tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-274822292012-02-03T10:07:23.981-05:00Techniques, news, and inspirations for all disciplines of storytellers: actors, bloggers, class clowns, conversationalists, designers, directors, filmmakers, graphic artists, husbands, lawyers, parents, politicians, publicists, scientists, wives, writers... <br>The official blog of the <a href="http://talktostrangers.org">Talk to Strangers Campaign</a>.Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.comBlogger531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-68708779166562245022012-02-03T10:07:00.000-05:002012-02-03T10:07:23.989-05:00

A couple of quotes from the news recently: "I just had this profound love for storytelling. I think it's just an amazing thing we get to do. We're so complex; we're mysteries to ourselves; we're difficult to each other. And then here's this storytelling that reminds us we're all the same. I consider it such a privilege." -Brad Pitt, speaking with Backstage (Read the full interview here.) "I

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-22428053996178098922012-01-31T09:11:00.000-05:002012-01-31T09:11:27.347-05:00

"Einstein's thinking somehow presaged this thing about the structure of the brain. He said, 'The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.' We have created a society that honors the servant, but has forgotten the gift." -Iain McGilchrist

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-66277415346411109612011-10-16T00:01:00.001-04:002011-10-16T00:01:01.919-04:00

Mundane details ground a story, making it feel real and vivid.  Food is one of the most versatile and fun of these mundane details to include.  Here are a few things that descriptions of food can accomplish in your story: Pleasure:  Just reading about good food can be mouthwateringly entertaining.  When I was a kid, I thought the author of Heidi made goat's milk and cheese sound like the best

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-11362031076149186412011-10-04T10:41:00.000-04:002011-10-04T10:41:21.957-04:00

This article proposes that job seekers can make themselves more memorable and compelling by forming a (true-to-life) story out of their experiences. I suspect this holds true, but I would add that it's crucial to make the company you're applying for integral to the story, as in:  I've studied and gained experience and it's all leading up to this position.  Or maybe: I've worked hard to feed my

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-34870264468320425972011-09-12T22:45:00.000-04:002011-09-12T22:45:01.231-04:00

In this article on poynter.org, Roy Peter Clark discusses 9/11/2001 as the inciting incident in the story America is currently acting out.

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-90676492331463873562011-02-20T21:41:00.001-05:002011-02-20T21:47:11.730-05:00

“This is your church,” the director said, gesturing to the stage. I was working as a stage manager at the now-defunct Bar Harbor Theater in Maine. We were on break, and the subject of religion had come up. My friend and coworker had asked whether I attended church, and I had said no. “This is your church,” was his response. That was the first of many times I’d think of theater, and of

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-67006658113790535872011-02-03T16:28:00.000-05:002011-02-03T16:28:22.642-05:00

A story, to be a story, must have some sort of tension, conflict, and ultimately fear. Beauty fears the Beast. We fear Cinderella will live out her life in servitude. Juliet and Romeo fear their families' reactions, but also fear being torn apart. In The King's Speech, Bertie fears stuttering in public, but also fears letting his people down.  Fear provides tension, and dramatic tension

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-60612586494426608952010-10-27T00:09:00.046-04:002010-10-27T00:09:00.364-04:00

This post is brought to you in part by Mrs. B's Haunted Blog Tour: Welcome, tour-ists!  You can find a general introduction to Storytraining below.  If you follow this blog and comment on this post, you'll be entered into (or get an additional entry in) my giveaway of a custom-written Looseleaf Handcrafted Story. Best of luck! With Halloween approaching, many of us are creating objects of

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-2342647774832887322010-10-17T00:09:00.004-04:002010-10-29T12:31:46.237-04:00

...to any who have found their way here from Mrs. B's!  Welcome to Storytraining, a blog full of techniques, news, and inspirations for all disciplines of storytellers: actors, bloggers, class clowns, conversationalists ...and the list goes on.  Please take a look around:  I'd love to hear what you like and what you'd like to see! I'm a big believer in the power of stories:  A local Abenaki

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-57980186019769580502010-10-15T11:55:00.000-04:002010-10-15T11:55:11.093-04:00

What does water have to do with storytelling?  The short answer is that, surely, an element as integral to life as water has to do with pretty much everything.  Another would be that water is often a symbolic element, but I prefer to use such things with great caution, lest I start telling allegories instead of stories.  So what I'll look at instead is what water might mean to your character(s).

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-53885174050727110122010-10-06T17:07:00.000-04:002010-10-06T17:07:43.644-04:00

"[The very existence of stories] overlays a faint but insistent pattern on the chaos that is history.  Stories etch grooves deep enough for people to follow in the same way that water follows certain paths down a mountainside.  And every time fresh actors tread the path of the story, the groove runs deeper."  (From Witches Abroad, by Terry Pratchett.)

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-70901844696884998492010-09-17T13:46:00.000-04:002010-09-17T13:46:36.328-04:00

Today, just a link.  If you have a Facebook account, check out this note: Recently, I had dinner with some lovely people and the conversation turned, as it so often does these days, to politics and economics.  I mentioned the importance of arts funding, and one of my companions -- an artist herself -- said something like, "I care about arts funding, too, but jobs are more important." Whoa.

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-41786598554253099512010-08-31T21:12:00.001-04:002010-08-31T21:12:49.160-04:00

I have a confession to make:  If I had to pick one favorite modern author, it would be Terry Pratchett - and not just in an "oh, he's so funny and clever" sort of way.  No, it's much more in a "Granny Weatherwax is my role model" sort of way.  And a "the way that his heroes are steadfast folk who do the job in front of them has helped me define my personal philosophy" sort of way. I've read

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-3816122525068210162010-06-25T22:42:00.000-04:002010-06-25T22:42:06.420-04:00

You've heard about the Rolling Stone article about General McChrystal.  It's all over the news, and everyone seems to have an opinion about how McChrystal could have had such massively 'poor judgment.'  A coworker of mine suggested that he might have been deliberate about stepping over the line, because he wanted an excuse to (personally) get out of Afghanistan.  Whether that's the case or not,

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-24965770944188930932010-06-17T23:58:00.000-04:002010-06-17T23:58:34.101-04:00

"Ulysses is about ordinary people, ordinary lives, ordinary days. But those ordinary days make up lives that are lived, and lived through storytelling in the ways we create our own stories around us all the time." --James Quin of the James Joyce Centre, Dublin, Ireland, in the National Post (quoted in Shelf Awareness) This quote, like the Name of the Wind quote posted earlier this month,

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-51258015692854236552010-06-09T23:08:00.001-04:002010-06-09T23:13:26.848-04:00

If you're working in the arts and handle your own publicity/networking (as artists do more and more), please check out I'd Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion, by Alyson B. Stanfield.  While geared toward visual artists, it's useful for all sorts of storytellers:  Writers (like me), independent acts, small theatres/production companies, and actors come to mind

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-52946946500774507892010-06-05T22:53:00.001-04:002010-06-05T22:54:47.362-04:00

"We all become what we pretend to be....  It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head.  Always.  All the time.  That story makes you what you are.  We build ourselves out of that story."  (Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind ch.92)

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-76101514395916551632010-06-04T13:34:00.002-04:002010-06-04T13:37:41.335-04:00

Why is the Talk to Strangers Campaign - an organization based around film, theatre, print, and other forms of storytelling - monikered the Talk to Strangers Campaign?  There are a few reasons, but here's one: In the C.S. Lewis biopic Shadowlands, one of the characters says, "We read to know we're not alone."  I'd say this applies to all the arts.  When someone says, "I'm depressed," we can only

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-3836766085232817002010-03-16T22:16:00.002-04:002010-03-16T22:20:51.803-04:00

This is always the first book I recommend to fellow writers.  As the back of the book puts it, "Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have." Stephen King might not be regarded as high culture, but the man knows how to

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-35525732831319221022009-11-19T15:04:00.002-05:002009-11-19T15:11:12.142-05:00

Such stories are not just entertainment. In order to live, we need air, water, food, clothes, shelter, friends - and we need stories, because they teach us what is important in life. They give us models of how to live in a complicated, confusing world. Until the last hundred years or so, the most important stories for most people were religious. Today, however, the issue is not whether a story

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-27251964012130226112009-11-13T10:36:00.005-05:002009-11-13T12:31:16.378-05:00

Here is an interesting reaction to a study showing that most fundraising letters forget - to their detriment - to tell the stories behind their cause. The very thorough can find the original study on this site.

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-11661467036586576082009-11-12T18:20:00.005-05:002009-11-13T10:47:48.243-05:00

Feeling uninspired, or unable to find a form for your inspiration? Try divining your next story. Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, divining methods like tarot cards and runes are a powerful tool for figuring out - and bringing depth to - your story line.I'm not going to go over how to do tarot or rune readings here - there'd be too much to cover - but you can find a ton of info on

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-34662550117139143382009-11-04T20:39:00.002-05:002009-11-04T20:54:59.566-05:00

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. -Maya Angelou

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-35399972860248869212009-10-30T11:33:00.006-04:002009-10-30T12:12:00.648-04:00

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the students confront a boggart - a fearsome creature that manifests itself as whatever you fear most. The only way to defeat a boggart is to cast the spell "Ridiculous!" and laugh at your fear: to imagine Professor Snape, for example, holding a granny handbag and wearing a frumpy hat.Resolution: Use Halloween - a holiday of all that goes bump in

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-54297431692304635462009-05-30T20:36:00.007-04:002009-10-27T18:07:06.847-04:00

The Gift starts with an anthropological overview of giftgiving, and proceeds to argue that works of art - which are treated as commodities in modern western culture - ought to be seen, first and foremost, as gifts. This book is a call to suspend concern for the wallet in order to tend to the soul, the culture, the community. It is also readable, compelling, and highly recommended for

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-87890516558924826032008-06-24T11:36:00.003-04:002009-10-27T18:07:06.847-04:00

This is a winner, folks. The Lace Reader is the best-crafted modern adult novel I've read in the last five years. It's not out yet, so I'm not going to include any spoilers in this post, but the book is a great study in character development in relationship to plot and environment. The book is sometimes startling, but is never misleading. It's got all the psychological intrigue common to the

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-2948523763625143082008-01-25T09:43:00.000-05:002008-01-25T10:27:45.370-05:00

Why should Shakespeare have all the fun? If the Bard could make up new words and have them stick, so can we!New words can be logical and easily understood. You might start out with something like Lisa's use of readee to mean someone who is read to. This utilizes a standard word structure (employee, leasee) to express a new meaning. But don't be afraid to get a little eccentric: you could use

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-54049465050881687082008-01-18T13:03:00.000-05:002008-01-18T13:19:57.230-05:00

This morning on NPR I heard that, due to severe inflation and rising costs of food, people in Saudi Arabia are encouraging each other to boycott milk via text messages. Consider how new technology and different forms of communication influence your stories. Robinson Crusoe might have felt alone on a desert island, but today your characters can sit on a remote beach and conduct business or catch

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-42817370442887791172008-01-10T11:18:00.000-05:002008-01-10T11:46:55.526-05:00

Taking mass transportation is better for the environment, and it will reduce what you spend on gas. But even more important here, it's a great place to find stories.On a subway or train or bus, keep an ear out for interesting conversations, or try your hand at starting one. If the crowd seems too preoccupied or unsociable for conversation, just observe. Find unusual details of dress, body

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-76034741041748424192008-01-08T13:46:00.000-05:002008-01-10T11:18:09.460-05:00

It seems like the only things we get in the mailbox now are bills and advertisements. You might say email has taken the place of hand-written letters, but it's really just pushed them aside. Most of us fill our emails with superficial phrases and requests for information, but we used to tell stories in letters. It's the difference between small talk and a stimulating conversation.Can't even

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-66765541429290458692007-12-06T13:10:00.000-05:002007-12-06T14:20:10.747-05:00

The NEA's recent report To Read or Not to Read, reported that Americans are reading less. More surprisingly, it also showed that readers are more likely to volunteer, participate in and patronize the arts, vote, and even exercise than non-readers.Why is that? The study didn't say, but my bet is that the reason is twofold: First, reading literature produces empathy; hearing someone else's story

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-59172881658929364142007-11-13T13:24:00.000-05:002007-11-13T13:39:51.120-05:00

This quote, written by William Nicholson for his screenplay Shadowlands, seems to have struck a cord: it returns 15,800 hits on google. Interestingly, this statement is most often attributed to Shadowlands' main character C.S. Lewis.I'd venture to say that the same statement could be applied to any storytelling medium, be it going to the theatre, watching a film, or blogging.

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-75958543838703397912007-10-25T09:54:00.000-04:002009-10-27T18:07:06.847-04:00

The book The Artist's Way recommends completing three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing each morning to clear your head for the day.Try writing those three pages, but focusing on your story. Remember, this is not writing that anyone is ever going to read. You're just letting the pen flow and seeing what associations come up. Think of it as a totally informal reaction paper to your

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-61711015766836509512007-10-23T10:12:00.000-04:002007-10-23T11:15:34.378-04:00

What do you talk about in daily conversations? The latest reality tv show, or the crazy thing that happened to you over the weekend? In other words: someone else's stories, or your own?Storytelling is at its most basic in face-to-face conversation. You know right away if you're boring your audience/conversation partner or enthralling them. Conversation is an opportunity to practice

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-90061274189831422922007-10-22T13:30:00.000-04:002007-10-22T13:45:22.478-04:00

The graphic designer Richard Evans has come up with a series of clever representations of Shakespeare's play. To see them, click here, then click on "Design Portfolio." On the red bar, click on "oddities," then on the fourth square. Now scroll over the numbers to see "Romeo & Juliet," "Hamlet," "King Lear," or the Scottish play.Try distilling your story down to three such representations:

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-53232904130387450732007-10-17T10:40:00.000-04:002007-10-17T10:13:04.855-04:00

Many writers draw up outlines prior to starting a story, and many others groan at the thought. But whether you start writing when you have a fully formed plot or only a few lines of dialogue, an outline can be a useful tool in revision.Outline, or write on index cards, your plot points. Make yourself take a step back and look at the overall story. Are there points when it drags? Do you have

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-27199935280497276072007-10-16T11:11:00.000-04:002007-10-17T10:13:35.977-04:00

One way to use a prop in theatre is to treat the prop as though it is another character. If a gentleman has left his briefcase behind, the lady on stage might stomp on it if she is mad at him or caress it if she is in love with him. This is particularly useful if she is alone on stage, as it provides another "character" for her to address her lines to.Do you have any moments when a character

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-34208616887055910042007-10-15T10:14:00.000-04:002007-10-17T10:30:01.077-04:00

A set designer builds a set that will support the story. If the play deals with issues of status, the set designer may create a set with different levels. Perhaps the king will stand on the higher levels, making other characters look up to him. Or in a play like King Lear, he might stand on the lower levels, as Lear's daughters ignore and make a fool of him.How does your character's

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-25404322839064837062007-10-13T10:46:00.000-04:002007-10-13T11:34:38.593-04:00

The 1991 classic Silence of the Lambs lacks an ingredient most films wouldn't think of going without: a romantic subplot. But it's still a great example of the impact of touch.In today's films and television, sex scenes abound and are usually trite and gratuitous. But through most of Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal is isolated from Clarice by the Plexiglas wall of his prison cell. Even passing

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-9573613755872026792007-10-12T11:22:00.000-04:002007-10-12T12:02:28.225-04:00

The first rule of improv is to always say "yes," in one form or another. In other words, when improvising a scene with a partner, if she says, "Omigod! Look at that huge purple elephant!" you can say, "Eeeeek!" or "Let's go for a ride," or even "That's my brother!" Just don't say, "No, there's no elephant."Try improv-ing your way through a scene: Say "yes" to your impulses, and support your

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-2857114308821620202007-10-11T10:15:00.000-04:002007-10-11T11:01:55.400-04:00

Members of the Society for Creative Anachronism "recreate" the Middle Ages at various events, feasts, and game-like battles throughout the year. Each member creates a medieval persona for him or herself, which might be extremely detailed and well-developed.The title link (by Modar Neznanich) describes how one might create such a persona. Most of the questions Modar poses are as useful for an

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-42936437347073686602007-02-12T13:02:00.000-05:002007-02-05T14:35:35.998-05:00

My friend "Nick" claimed it wasn't, making the argument that while films take years to make, a weekly tv show puts out 42 minutes (give or take) of product each week. I admit that's impressive, but still, so much of what's put on television is junk. For the first time in my life, I have cable tv, and I can't find anything I want to watch! The cinematography is boring, most stories are clumsy

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-81684320147818119562007-02-05T12:39:00.000-05:002007-02-05T12:43:58.935-05:00

Check out the poll to the right; please 'vote'!

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-64025641177675674382007-01-21T17:06:00.000-05:002007-01-21T17:09:38.048-05:00

Have you every read your favorite story out load? Try reading aloud to others, yourself, or even your dog. (He may not understand, but will appreciate your voice.) Poetry is almost always best appreciated aloud, but so are many narratives. Kids love to hear stories read to them, and so do many of us as adults, if we give it a chance.I haven’t any idea of what’s going on in Finnegan’s Wake, but

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-85616719271200914882007-01-21T17:01:00.000-05:002007-01-29T20:50:27.384-05:00

As a fiction writer, I’ve always felt I should have a favorite novel or author, preferably contemporary. But until I read James Clavell’s Shogun a couple of years ago, I’d never read a novel that really did anything.That’s a pretty vague way of saying that most novels are more a series of anecdotes or short stories, or an entertaining but wandering tale. Sometimes there are moments that take your

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-57402241007164861032007-01-15T12:58:00.000-05:002007-01-15T13:00:07.292-05:00

…Our best playwrights continue to present us with unsettlingly truthful versions of ourselves. The irony is that these versions must be coated in the taste and color of our delusion. They must tell us what we need to know while allowing us the option of denying it in public. –John Waters in Druids, Dudes, and Beauty Queens

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-74043017953570116392007-01-11T20:32:00.000-05:002007-01-11T20:40:40.546-05:00

Need inspiration for a story? Try Postsecret. A spinoff from two books of the same name, this website invites individuals to share their own secrets:"You are invited to anonymously contribute your secrets to PostSecret. Each secret can be a regret, hope, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, feeling, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-30902269710051285662007-01-07T14:54:00.000-05:002007-01-07T14:57:56.107-05:00

According to Longfellow:"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-58085750467299855202007-01-01T13:12:00.000-05:002007-01-01T13:46:07.312-05:00

Last night I attended a taiko drumming performance at a theatre downtown. It was gorgeous. As an introduction, two members of the troupe danced on stage in lion masks. The little girl behind me, with more fantastic creatures on her mind, asked, "Is that a real dragon?" "No," her teenage brother scoffed, "it's a person in a costume."They continued their conversation through most of the rest of

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-3839761715118624152006-12-30T00:27:00.000-05:002007-10-13T11:36:16.816-04:00

When all else fails, I judge a novel by its first line. A mediocre first sentence may lead to a good read, a bad one rarely, and a perfect first line requires tension, detail, and wit that bodes well for the rest of the story.Check out John Sutherland's take on some classic first lines, as well as the Bulwar-Lytton Prize for worst first sentences to imaginary novels. Why not email them an

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-35252493808848914672006-12-20T22:14:00.000-05:002006-12-20T22:18:37.344-05:00

Stories teach us to be human.[Wolfsong was a Vermont storyteller who has been missed since he passed away in 2000. Read more about him and his work at the Native American Authors Project.]

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-129059671356518152006-12-18T23:16:00.000-05:002007-10-13T11:35:46.820-04:00

I still do, and that's the truth.I believed that Santa delivered gifts to my family and I long after most of my peers had given up. I had one other friend my age who still believed. Our logic: We knew our parents couldn't afford all the riches found under the tree every year. My mother helped me along: In my house, Santa (who still takes credit for many presents) has the most magical curly,

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27482229.post-1146676583425049862006-05-03T13:15:00.000-04:002006-08-05T22:43:15.540-04:00

To be stories at all they must be series of events: but it must be understood that this series—this plot, as we call it—is only really a net whereby to catch something else. The real theme may be, and perhaps usually is, something that has no sequence in it, something other than a process and much more like a state or quality. Giantship, otherness, the desolation of space, are examples that

Kristen Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10643974205311266203noreply@blogger.com0