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“Go Away!” the Storyteller said.

 

The questions we, as storytellers, ask ourselves can drive even the sanest of men mad. The ‘person’ who asks these questions is often called the ‘inner critic’. While the inner critic is crucial to any form of storytelling, listening too much to this person’s ‘words of advice’ can inhibit a storyteller’s success. The following is a conversation between a storyteller and his inner critic that shows a storyteller how to shut his inner critic up.

 

Inner critic: You just can’t tell a story.

 

Storyteller: What do you mean I can’t tell a story?

 

Inner critic: Well, look at you. I’m telling you, you can’t tell a story.

 

Storyteller: Well, maybe I can’t. Then again, maybe I can. I’ll never really know unless you let me try. That’s the only way we’ll both find out.

 

Inner critic: Who do you think you are? Some fancy storyteller like Hans Christian Anderson? Do you know how many storytellers end up really poor?

 

Storyteller: Do you know how many storytellers have followed their dreams and ended up being filthy rich?

 

Inner critic: Still, my job is to warn you about the pitfalls of storytelling. What if you make a fool of yourself? What if you forget to describe an important character? What if nobody laughs? Will you be able to look at yourself in the mirror the day after?

 

Storyteller: Let me tell you something. Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m gong to pick up the newspaper and look for a picture of the most horrible criminal alive today. Then I’m going to say that you are that person. I’ll stick this picture up on my wall and every single time you say something nasty to me, I’m going to look you in the eye and tell you, “I am going to tell my story.”

 

Inner critic: You just try it. What do you know? That’s just a picture. I still have my voice and my voice will be louder than yours when I tell you, you can’t tell a proper story.

 

Storyteller: Oh, well. I’ll just turn your picture over then. You know how they say, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

 

Inner critic: That’s it. That’s what I mean. You just ignore my advice and carry on as if nothing I say matters. You have to listen to me. For you own good. You just have to.

 

Storyteller: Don’t you throw a tantrum. You’re just like a child.

 

Inner critic: I’m not a child! I am trying to warn you about a potential case of having egg on your face when you tell your story.

 

Storyteller: O.K. Let’s make a deal.

 

Inner critic: A deal? What sort of deal?

 

Storyteller: It’s like this. You stop talking for at least 1 hour. Let me write down my story during this 1 hour. When I’m done, you can tell me what you think and I’ll listen. How about that?

 

Inner critic: Can you write your whole story in 1 hour? See, I told you you’d fail. You can’t even finish the story …

 

Storyteller: Hold it! I never said I was going to write the whole story in 1 hour. I want to spend 1 hour writing a story. I don’t know if I’ll complete this story or not. But, I do know that I will try.

 

Inner critic: Oh.

 

Storyteller: Well? What do you think? Do we have a deal?

 

Inner critic: What choice do I have? I suppose I will have to agree.

 

Storyteller: Great! Now, I can get back to my story?

 

Inner critic: But, I tell you, you can’t write.

 

Storyteller: Oh, just go away, will you.

 

 

Aneeta Sundararaj is the editor-in-chief of ‘How To Tell A Great Story’ (www.howtotellagreatstory.com). She has written for many online resources and manages to popular ezine, Great StoryTelling Network!. If you'd like some advice or just comfort as you learn the process of storytelling, you can contact Aneeta by visiting her site, http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com

 

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