Traded Time for What is Most Important

I volunteered to coach youth tellers from the Ogden City School District for the Weber State University Storytelling Festival, and this meant a time switch of the usual practice time with my story buddy, Joanna Huffaker, for The Changeling story.

Later in the evening, I attended the Clearfield Storytelling Festival. Several people asked, when I arrived, if I was performing. I said, "No, but I love being story listener, too!"

I received permission to have a booth on storytelling, which included a poster and some postcards of my premiere.

Marilyn Lawrence, substitute teacher through the Davis School District, was there and said she planned to go to the premiere.

She missed me at the 2009 Farmington Storytelling Festival. I was invited to tell there but it conflicted with the Adoption Education Seminar that my husband and I attended to learn about the adoption process.

I am glad we went to the seminar though.

Time is sometimes needed to trade for that which is most important.

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

Postcard Delivery: An Early Christmas Gift

I got an early Christmas present as the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" postcards arrived today!

I expected the postcards to arrive December 31st so I could take care of labels and have things sent out January 2nd. PrintsMadeEasy.com is closed on Saturdays and Sundays plus the U.S. Postal Service is off a couple days during the holiday season. I must have barely placed the order online to make the December 24th date.

When the doorbell rang and the box was placed on the doorstep, I was so taken aback that I wondered what could be inside the box.

That was only for a moment.

Then I could not open the box fast enough. I squealed like a little girl, a now 29-year-old girl.

When I pulled out the cards, I was impressed. . .except that the light blue background coloring was more purple than light blue. This made some headings harder to read. I made a note to check the printing color for the posters to have the light blue. Since most people would look close at the postcard anyway, then the readability was good enough.

With PrintsMadeEasy.com, I could have opted (for a fee) to have a hard-copy sent to me so I could authorize the coloring. I was more interested in speed. With that choice came consequences.

My friends and family assured me that the postcards did look great.

Nevertheless, the next time I print postcards, or anything else that involves color, I will check the printing.

The trick will be to order them early enough to speed is not as important as the overall quality.

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 3:00am Discovery: Opening Story Found!

Oh how glorious it is to feel like the whole program is in place for "Family Famine: Hunger for Love"!

I wrestled at night, for my mind was bothered that I did not have an opening story. With less than two months away, I was in panic mode.

I had actually found center and finale stories for other "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" programs beyond the premiere--but no opening stories.

Yesterday I talked with Don Doyle on the telephone for some advice. I did not talk long as he was in the hospice to be at the bedside of his wife. If I had known before I placed the call, I would not have called.

Nevertheless, he brought up the Irish story The Changeling also known as The Brewery of Eggshells. My mind was shaken when he mentioned it as I had considered the story at one time for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere. I had brushed the story aside as I thought that it was a tale too familiar with people. I tend to gravitate towards stories that few people know.

However, this may connect me with the audience faster as they hear something familiar yet shared with a Rachel twist.

So as this story tossed around in my head, I tossed about and could not sleep. Then at 3:05am I knew that The Changeling really was the story for this premiere and by 3:08am I sent an email to Elizabeth Ellis on my decision.

I had told this story for my St. Patrick's Day set in March 2008 and bookended this story with a personal moment being the oldest sister and my Mom showing off my little brother to everyone. This was similar to Mrs. Sullivan and her baby. She showed off her baby so much that the fairies exchanged her baby for one of their people.

The way I told it had humor as well as a kind of suspense found in a ghost story. I did a little research on fairies and changelings, though I could do more. This story could also address child abuse indirectly as Mrs. Sullivan asks her neighbors what to do. Some say to roast the child alive and other say to burn off its nose. I could emphasize this slightly and have Mrs. Sullivan wonder about her neighbor's children as a result of their answers.

Interestingly enough, this was my opening story in March 2008 and now it will be my opening story in February 2009!

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

Utah First Friday: Sing through Noise in 60 Seconds

Whenever possible, I like to attend the Utah First Fridays, which are monthly gathering of business owners and entrepreneurs.

Usually I am the only storyteller so it catches people off guard when they ask me what I do.

Twice a year there are exhibits. As my posters and postcards were not done yet for the premiere, reserving a table seemed a waste. However, I did provide a prize for the drawing.

Any prizes needed to have at least $25+ in value. Though the Covey Center for the Arts is the only place allowed to sell tickets, I do have authority to give a few away as long as I give them the details. I decided to have four tickets ($40 value) plus a fruit basket. Since it is called "Family Famine: Hunger for Love", thought the fruit added a nice touch plus then they could enjoy the food while anxiously awaiting the premiere.

Part of the benefit of giving a prize is the 60 seconds given to the sponsor.

In my imagination, I pictured at least 100 or more business people all at rapt attention as the drawings were called out. The number was right but not the silence!

Due to the booths, people were chatting even during the drawings and the 60-seconds that people shared about their companies, products, or events.

Luckily, I had already decided that 30 of my 60 seconds would go towards singing the lullaby in "The Gardener's Wife" story. I thought about telling a snippet of a tale, but that may still seem similar to the regular talk shared by other people. I doubted anyone else would sing.

I was right.

Though there was quite a bit of chatter for other people's time announcing, it did quiet the most with me. I did not even give an introduction. I took the microphone and sang. I figured to get their attention first and then talk.

As a storyteller, I know that a list of facts will not get me anywhere. Stories bring emotions and songs are a level of storytelling.

I gave some of the details of the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere and then gave the prize away. Afterward, I was pleased that people came up to me and complimented me on my singing. One lady became interested in joining the Utah Storytelling Guild. That alone made it worth it.

Though I did not have any posters or postcards yet, I did create make-shift business cards only on the event. I am confident that some people will attend the premiere from these cards.

***As a side note, I met a man named Clayton Rand from United Bank Card who showed me a credit and debit card processing system as small as a cellphone with a printer for the receipt about the same size. The picture above is when this small device on the right while the regular size is on the left.

Clayton can be reached at (801) 897-8911 or at claytonrand@gmail.com. "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" will tour and it will be nice to have a portable device to sell DVD copies of the premiere as well as any other storytelling merchandise. It is too late to add to the Christmas list, but eventually I will have something like that device. As of now, it costs $225. If you contact Clayton, please mention my name and say "hi" for 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

Road Trip for a Book: The Storyteller's Sourcebook

I explore several libraries with my most regular stops with the Salt Lake County Libraries and the Davis County Libraries.

Living in Layton, the Central Branch of Davis County is the closest one to me at about 10 minutes from my home whereas I tend to find the best selection at the Whitmore Branch of the Salt Lake County Library system after a 45-minute drive.

I assumed that the Central Branch would have a copy of the coveted book "The Storyteller's Sourcebook: A Subject, Title, and Motif Index to Folklore Collections for Children 1983-1999" edited by Margaret Read MacDonald and Brian W. Sturm.

There were some pages I needed to continue my research on possible opening stories for my premiere. I aimed for the Reference Juvenile Literature section as that was where I found it at the Weber County Library on November 19th. It was not there. I checked the computer to be sure. There was not a copy at any of the seven branches of the Davis County Library system!

I glanced at my watch. It was 5:35pm. The Weber County Library closed at 6:00pm on Saturdays.

I ran to my car and drove as fast as I could knowing it would take from 20-25 minutes to drive depending on traffic.

I forgot about the Christmas parade.

The road that headed east and usually taken to the library was closed due to the parade.

I headed more north, looking to east at every intersection to see if this part of the street was open. No luck. I wondered aloud, "How long is this parade?!"

By this time it was 5:53pm.

Finally, I saw where the parade ended and zoomed until I saw the blessed building: Weber County Library.

I did not care that I parked crooked. I was here. I bolted for the doors. I knew exactly where this book was and grabbed it from the shelf.

Then the copier had to be. . .temperamental (to put it nicely).

After a few battles and asking for a librarian's help, I made the copies of the pages in the book that listed all the motif codes in connection to family and folklore.

If you read a previous post, you may wonder I did not make copies of these pages as the book was in my hands on November 19th. My response would be "Why do we do or not do things?" Sometimes there is not a clear answer.

Yet I had the copies now and felt more prepared to find the opening story for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere.

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

"Economy of Language": From Character's View

The previous post was also on "Economy of Language". Now for another view.

On September 10, 2008 I finally created an account with Twitter, a social online tool. This could be an exercise for storytellers to test their skills in being concise. You are limited to 140 characters (notice characters and NOT words) per post.

How would each story in my repertoire look if it was condensed to 140 characters? This may be a little longer than the one-liner found inside the cover of books above the ISBN number.

Telling the story aloud and condensing within a five-minute, three-minute, or one-minute frame seems easy compared to only having 140 characters to write that same piece.

President Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared how in the 1960s during the Vietnam war, Jay Hess became captured in Hanoi after his plane was shot down. Brother Hess had not seen his family for over two years and was uncertain when he'd see his family again.

He had only 25 words to send a message and this is what he chose to write--
"These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college, press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year."

What would you write to your family?

Now, what if you only had two characters?

This question is easy for me: 88.

My parents are both ham radio operators and "88" was something they could tell each other over the airwaves as "88" meant "hugs and kisses". Another way to express "I love you". These characters look a lot like the "xo" that many people place on birthday cards to wish the same thing. It's easy to see why "88" came to equal "xo".

Here's a clip hosted by Walter Cronkite on ham radio:


Can you sense a story? Perhaps one of my personal reflection moments within "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" could share the importance of the characters "88" to me.

That is love within the "Economy of Language".

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

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

"Economy of Language": From Teller's View

Sometimes people ask me to summarize a story. Often, the summary is longer than the story itself.

At one point, Don Doyle challenged me to take a 55-minute story and tell it as a 5-minute story. He knew that whatever I shared in that condensed time would demonstrate what was most important to me.

I made a couple attempts to do as Don asked. I was over in time each time though every practice brought me closer to the 5-minute goal.

Such an exercise is needed for any story that I share for "Family Famine: Hunger for Love", though perhaps the 5-minute goal could change to 3-minute or 1-minute challenges based on the average telling length of the story.

Elizabeth Ellis encouraged the "economy of language" for the storyteller while I was at East Tennessee State University working on my Masters in Storytelling. She continued that there were "millions upon millions of choices" for a storyteller to make into how a story is presented.

Is there a stronger--and perhaps shorter--way to tell the story or to form images in the heads of your listeners?

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

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

Fundraising vs. Ticketed Event: What is feasible?

Depending on the venue found for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production, I may be able to turn it into a fundraising event in connection with the National Storytelling Network.

Some places have set rules in regards to ticketed events or whether donations could be collected or even if the presence of money is allowed. The cost to have the venue in the first place could also determine what is feasible for the presenter to give to another cause after covering expenses.

While at the 2008 National Storytelling Conference, the "Heroes Campaign" was introduced where at least 100 storytelling concerts or workshops across the nation will raise at least $250 each to support the National Storytelling Network and thus furthering visibility and respectability for the art. This would become an annual tradition much like Tellabration!, another NSN trademarked program.

As is the benefit for registering an event for free to be part of Tellabration! and being allowed to use the logo and materials that connects with the program, so there will be a logo created for the Heroes Campaign and a sense of national advocacy. The "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production could be part of the movement.

The Heroes Campaign would have a specific domain name for its website linked to anywhere NSN has an Internet presence. A Facebook account will be pursued for NSN as well as for the Heroes Campaign. This way the organization will reach beyond the isolated storytelling community and follow the trends that our cousin arts such as theatre, music, and visual arts have already done to spread the word and reach larger audiences.

I may need to set aside the first $250 towards the campaign and then have anything extra to defray my own costs for producing and developing this event. Otherwise, I could announce within my advertising and to any attendees that 50% would go to the National Storytelling Network and 50% would go to me so there is nothing hidden about where the money is going.

This only reminds me how important it is to solidify the venue on the Brigham Young University campus to see what my options would be for fundraising.

Feel free to donate--whether in time or in money--to "Family Famine: Hunger for Love". Specify if a certain amount is going to the National Storytelling Network versus the production costs. Please contact me at info@rachelhedman.com.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://rachelhedman.com
How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com
Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com

***I will share more details on the Heroes Campaign as more information becomes available.