"Message in a Bottle" approach to Story Marketing

Instead of throwing a bottle into the sea and hoping someone will respond by mail, the Internet has transformed how people can communicate through chain objects in what has been dubbed "serial collaborations".

I am convinced of the marketing potential in these trends.


Have you heard of any of the following?--

• BookCrossing
• Geocaching
• Letter Boxing
• Flat Stanley
• Travel Mascots
• Where's George?
• Travel Bugs
• Roaming Gnomes

Rather than dreaming of the places that your object has traveled, ID numbers are connected to the item before being "set free" so that when people find them, they can register it online.

My Dad and brother have GPS systems and so they occasionally geocache. Sometimes Mom goes along if the quest sounds exciting enough. I went once with my parents.

I was amazed to discover the different types of serial collaborations as shared by Lynne McNeill while at the "Metamorphoses: An International Colloquium on Narrative and Folklore" on the University of Utah campus held from October 2-5. She is a professor of English and Folklore from Utah State University and presented her paper "Message in a Bottle: The Unspoken Narrative of Serial Collaboration." She has also written "Portable Places: Serial Collaboration and the Creation of a New Sense of Place" published through Western Folklore in Summer 2007, which you can find here.

The intrigue lies in that the communication is blindly put out in the world in search of another like-minded individual. McNeill saw the interaction as "serendipitous and meaningful but not burdensome" as communicating with strangers does not require any maintenance of the friendship.

My mind raced as how storytellers could use these serial collaborations to promote the art, or even a specific program such as my "Family Famine: Hunger for Love."

As I gather more stories and decide what ones will be shared for my narrative production, I would like to publish a book. Whether it would be self-published or done through a publishing company is yet to be seen. However, if I were to "release" the book through BookCrossings, I could watch its travels around the world and receive comments as to the stories within.

I asked McNeill, "Wouldn't it be great if there were more books of folktale collections out there?" She nodded her head and could tell the direction I was going with it.

If we worry that kids or even adults are reading as much of these folktales as we would like, why not send some out through BookCrossings? If each storyteller put out at least one book and each book reaches at least 10 people, can you see the potential?

I would urge the same idea for any storyteller/author. Every time you publish a book, send at least one copy through BookCrossings. You could even "release" the books from different spots as you tour. People would comment after reading it and perhaps these comments could be used for marketing materials.

This idea has a fun factor that, if done by many storytellers, could transform into a phenomenon.

Now I challenge you to think of the other types of serial collaborations listed above and think how a storyteller could apply them.

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

Orphans in Folklore--A Comparative Study

At some point we have all felt isolated or alone. For some of us, this thought is fleeting while for others it is a fact of life. . .at least until we discover our families.

It is not surprising that folklore has reflected these feelings.

MyLinda Butterworth, dear friend from East Tennessee State University Storytelling Master's Program, emailed me a link to the article "From Folktales to Fiction: Orphan Characters in Children's Literature" published by Melanie A. Kimball through Library Trends of the Winter 1999 edition. The bibliography alone is worth the read, though this comparative study also shares the patterns found among orphan tales.

Kimball stated that the orphan is the "quintessential outcast, operates in isolation, and thus makes the perfect hero figure."

The orphan is many times the victim of hostile actions from verbal abuse, physical abuse, emotional trauma, and even treat of death. Fortunately, any mistreatment usually is answered by punishment for the offender.

In the meantime of having justice, the orphan is forced to face obstacles alone without having a family member to say, "Come with me." or "Things will be all right." Although, the spirit of the dead mother, which embodies the essence of love, provides some form of supernatural help.

Kimball observed that instead of the orphan leaving home to become independent, the orphan is "finding a home after coming from nothing."

Much more was shared by Kimball's article and I encourage you to read it. As for me, I will review the bibliography and see what books can help in research for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

Thank you, MyLinda, for the lead!

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

Soucouyants, Ezili Freda & other Caribbean Tales

Caribbean folklore is intriguing as I know little of this culture or of the supernatural figures that abound in it.

European, African, and many North American stories (excluding Caribbean) are commonly found in the repertoire of most of the storytellers I know, to include myself.

I absorbed what several professors shared at the "Metamorphoses: An International Colloquium on Narrative and Folklore"on the University of Utah campus held from October 2-5, 2008.

However, my hand and wrist seemed unable to capture all the notes desired from the paper "Caribbean Animal-Human Metamorphosis and (Post) Colonial Agency" presented by Aliyah Khan, Professor of Caribbean Literature and Postcolonial Theory from University of California--Santa Cruz. My unfamiliarity with the culture crippled my speed.

I approached Khan and asked if she had recommendations of Caribbean folklore to research that related to the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production. She was kind to share a couple ideas. She was also willing to confirm authenticity of Caribbean culture in relation to any story I decided to tell.

Two supernatural figures require more research:

• Soucouyant--Old woman, mainly from Trinidad/Tobago areas, who transforms into a ball of fire by night to suck the blood of animals and humans, especially babies.

The Soucouyant often targets babies who are born a few nights previous. If the mother does not watch, then the baby may die. Some ways to protect are to wrap the baby in blue (references to water) or to scatter rice as the Soucouyant cannot leave until all the grains are counted. If she still is in her ball of fire form after sunrise, then she is destroyed. This could be a mother/child relationship piece for "Family Famine: Hunger for Love".

• Ezili Freda--A light-skinned Creole woman, from Haiti area, that is the Vodou goddess of love and luxury. She is doomed to unrequited love and she is often pictured with her heart pierced with a knife.

As the embodiment of femininity, there is the potential of finding stories that talk of fertility and barrenness and from there leads to motherhood.


To explore more about Caribbean tales, here are some sites:

• Bibliography from American Museum of Natural History
  
• The Franklin H. Williams Caribbean Cultural Center (no stories, though place to make connections)
• Wikipedia Caribbean folklore
  

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 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

When in Pursuit of a Logo: Paths to Take

As Cohezion Communications created phenomenal work from my logo to the Utah Storytelling Guild to StoryFest, then they would also help in putting my logo for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production (see image from my business card).

I asked for the logo to merge some elements of my own logo so that someone could look at the artwork and say, "This must be connected with Rachel Hedman."

Originally, I thought some Communications students from Brigham Young University could develop the logo, but it seems that this is not possible for this particular project. By going through a company, the starting cost is usually $500 whereas there is little to no cost when able to partner with a college class.

For quality I am willing to spend money to get it, though I am also aware that college students are taught the latest in software and techniques so the outcomes can be just as amazing.

Any program that I create should have a separate logo, though this narrative production will be the first to put my "rule" to action.

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

Silly & Provoking Family Quotes to Boost Memory

My eyes found "Wit and Wisdom from the Peanut Butter Gang, a collection of wise words from young hearts" by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. at one of the display areas that librarians create.

Simply flipping though the pages and reading some of the quotes had my mind journey to the past.

Here are some that provoked images or ideas for me--

• "If love isn't taught in the home, it is almost impossible to learn it anywhere else."--from 75-year-old great-grandmother, on p. 7
• "If your mom picks your clothes and you dislike them, tell her they don't fit."--Christie, age 12, on p. 15
• "My grandmother can say more in a sentence than a college professor can say in an hour and a half.", Angela, age 14, on p. 16
• "No matter how much I love something, mom will throw it away without a second's thought.", Brian, age 12, on p. 16
• "When you complain about doing the dishes, you usually get stuck doing them more often.", Nichole, age 14, on. p. 17
• "It's no fun to stay up all night if your parents don't care.", Carrie, age 15, on p. 19
• "If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. Parents always catch the second person.", Michael, age 10, on p. 21
• "When you mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.", Morgan, age 11, on p. 23
• "One of the greatest feelings in the world is the feeling you get when your little sister shows that she admires you.", Dawn, age 14, on p. 24
• "Despite all the loving and caring relationships in the world, there is nothing more loving than the feel of my mother's hand on my forehead when I am sick.", Rosemary, age 17, on p. 27
• "It's not always easy being a kid, but I bet it's even harder being an adult.", Julie, age 11, on p. 28
  

As I develop "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production, I want to merge personal reflection with the multicultural tales that I choose to tell that either reflect on the light or dark side of family relationships.

Perhaps a single quote could launch me into a library of ideas.

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