Impromptu Storytelling

You might not realize it, but every time you tell someone about your day or bring up a fond memory, you are participating in storytelling. So since we have so much experience in this area, impromptu storytelling should be a breeze, right? Wrong. Anyone can relate details and convey ideas, but not many people tell you a story that lets you live their imagination. The art of captivating storytelling is one that not many individuals possess. 

What sets apart a mediocre story from a great one? Well according to the American Press Institute, the audience decides this. They are the ones you have to convince of your stellar storytelling abilities, or in this case, the judge is. The AP website explains that a good story does more than just explain or amplify, it adds value. So we need to find a way to connect with our audience. The easiest way to do that is to incorporate themes that they will be able to identify with such as anger, greed, lust, sacrifice, etc. Building these types of themes into your characters will also help create depth and make them seem more real.

Once again, you will be given a prompt. Once again, the prompts are very vague. The good news, is that this means you are free to run wild with your imagination. The bad news is that the lack of specifics means you will be responsible for dreaming up the characters, their quirks, personalities, and history in three minutes.  How believable and real your characters are will determine whether or not you get to go on to the final round. 

The other thing that you will be judged on is the story itself. Your plot will need to incorporate a backstory for the characters, dialogue, rising action, a goal, conflict, falling action, resolution. These are the qualities that make the story cohesive and intriguing. 

Every competitor is guaranteed two preliminary rounds. 

In round one we will tell the story in third person omniscient. This means that you, as the narrator, know all that is going on in all the minds of everyone. Your job is to relay that information to the audience. You bridge the gap. You are the mediator. Don't leave out any details. 

In round two we will tell the story from the first person point of view. That means that you are the character and the audience only knows what you (the character) know. You are permitted to embody other characters as well as the main character interacts with them, but keep the point of view consistent. Make sure it is always the hero that narrates the story. If the hero doesn't know it, we don't know it either. 

Now that we know what goes into the story, let's get a prompt and then analyze it.

                                   The Pope must infiltrate the Russian Mafia

So you now have three minutes to decide why the Pope is doing this (motive/conflict). Right there is what will determine your character. Is he doing this because he has fallen into darkness? Or is he doing this as a sting operation? Perhaps he ends up in the wrong part of town and has to do this to survive. Better decide quickly. Now set the scene. You have seven minutes to fill with creative drama, we might want to have a few landscapes. Will they meet in a bar? An alleyway? Will there be a shooting? Maybe a car chase? Does he get kidnapped? Obviously they need to commit a crime. How does His Holiness justify the sins he commits? Next set up the characters for him to interact with. Obviously a mob boss who's impossible to please, some henchmen, probably a victim, and the police. Remember that you will have a few major characters that talk a lot, and then some secondary characters that have no lines. Tell us about both. 

Here's the important thing to remember. You will not have time to work out every detail and scenario in three minutes. That's why you're gonna have to work on being quick on your feet. Just make sure that you remember the details as you progress through the story when you tell it. If John has a broken leg in scene one and there's not a miracle at the end of that scene, the leg best be broken in scene two. And it better be the same leg leg that's broken  The point is, spend your prep time thinking in broad terms. What will be the critical turning points in the story? What's the climactic moment? How will you start and end the tale? Then move into a few details until you stand up to speak. 

Last thing before we try this, don't be afraid to act out the story as you tell it. Give us a visual representation. It'll help us get lost in the magic. 

 Once Upon a Time, there was a new competitor who started to tell a story.......