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Great
StoryTelling Network
... Connecting StoryTellers Worldwide |
Volume 3, Issue 4 - 22 February 2006
Brought to you by Aneeta Sundararaj and Eric Okeke
To subscribe to this newsletter, please go to:
http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com/gsn/indextogsn.html
Please forward this whole newsletter to your friends and colleagues.
A WARM WELCOME TO ALL OUR NEW SUBSCRIBERS!
I.
Introduction
Dear ,
I had the immense pleasure of interviewing an amazing woman, Lynn
Grocott, for 'Blow Your Own Trumpet!'. Her story is about a person who
faced so much adversity in life and yet, she managed to not only
overcome all of her problems, she is now sharing her story with others
and what revenue she derives from the sale of her autobiography is
channelled into a cause she believes in. I suggest you read her story -
links can be found under the appropriate column - and as a bonus, if
you'd like to invest in her book and support her cause, I've put a link
to Amazon.com for you at the bottom of the page.
If you're particularly interested in storytelling, you'll be pleased to
know I've started a new resource on the website. It's all about the
books, websites and other resources you can find on the net which
provide all sorts of information for resources. You'll be able to find
links to all of them on the side bar of any of the pages on the site.
However, for your ease of reference, I'll list them here:
I've listed a new paying market, Chapman Magazine which claims to
publish material that is controversial, influential, outspoken and
intelligent. The link is posted below and I hope you find it successful.
We have a new contest running - it's a book about how to lead a
healthier life by Steve Halls. My interest was immediately piqued when I
saw that the title of the book was 'FBI' and in the next instant, I
realised, 'FBI' was short for, 'Fit Body Initiative'. Do join the
contest and you never know, you may win a copy of this book!
I've also posted a new review of
The Compassionate Rebel
– Energized by Anger, Motivated by Love,
which I hope you'll enjoy reading and perhaps get a copy for yourself.
There are new articles on storytelling, a new review and much more to
read. I hope you enjoy the read. Do send me an email at
editor@howtotellagreatstory.com if you'd like to share your views
and thoughts.
StoryAsia, focuses on a story, which I must admit, I've told before.
However, I really enjoyed reading it again myself and decided that I
would highlight it in this newsletter. I'm certain you'll enjoy reading
it as well.
As for StoryAfrica, I've not heard from Eric and I have a feeling he's
feverishly getting his ebook entitled 'I Want A Husband' ready for
publication on the 15th of March, 2006.
I hope you enjoy all that we've prepared for you to read.
Here's to your storytelling success.
Aneeta Sundararaj
editor@howtotellagreatstory.com
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STORYAFRICA
StoryAfrica: Soccer
Crazy Nigerians
... Soccer is one sport that bind Nigerians. It totally engulfs their passion especially when the national football team, the Super Eagles, are playing. The frenzy, the tension, the emotional attachment of Nigerians to soccer and their national team is so strong that big businesses now use continental football competition as a promotional medium to advertise and sell their products and services. If the Eagles win any match, especially through penalty shoot outs, a storyteller can write a book in 28 days from the stories Nigerians tell the following day about the match as everyone relieves his/her passion, experience and emotional turmoil during the penalty shoot outs. Those who suffer from hypertension or cannot stand the tension during matches move away from their television sets when the tension becomes too much.
To read more,
click here
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STORYASIA
Wayang Kulit
Last year, my friend and I went to watch a
movie. Nothing strange I suppose, but the
catch to this adventure was that the movie
was aired outdoors! When we arrived at the
venue, we bought tickets, spread out our
mats and enjoyed the experience of watching
the not-so-good movie, under the stars. It
was the experience of going to an open air
cinema that we enjoyed most. The event was
touted as a success in the media and I
certainly enjoyed myself. However, there was
a niggling feeling inside me that all this
excitement was not quite right. I could not
figure out why.
A few days later, I figured out why!
I realised that with all the development
in this country, we seemed to have forgotten
that before TV., malls, cinemas with Dolby
systems, DVDs, vcds, home theatre systems,
popcorn, some terribly violent movies,
movies that showed just a little too much
romance, air-conditioning set so cold that
one had to use a jumper to keep warm in
tropical Malaysia, Asians had been going to
the open air cinema for centuries. We had
been attending the 'Wayang' for years.
To read more,
click here
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TIPS FOR STORYTELLERS
10
mistakes a writer
makes …
... I am only going to list the ten in point-form; but for those who would like
to write a story, I suggest you read the complete article.
1. REPEATS
Just about every writer unconsciously leans on a "crutch" word.
2. FLAT WRITING
"He wanted to know but couldn't understand what she had to say, so he waited until she was ready to tell him before asking what she meant."
Something is conveyed in this sentence, but who cares? The writing is so flat, it just dies on the page. You can't fix it with a few replacement words - you have to give it depth, texture, character. Here's another:
3. EMPTY ADVERBS
Actually, totally, absolutely, completely, continually, constantly, continuously, literally, really, unfortunately, ironically, incredibly, hopefully, finally - these and others are words that promise emphasis, but too often they do the reverse. They suck the meaning out of every sentence.
To read more,
click here... |
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WHAT'S YOUR
FASCINATING STORY?
How two boys I never met changed my
life.
I was motorcycling solo in southern
Mexico the year I became a grandfather. I was traveling from town to
town, gradually making my way to Costa Rica.
In one town I visited -- I don't remember the name -- I stopped by a
brick wall about two meters high. The wall surrounded a city block that
housed the local market. It was hot in the mid-afternoon sun, and I was
heading into the market where I could see shade trees.
The sidewalk by the wall was almost deserted. Two 8- or 9-year-old boys
with a shoeshine box were waiting patiently on the sidewalk by the wall.
I wondered why they weren t at school. I assumed they were very poor and
had to work.
To read more,
click here.
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ARTICLES AND BOOKCLUB
Review of
The Compassionate Rebel
– Energized by Anger,
Motivated by Love
When I
finished reading this book, I felt deeply honoured to have been given
the chance to review this book and immensely humbled by the stories
therein.
The
immense effort put in by the four people (Berlow, Janke, Penshorn and
Cota) is visible from the word ‘Go’. The book begins with an
Introduction which is a short essay on the concept of the Compassionate
Rebel. Who are they? What do they do? How do they do what they do and
also how to use the book – it clearly sets out the theme for the book
and on the whole, the book has succeeded in keeping to this. And, what
it the theme? Perhaps, it is easiest to reproduce part of the text
here:
Ever day, the media take snapshots of our culture. And, though it is
said that the camera doesn’t lie, what we see is not truth. In fact,
we are being lied to about something very basic: who we are. … In
The Compassionate Rebel, we take the camera, literally and
figuratively, into our own hands and point it at people whose
stories depict the rest of who we are. Through interviews, stories,
and photographs, we share with you a hidden culture, and our hope is
to reveal it in its full power and beauty. ...
To read more, please
click here
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BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET!!
The Eleven Thousand Pound Woman - an interview Lynn Grocott
(10 February 2006)
A few days ago, I
received a rather non-descript email
from one Lynn Grocott. However, when I
delved further and looked at her website
and read her bio, I was intrigued by the
way in which she has overcome many of
her adversities. She very kindly let me
have a copy of her autobiography and I
was not wrong. Reading her story was
inspiring and the fact that she is
channeling the proceeds from the
sale of her book towards helping raise
money for a cause she believes in is
astounding. It is with great pleasure I
introduce you to Lynn Grocott.
To read more, please
click here. |
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PAYING MARKETS FOR STORYTELLERS...
Chapman Magazine
http://www.chapman-pub.co.uk/
... Founded in 1970, it
has become a dynamic force in Scottish culture covering theatre,
politics, language and the arts. Our highly-respected forum for poetry,
fiction, criticism, review and debate makes it essential reading for
anyone interested in contemporary Scotland.
Chapman welcomes
submissions of poetry, short fiction, critical essays provided they are
accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope/International Reply Coupons.
- Fiction: Any length
considered – the criterion is quality. Please do not send more than one
item at a time.
- Prose: Ideally no
longer than 3,000 words. Critical articles are usually commissioned, but
not exclusively. Suggestions are always welcome. Please write with
outline of idea first.
- Poetry: Broadly
speaking, submissions should normally contain between four and ten
poems. We do not publish single poems, exceptional circumstances apart.
- Illustrations/artwork:
We accept artwork with submissions at our discretion. We also welcome
approaches from artists, particularly if they read Scots or Gaelic.
Submissions should be
presented as double-line-spaced typescript, with indented paragraphs.
Use double quotes for dialogue and quotations, ind 4ate italics with
underscore. Avoid using footnotes – we are not an academic journal.
Poems should be one to a page.
Our reading process
generally takes about three months. Payment varies, but is around
£8/page.
... |
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TELL EVERYONE ABOUT ...
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Hi:
I just discovered that my novel, Bottom Time is
now registered on Amazon.com
The trouble is
that there is only one review and it is by a professional reviewer
who gave it 4 out of five stars and I think it is a pretty poor review
anyway. He misses the point of good humor in the college days and
the different types of women in Robbie's life. He seems to focus
on the diving which was really a small part of the story. It makes
me wonder if he read the whole book.
If you have read the book and feel like it would you write a
review for me. Just a short one would be fine.
Here's the link:
Bottom Time
Thanks,
Steve Robertson
How are people going to know about your great storytelling
resources [books, websites, newsletters, forums, e-books,
manuals, ideas, thoughts, tapes and so much more] 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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WHAT OUR READERS ARE SAYING ...
And we can both be thankful
to Aneeta for providing yet another way of making the world smaller
through networking.
Dr. Neill Neill
Yes, one of the beautiful things about Aneeta's work is that it
brings people together.
Rosemarie Skaine
Hi Aneeta,
Thank you so much for the wonderful lengthy review! I always enjoy
reading reviews because it gives me added insight into the work we
are doing. ...
Rebecca Janke
Dear Aneeta,
...
I meant to tell you earlier that I greatly enjoyed reading your blog. I
especially liked the article on self- publishing. It was very
informative and the feedback from Singapore was good too. Well done!!
Saradha
... I have started working through your e-book, How to
tell a great story, and am enjoying it. Gopal
Ramasammy-Cook
I am so thrilled with
this
you have done a fantastic
job
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