Self-Censorship: When it is Dangerous to the Art

For almost every word that left my mouth, a grimace or an inner groan told me, "That was the wrong word choice" or "You can do better than this!"

As I told about 20 minutes of "The Gardener's Wife", it seemed that I had ordered an extra large delivery of butterflies-in-the-stomach. Holly Robison, my story buddy, sensed my frustration and reminded me that I could make mistakes in front of her.

I glanced at the timing on the mp3 recorder. I had barely gotten to the part in the story when the Wife adopts the first child. There were two more children to be adopted, and there was the quest for each of the children. I had expected this Colombian story to take about 40 minutes to tell. At this rate, it would take an hour!

Then I stopped. The story was not done but I stopped.

I wanted perfection and forgot that this meeting was called a "practice". My desire to be flawless could only mean disaster. The self-censorship would hinder my creative process (compare to previous post for "Forsaken Brother").

For several weeks, I had "played" with this story by looking into character personalities, envisioning the scenery, and other techniques.

Today the "fun" was gone.

I deeply wanted to share the story for the premiere, but I recognized that today was not my day to pursue it.

Holly comforted me and said the story would come together in time.

We did not discuss too much of what I needed to improve, as my self-censorship already gave me a long list of "to do"s. However, we did agree that I spent too much time with the two oldest sisters, who were minor characters in the story.

On the way home, I realized why I did not feel prepared to share the story the whole way through: the French Scenes had not been completed (see previous post on this story's French Scenes so far).

I determined to work on the French Scenes so to be more ready next time. The scenes could give structure to an otherwise chaotic story. Then I could "play" and enjoy the story for the following practice with Holly Robison.

I am thankful for Holly's patience with me.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Behind the Wheel: When Imagination is Most Active

The drive home from the New Year's Eve party was the perfect opportunity to practice.

We were invited to gather for New Year's Eve at the home of one of my husband's brothers. Over 20 of us celebrated into the wee hours. As my husband and I traveled the furthest, we were offered to sleepover so we could be well rested and start the New Year right.

When I sat in the car, I wanted to review the scenes of "The Gardener's Wife", the Colombian story. I would meet with Holly Robison on January 2nd to tell the whole story, and I wanted to be ready. I expected to the story to be told in about 40 minutes so there were many details to remember.

Along the highway, I saw the Utah mountains. I pretended that the mountains were the ones in Colombia and made them more green in my mind.

Eventually I pictured the Wife in the story looking down from the mountains and into a corner of the garden. I did not speak words of what I saw. This was something I witnessed through thoughts and driving upon the highway.

The imaginings continued.

The Wife thinks she sees a child, only to discover it is squash. The Wife laughs at herself while have a touch of sadness as she and her husband are childless.

This was not hard to feel as my husband and I have been married for over seven and a half years and we have wanted children from the beginning.

I thought of the winding river that brought a baby one by one to the Wife. As Utah is a dry place, the winding highway became my "winding river".

And so was my drive home. Something outside my window would transform into something inside "The Gardener's Wife" story.

If only the pictures in my head would translate into words from my mouth to share with others. Then I would transform from being dreamer to being storyteller.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

An Irish Story's Transformation: Multicultural to Universal

It was time to gather books on Ireland, as I had already checked out many books from the library on the Ojibwa and Colombian cultures.

I had several versions of "The Changeling" story, though I wanted to bring more multicultural influences into the piece. Sharing these elements makes the story more universal.

This is one of the storytelling paradoxes: the more details in the story, then the more universal the story.

I certainly want the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere to be universal. When it tours worldwide, the stories will transcend language barriers due to its ability to connect to individuals.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

"The Gardener's Wife" and Character Sketches

Each time I see Holly Robison, my story buddy for "The Gardener's Wife", I like to have goals in mind.

This time I wanted to figure out the character and personality of the Gardener's Wife, the one I transformed into the main character. I also wanted to explore how the Garden itself is a character.

On other days I may delve into the personalities of the other characters.

If I know people in real life who are like the characters, then I have done a good job.

Holly asked questions and I responded to what I thought was the correct answer. Some questions required further understanding of the Colombian culture. I checked out all the books possible on the country--at least in Davis County!


Questions for the Gardener's Wife:

• What is her house like? This says a lot about a person. I will need to research what is common in Colombia.
• What is her favorite color? Bright blue or maroon.
• What does she do in her spare time? She loves to go off into the mountains, walk among the ruins. From the plateau, she enjoys leaning against the pine and oak trees to see the view. (Yes, there are pine and oak trees in Colombia.)
• What is her favorite plant? Squash, as it reminds her of a baby when seen a certain way. Her husband does not see it like that and only grows them because the king likes them.
• What are her typical facial expressions or postures? She tends to cock her head, usually because she dreams of when she will have a real baby in her arms rather than an imaginary one. She uses both arms for most gestures with the palms up or cupping shape as if she is always giving. This is opposite of the three sisters in the story who are always taking.

Questions of the Garden:

• What type of garden is it? There are almost all the plants of Colombia, especially as the queen says that it is only missing three things: the bird that speaks, the orange tree that dances, and the water that jumps and leaps.
• How many types of plants are in it? There are about 4,000 species of plants. There are 3,000 orchid species.
• How many kind of birds? There are 1,500 species of birds.
• What are some examples of plants in the garden? Vanilla trees, ginger, castor beans, papayas, mangoes, melons, pineapple, passion fruit, bananas, coconut, and the list goes on.
• Of what importance is the garden to the story? The garden causes the request from the queen. These turn into quests for the three youth. It is also believed that the condition of the environment is tied to politics, economics, and relations with the world.
  

Every session with Holly opens my eyes even more to how much I love this story.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Holly Robison: Buddy for "The Gardener's Wife"

With so much time dedicated to the marketing of "Family Famine: Hunger for Love", I had to focus on story development.

As simple as blocking the time on my planner, I scheduled every Friday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm to be "The Gardener's Wife" Day with story buddy Holly Robison. (Yet this time was to almost 4:00pm.)

As there are one or two songs I would like her to sing duet in this story, then it made sense to choose her. The other fact is that she is fun and inspirational.

For perspective on the story, I asked Holly to read the version in "Latin American Folktales: stories from Hispanic and Indian traditions" edited by John Bierhorst and published by Pantheon Books. The way Holly would interpret what was happening through her tone of voice or pauses was enough for me to dwell in the story and create images in my mind.

Afterward the reading, Holly asked me questions. For some I did not have answers but they were great to consider.

Out came the whiteboard and here were some of the results:

• Does the Garden reflect the barrenness of the Gardner's Wife?
• With the image of the squash at the end, how can that image be threaded throughout?
• What are the meanings behind the symbols of the bird that speaks, the orange tree that dances, and the water that jumps and leaps?
• What if everything seemed to blossom around the Gardner's Wife except for having children?
• Would the Gardener's Wife have a favorite plant or tree? Would it be referred to in the story?
• What importance, if any, is there for the titles to be Gardener and the Gardener's Wife versus Farmer and the Farmer's Wife? Has this any Colombian connection? Does this mean that the Gardener and his Wife live within the palace?
• What draws the Queen to the garden? Was there a rumor that the King overhears and shares with her?
• Why would the King need a night patrol to overhear conversations? What kind of unrest is in the kingdom? What problems does the King fear that people may talk about?
• When reviewing the Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell), is the threshold when the Girl goes up the mountain and then down to the plain?
• What is the Gardener's Wife response when each of her Adopted Children go on the quest?
• Why does the Queen not sense the presence of her own Children when with the Gardener's Wife? Or does she?

Finally, a rough outline of the story was drawn as I wanted the Gardener's Wife to be the focus whereas the original focuses on three sisters and who they want to marry first.

Besides whiteboards, I am a believer in scrap paper. The image below is the original outline and some of the print from the other side can be seen:






















This is only the beginning of a fantastic journey for "The Gardener's Wife". Feel free to follow the process.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

The Grand Finale Story: At Last it is Found

Though I listed the Colombian story "The Three Sisters" in a previous post, today was when inspiration struck.

Sometimes stories need to be set aside so that the right paths to take can be found on the creativity map.

The original story starts with three sisters giggling and teasing about who they would want to marry. The oldest sister would like to be with the king's baker as then she can have sponge cake all day. The middle sister would like to be with the king's steward as then she can have anything in the pantry to eat. The youngest sister would like to be with the king himself as then there is quite a feast to eat for every meal.

This conversation is overhead and reported to the king, and the king has these idle wishes to come to pass. The oldest and middle sisters are jealous though they do marry their respective grooms. Eventually, the king and the youngest sister, now the queen, have a child. The two jealous sisters switch out the baby for a dog and then put the baby in a wooden coffin and send it down the river.

Then we meet a gardener and his wife who are unable to have children. The baby is found and they praise God for the blessing.

The king and queen have a second baby. The jealous sisters switch out the baby again, this time for a cat, and send the baby down the river. Again, the gardener and his wife are blessed.

A third time the king and queen have a baby. The jealous sisters switch out the baby for a piece of wood. The gardener and wife are joyous beyond measure as a third child comes down the river to them.

There is much more to this story, though I discovered that I had the most compassion on the gardener's wife. As my husband and I want children of our own and have started the adoption process, I could hear the sounds of joy that the gardener's wife must have shared when her husband walked through the door with a baby, and then a second one, and finally a third. The story came alive and it was at that moment I knew this story had to be part of the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

For this reason, I will rename this story from "The Three Sisters" to "The Gardener's Wife".

I looked at the back of the Latin American Folktales: stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions edited by John Bierhorst for any notes or hints of other versions and variants. As this was a book published by Pantheon Books, there was guidance.

I learned the following:

• Aarne-Thompson Motif Index is type 707 of The Three Golden Sons
• Versions with this type 707 could be found in California, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, New Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Europe, India, and the Middle East
• Colombian version found in this book is close to the one shared in Thousand and One Nights

Naturally, I will search out these other kinds as well as research the Colombian culture.

I have found the final destination with the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production--this story!

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Dough between the Fingers: A Story Considered

Have you ever kneaded dough or rolled up a bunch in your hands?

When the dough squishes through the fingers and you feel a little bit of flour that did not quite get mixed up with the rest of it? That sensation had new meaning when I read the story called "Two Sisters" from Latin American Folktales: stories from Hispanic and Indian traditions edited by John Bierhorst.

A poor sister worked in the kitchen for her rich sister. As the woman rolled the dough and made the many tasty morsels, she was careful not to wash the dough from her fingers before heading home to her thin and hungry children. Once the children were gathered about, she would wash the leftover dough into a bowl and that would be supper.

Ironically, this type of meal made her children round in the bellies while the rich sister wondered how this could be as her own children were skinny despite having plenty to eat.

I seriously considered this story as part of the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production. The story, though beautiful, was too short for me to develop. Then again, I have known storytellers like David Novak who have taken a few lines of a nursery tale or song and created 30-minute or more masterpieces from them. As for me, I wished that the "Two Sisters" story would have had more scenes so that I could feel more comfortable in transforming it into a more encompassing piece.

In the end, I have chosen not to tell this story for this program. I do enjoy the image of the dough washed from the mother's fingers and may incorporate that part into a different story told.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Latin Tales with the Right Aroma: Pantheon Books

I can never seem to leave a bookstore empty-handed. The trip to Barnes & Noble was no different.

The book that caught my eye was "Latin American Folktales: stories from Hispanic and Indian traditions" edited by John Bierhorst. When I saw it was published by Pantheon Books, I knew I had struck gold. Books from this publisher have fantastic notes in the back on each of the stories and even lists the Aarne-Thompson (At) Motif-Index.

I became more fully aware of this fact due to my Storytelling Masters program at East Tennessee State University. More specifically, Dr. Joseph D. Sobol urged two publishers when considering collections of folktales: Pantheon Books and the University of Chicago Press.

With guides to the AT, then I could be guided to other version or variants of any stories that I would want to add to the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

As I scanned the Table of Contents, I searched for titles of stories that may suggest family relationships as the center focus. Not all can be gained from titles, but it is a start. If it had family connections as well as references to food or famine, then it intrigued me more.

These are some that caught my attention first:

• "Mother and Daughter" from Columbia, yet only half a page so it would be hard to develop
  
• "The Witch Wife" from Columbia, which reveals the strange eating habits of the man's wife and the consequences for the husband when he discovered why
• "The Three Sisters" from Columbia, where three sisters said who they would marry and the kinds of foods they would expect from each husband

I need to read the whole book, though sometimes research and story development means I cannot read from cover to cover as I would prefer.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller