matthew, stories: “The Basin,” 174; “Bike Off Roof,” 173–74, 179–80; “Bring Me a Shrubbery,” 285–87; “Genetic Flaws,” 247, 304; “Lemonade Stand,” 148; “My Sister and the Toilet,” 88; “The Promise,” 86, 147–48; “Sex with Corn,” 164–65; “Shoe Thief,” 247; “Strip Club of My Own Making,” 142–43, 241
. See also “Charity Thief” (story; Dicks); “Eddie in the Bathtub” (story; Dicks); “Robbery, The” (story; Dicks); “This Is Going to Suck” (story; Dicks)
Dicks, Odelie (grandmother), 187–89, 229–30, 251
Die Hard (film; 1988), 148–50, 285
DiFranco, Ani, 15
Dinner Test, the, 33–35
doubt, 181–83
“Doubt Is the Enemy of Every Storyteller” (Story Break), 181–83
dreaming, 64
drinking stories, 26, 27
Dr. Ruth, 289
“Eddie in the Bathtub” (story; Dicks): author’s experience behind, 255–57; in author’s workshops, 257–58; finding meaning of, 259–61, 263–64
“Electric socks for Mom” (anecdote; Dicks), 89
Elephants: in author’s stories, 146–48, 157–58; changing color of, 146–48, 157; in film, 148–50; function of, 144, 145–46; importance of, in successful stories, 144; timing of appearance of, 144–45
embarrassment, stories about, 117
emotion, 136; humor as relief from, 245–47; profanity use and, 304; storyteller control of, 318–19
emotional transformation, conflation of, 177–79
emotion porn, xvii
Erin Brockovich (film; 2000), 285
Esar, Evan, 283
essays, 187, 229
euphemisms, 304
Everest, Mount, 287–88
exaggeration, 252–53
Excel spreadsheet, 42–44, 257
expectations, 131–32, 177, 221
eye contact, 317–18
fables, 25–26
failure, stories about, 117, 284
Fallon, Jimmy, 141
“‘Fine’ Is Apparently Not a Good Way to Describe My Sex Life” (Story Break), 289
First Last Best Worst: benefits of, 90; challenging prompts for, 87–89; efficacy of, 89; how-to, 83–84; as improv game, 89–90; prompts for, 84–85; storyworthy threads gleaned from, 85–87
five-second moments: in author’s stories, 100–102, 108–10, 111–12, 116–17, 143; in big stories, 103–8; defined, 99–100, 115; finding meaning of, 257–64; importance of, in successful stories, 99, 102, 111, 112; lies of omission for the sake of, 100–101; story beginnings as opposite of, 117, 120–21, 123, 259–60; as story endings, 115–18
folktales, 25–26
foreshadowing, 189
forward momentum, 131, 134, 197
generalities, 135, 186
“Genetic Flaws” (story; Dicks), 247, 304
geography, compression of, 174
Glose, Jennifer, 193–94
grammar, 65, 196
graphic organizers, 65
Green, George Dawes, 93, 171, 172
hand gestures, 279
Hartford (CT), 17–18, 77
Hartnett, Fred, 265–66
hazing, 256–57
heart, ending with, 247–48
Heavy Metal Playhouse, 28–31, 88
heist films, 151
hindsight, xiv
historical information, introducing, 192–94
Hixon, Jenifer, 10
Holocaust survivor stories, 31–33
Homework for Life: author’s experience using, 42–44, 257–58; author’s TED Talks about, 289; commitment required for, 44, 55–56, 58; efficacy of, 55; everyday precious stories revealed in, 37–42, 87; faith required for, 56–58; five-second moments revealed in, 100, 101; goal of, 41, 100; life patterns revealed in, 44–46; moments of meaning revealed in, 46–52; psychological benefits of, 52–55; spreadsheet format for, 42–44; time required for, 58
honesty, 3, 31, 328
Hoosiers (film; 1986), 285
Hourglasses, 153–56, 231
Housing Works (New York, NY), 171
Howard, Desmond, 130
Hughes, John, 256
humor: but-and-therefore principle and, 250; as camouflage, 247; cinema of the mind and, 185–86, 187; as contrast, 244–45; delivery and, 248; early laugh, 243–44; effective use of, 241–42; profanity use and, 304; as relief, 245–47; stakes and, 158–59; story endings and, 247–48; strategic use of, 242–47; surprise and, 248–53; teaching, 241; vulgarity and, 304; word choice and, 250
“I Berate Storytellers at the Worst Moments” (Story Break), 297
ideas, first vs. best, 124–25
ideas, intersecting, 64
information, hidden, 232–35
intellectual transformation, conflation of, 177–79
internal geography, flotsam/jetsam of, 263, 264
Irving, John, 115–16
Jobs, Steve, 91
jokes, 185–86
journaling, 63
Juicy clothing line, 299–300
Jurassic Park (film; 1993), 103–7, 109, 110, 120, 133, 142, 216
Jurassic World (film; 2015), 121
Kahnemann, Dan, 15
Kaleigh (author’s dog), 47–49, 64, 86
Karate Kid, The (film; 1984), 285
Kennedy, Dan, xiii, xvi, 1, 8, 9, 10, 91
keyboards, use of, 66
King, Stephen, 73–74
Koepp, David, 103, 104
Kripalu Institute for Yoga and Health (Stockbridge, MA), 289
“K” sounds in words, 250
Lamott, Anne, 306
language, 136
League of Their Own, A (film; 1992), 285
“Lemonade Stand” (story; Dicks), 148
Leonardo da Vinci, 283
Lewiston (ME), 87
lies, permissible: of assumption, 175; caveats concerning, 163–66, 179–80; of compression, 173–75; of conflation, 177–79; defined, 163; of omission, 100–101, 166–73; of progression, 176–77
listening, 196
location, physical, 186, 188–89, 190–92, 194, 316
Marchand, Laura, 86, 147–48
Matt’s Five Rules of Drinking Stories, 27
Matt’s Three Rules of Vacation Stories, 27
Matty (dog), 235–36
McGrath, Anne, 54
McKenna, Neil, 306
McNabb, Donovan, 129–30
meaning, finding, 257–64
Measleman (author’s family dog), 50–51, 86
meetings, entertaining, 323–25
memories, 42, 50–52, 64, 68, 75, 161
memorization, 34, 316–17
memory, 164–66
microphone use, 319–21
Milford (MA), 80
Milk Cans and a Baseball, 248–50
Miracle (film; 2004), 285
mirror practice, 279
Moth, The: author as competitor at, xiii; author’s connections reestablished at, 266; Broadway actors at, 35; Burns as artistic director of, 83; Green as founder of, 93, 171; Louis C.K. as promoter of, 242; popularity of, 3; story collection of, 275–76; storytellers at, 2
Moth GrandSLAM competition: author as competitor in, 11, 18–19, 61, 111–12, 114, 265, 311; author’s wins in, 12, 86, 207, 322; Barker as competitor in, 113, 114
Moth Mainstage, 62, 140–41, 207, 222, 311, 312
Moth Podcast, The, xvi, 1, 2, 3, 12, 303
Moth Radio Hour, The, 12, 86, 207, 215, 303
Moth StorySLAM, The: author as competitor in, 238; author’s first experience in, xviii, 1–2, 5–12; author’s wins in, 12, 89, 93, 113–14, 221–22; first positioning in, 173; popularity of, 139; scoring at, xv–xvi, 139–40, 173, 304–5; stakes at, 139–40; vulgarity as received at, 304–5
motivations, self-inquiry about, 261–64
movie theaters, 292
Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn, NY), 61
“My Sister and the Toilet” (story; Dicks), 88
“Mysterious head wound” (anecdote; Dicks), 86
“Naked in Brazil” (Story Break), 59–60
negative, power of the, 203–5
“Neighborhood Watch” (story; Zimmer), 252
nervousness, 140–41, 311–15
New England Patriots, 129, 130, 226
New York (NY), 86, 134, 207
92nd Street Y
(New York, NY), 160–61
non sequiturs, 185–86
numbers, listing, 66
Nuyorican Poets Café (New York, NY), 1–2, 5–12
Ocean’s Eleven films (2001–2007), 128–29, 151, 179, 180
omission, lies of, 100–101, 166–73
“One of These Things Is Not Like the Other” (Sesame Street game), 252
One-Sentence Weekends, 195–96
opposition, 200–201
O’Sullivan, Christina, 102
outlines, 65
oversharing, xvii
Owens, Terrell, 130
Parker, Trey, 202
Pasadena (CA), 86
Pascal, Blaise, 221
past tense, 272–76, 277–78
pens, use of, 66
Pittsburgh (PA), 207
planning, 65
poetry, 34
pop culture references, 306–8
positive statements, 204–5
practice, 279
predictions, 156–57
presentations, entertaining, 323–25
present tense: “Seeing” in the mind’s eye using, 276–77; sense of immediacy created by using, 269–72; shifts to past tense, 272–76, 277–78
Presley, Elvis, 267
profanity, 302, 303–4
progression, lies of, 176–77
“Promise, The” (story; Dicks), 86, 147–48
props, 294
protagonist, 31–33, 108, 118–20, 285
Proverbs, Book of, 283
public speaking, 139, 323–25
punctuation, 65
quotations, 136–37
racism, 308
Raging Bull (film; 1980), 133
Raiders of the Lost Ark (film; 1981), 107–8, 110, 133, 141, 142, 216
Reagan, Ronald, 307
“Reconnecting with My Mean Old Elementary School Principal” (Story Break), 265–66
redemption, 170–73
rehearsal methods, 279
Reid, Andy, 130
“Return of Mathieu, The” (Story Break), 238–39
Revenge of the Nerds (film; 1984), 285
revisionism, xiv
rhetorical questions, 135, 185–86, 293
Rickman, Alan, 15
“Robbery, The” (story; Dicks): about, 61; as big story, 214; humor in, 243–44; performances of, 61–62, 141, 311–12; smaller relatable moments in, 215; stakes and, 141