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Dear [FIRSTNAME],

In this latest edition of the newsletter, there are pieces in the usual columns. In addition, I've added, in the right margin, three books, which I've found extremely useful - Artists and Writers Yearbook 2008, The Complete Plain Words, Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English. I've placed the links directly to Amazon.com. If you do invest in them, I hope that you will find them as useful as I have.

Brian Porter, one of the storytellers I recently interviewed, has sent me an announcement under 'Tell Everyone About'. In his words: [I] hope you can use the article which may serve to give a little inspiration to anyone reading. Success can lie waiting just around the corner for those who persevere at their craft, as I think this short article indicates. I, therefore, suggest you read his piece in the column and follow the links therein.

I'm looking for more storytellers to interview and more books to offer for our contest. So, if you'd like to be interviewed or have a book you'd like to offer, please contact me by email at editor@howtotellagreatstory.com

Here's to your storytelling success.

Aneeta Sundararaj

editor@howtotellagreastory.com

The Uses of Past and Present Tense When Telling a Story

When writing or telling a story orally, we must pay particular attention to our tenses. What do I mean by this? Several summers ago, I attended a one-week intensive storytelling session with Laura Simms – a renowned storyteller from New York City. There were fifteen of us working on a story of our choice with Laura coaching, critiquing and sharing her years of storytelling experience with us. One of the areas of storytelling style that she stressed was the use of the proper tense. This might seem obvious and/or a small, nitty-gritty topic, but following her directive has made quite a difference in my storytelling. In this column, I will share her suggestions.

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If you would like to be interviewed for this column, please send an email to editor@howtotellagreatstory.com

Do you want stories? (2)

“I don’t want stories,” when it should be, “I don’t want excuses.” The receiver goes away only to return with “stories” to tell as “excuses.” If she does not have any “stories,” she manufactures one at least, because the instruction her boss gave made her believe that she can dress up excuses in the garb of stories. And when an occasion demands that she tells a story, she cannot. The damage had been done, by the belief that grew from an accumulation of misdirected messages delivered in the wrong style.

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Committed to Change

The local NSP office was full. The Annual General Meeting [AGM] just happened to coincide with a march through the town that day, protesting at the proposal to build yet another mega store, within 100 metres of the existing one.’

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How to break the habit of writing bad English

  In 1946, George Orwell published an essay, Politics and the English Language. Although the essay has a political slant, storytellers who would like to learn the art of storytelling should read this article in its entirety. The essay shows how people develop a bad writing habit and how to break this habit. What I have done, in this article, is to pick out the most relevant bits of what Mr. Orwell wrote and highlight them for you:

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That or Which? 

The usage of that or which can confuse the best of writers, and often leaves the grammarians scratching their heads. Below we will look at both words and try to find a solution.

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Aquarius' Child

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The Zahir is a work of literary fiction. In the tale, the narrator is a bestselling novelist who lives in France and enjoys all the privileges his money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover. The narrator does not know whether Esther has been kidnapped or murdered? Or, did she leave of her own accord? He has no answers but many questions, one of them being whether he wants her back at all. One day, Mikhail finds him and promises to reunite him with Esther. During this journey to find his wife, the narrator finds out something about himself: 

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I'm delighted that two of my e-books achieved Top Ten finishes in the recent Annual Preditors and Editors Readers Awards. 'The Nemesis Cell' came a creditable 6th, (Mystery Novel), my short story trilogy 'Murder, Mayhem and Mexico came 9th (Anthologies). Following the results, my agent secured a paperback contract for 'The Nemesis Cell'. The paperback will appear later this year.  All in all, a terrific beginning to the new year, which will now see five of my books appearing in paperback, with the possibility of a sixth looming on the horizon. The first of these ‘A Study in Red’ is now on sale via Amazon.com or http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.comm. For further details and information please go to www.freewebs.com/brianlp

 Hand-made, exotic cards using Batik That your Family and Friends Will Love, Admire and Cherish

How are people going to know about your resources if you don't tell them? Here's your chance - Send info about your stuff and we'll post it here for free. Please keep the number of words to no more than 125. Send an email to editor@howtotellagreatstory.com with 'Tell Everyone About ...' in the subject line.

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