This first steps to building a puppet.

I’ve decided to build a puppet as a prop for telling my story. There are a couple other significant factors that have persuaded me build it as well. First of all, I think I’m going to pitch the story as a cartoon series. Second, if you refer back to the post “To Prop or Not” the second part of this story takes place in Hell and I’ve decided to make Satan a hand puppet in the story – more details to follow in the next post, but I think it’ll be pretty funny. However for this blog, I’m going to build the real life puppet which I intend to use during the storytelling… maybe. I’m not a ventriloquist therefore the audience might not buy into it, and I don’t want to pull them out of the story.

Speaking of pulling the audience out of the story, you might ask how a puppet can help with stage fright. I think it the puppet might help hide the speaker. Or, at least take attention off the story teller if he/she can break through the nervous barrier of using the puppet in the first place. That’s going to be the hardest part, since I already feel silly getting up on stage in the first place a puppet will likely amplify that feeling.

Anyway, to move along with the puppet building, I’m providing you with a link to a really good tutorial on eHow. It’s from the experts over at www.puppetsandstuff.com To watch the video series click here. They have a very detailed video series, which is where I initially learned to make a puppet. My version will be very basic, but will cover the main points. Below is a simplified step by step with pictures as I make the Satan puppet.

What you need:

•           At least 1 yard of Anti-pill fleece (I use normal fleece here, because I wanted to save some cash. Remember I’m a struggling writer). I’ve heard polar fleece works well too.

• A sewing machine.
• Scissors.
• Box cutters.
• Hot glue gun with glue.
• Contact Cement (Forgot to pick this up so I’m using fabric glue).
  
• A piece of cardboard from a juice box carton or similar material. See video.
• Two ping pong balls.
• A Sharpie or other similar marker that can write on fabric.
• Pillow stuffing.
• Some black fleece.
• A sheet of flexible foam. (I’m using an old egg crate mattress topper).
• Patience.

The first puppet I made was for my daughter. We’re big fans of the movie Labyrinth so I tried to make a comical goblin puppet this is what I came up with. His name is Boogie. Things didn’t necessarily work out so well during the creation process, but for a first time I don’t think he turned out too bad.

 Off we go.

1. Fold the fabric in half and draw a little humanoid character. (See the picture for reference and use your own hand as a guide to size the puppet.
   
2. Draw a funny head shape around where your hands were marked (see pic).
3. Once you have the shape you want, start sewing. Just follow the lines you drew. Take the time to ensure that your needle is going through both halves of the fleece.
4. After the sewing is completed, cut out the puppet. You don’t cut just outside of your stitching. I give myself at least 1/8 an inch.
5. Now you got to turn the puppet inside out. This can be tricky, especially with the fingers. I use the eraser side of a pencil to push them through.
6. And voila…   
7.                                              ……a  magic trick. The puppet has changed colors. Nope actually this is the 1^st puppet I made standing in for the Satan puppet. We had some unexpected problems with time and Mother Nature. I’m going to have to do the puppet building in installments. We’ll post the next episode in a couple days.

Here is another great site to learn more about building puppets, but this time out of Styrofoam.  

This blog is all about what story to tell.

So the first problem about storytelling is deciding on what kind of story to actually tell. This should be easy since we all like to tell stories to our friends’ right? Well not exactly, at least not for everyone. There are a lot of books out there on storytelling which discuss picking a story based on the audience, the teller’s ability, location, etc. etc. and etc. But all that stuff just makes it more work and that’s no fun. Instead, I tell whatever I’m in the mood for or something I enjoy. I consider all that stuff above because I don’t want to insult anyone. But if I’m not happy or proud of the story I’m about to tell, then it’s won’t be fun for the audience… I think. After all, I’ve only performed at one open mic.

            I write my own stories, but you don’t have to. Here’s a list (because blog readers apparently like lists) of ideas that might help you pick a story.

• Pick a story you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be funny, not all of mine are, but for some reason I feel that I have to make people laugh (we’ll talk about this later).
• Make sure you can tell the story within the time restrictions. Five minutes won’t be long enough to recount the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. But it might be interesting to see someone try.
• Pick a story you really enjoy. I can’t say this enough even though common sense asks; “Why would you want to tell a story you don’t like?” Answer: Maybe because you think it’ll be easier to tell, or you’ll remember it, or you’re don’t want to take a risk. All are valid answers.
• Chris King offers some valuable insight on what makes a good story. Check his website by clicking right… here.

Risk taking comes with the territory.

After all, I don’t like public speaking so it’s already a risk. Slate featured a great article by John Dickerson on the subject of risk taking. It’s got a fancy name, “Risk”. Its worth the read.

One risk I take is that most of my stories are adult oriented. Why? Here’s another list.

• I don’t want to perform for children. Nothing against them, hell I have one of my own. Occasional performances for children are okay, but most of my writing is for a mature audience.
• Most of the open mics I’ll be going to are at night, usually past bed time.
• Some of the open mics have alcoholic beverages. So, only the very cunning children are likely to be there.

I’m going to start working on a story about my meeting with Satan and my sentence to hell… yeah not all stories have to be true either.

Why you should read this blog.

There are a lot of blogs written by storytellers, yet very few of those delve into the process of working up to a performance such as: overcoming stage fright, deciding on what story to tell, whether to use props or not, what to eat, and what goes through a person’s mind while on stage. The idea here is to log and discuss a weekly, and sometimes daily, routine before actually performing at an open mic – a live audience of complete strangers.

Speaking in front of strangers, or any public speaking, encompasses a lot of fear for many people including me. I’m not a professional storyteller, if anything I’m barely semi-professional (I was paid one dollar after a performance for a class I took in college – hence the semi-pro thing). Up until that class, I noticed that I was becoming more introverted. Since most schools require a speech class of some sort, I thought one on storytelling would help me overcome that downward spiral.

In fact, storytelling was a great fit for me with multiple benefits While I’ve never seen myself as an actor, I’ve always been a storyteller. I’m a part time writer – mostly fiction, but I’m working on other stuff too. I’m also an illustrator, sometimes (typically when forced). I want to combine those things to tell original, adult oriented stories – at least I hope so. Just remember, I’m not a pro. I’m just some guy who wants to find an audience.

You can get a taste of storytelling during the St. Louis Storytelling Festival during the first week of May.

This post discusses why practice is important.

(Don’t shrug off practice because you think you’re too much of a cool guy. Everyone needs to.)

I’ve decided to perform “Satan and the Bald Eagle,” a short story I wrote a couple years ago. It actually has two parts and I think the second part is funnier, but we’ve got to remember time restrictions. Since I’ll only have about ten minutes, and I want to make it good, I can only do one. Besides, the second part of the story doesn’t make a lot of sense without the first. Here’s a brief rundown of the story, part 1 and 2.

Part 1:

• While driving a rebuilt 1979 Harley, way too fast, I dodge a bald eagle eating road kill on a county highway.
• In the wreck that follows, I find myself sliding down the pavement in super slow motion, bullet time style, with Satan sitting cross legged on my chest.
• A battle of wits ensues over my soul – what else right?
• I win, Satan goes away, but I die after I slide headfirst into a power utility pole.

Part 2:

• I end up in hell anyway, because God has a soft spot for electric workers and power companies.
• Brief explanation of my version of hell. People act as prison laborers, Satan is trying to set up a tourism board, and God hates moochers so there are a lot of people in Hell.
• I join a gang of Marines, who declare war on a 20^th century Cardinal and a bunch of Berkley students.
• Since time isn’t a problem, we turn an old building into a steam powered Transformer and chaos follows.
• After 4 legions of imps stop us, I set off to find Mount Purgatory and escape hell. 

Okay that was sorta brief. But take a second look and notice how I broke the entire story down into a basic outline. That’s an important part of practicing how to tell a story without notes. A lot of storytellers and writers call it the bones of the story. You take your story and break it down into 7 to 10 main or critical points and memorize those lines you wrote down. The same can be done for almost any kind of presentation. Why 7 to 10 points? According to Kenneth Wolfe; professional storyteller, college professor, and writer; “It’s a number we are familiar with. Think telephone numbers.”

Here is a great article by Dianne Hackworth which discusses this idea: “How to Use Story Maps”.

            Okay, so break the story down into telephone number points, now what? Try to memorize the points, however you can, then practice saying those points over and over without looking at them. I try to do this 10 to 20 times. Once you’ve got that down, start adding in the details between each point, the things that really stand out to you. And then practice saying those main points and the details, without cheating, from start to finish as often as you can. The more you practice, the more confidence you’ll have, the less you’ll think about the points, and the better you’ll be able to perform.

Here is another article by Dianne which talks about some other things to consider while practicing your performance: “The Wrong Way to Tell Stories”.

The advantages and disadvantages of using props in your story.

I think at some point that every storyteller has thought about using a prop. They want something that will give them a little bit of an edge or help show the audience what that person is trying to say. Some people think that using props is okay, while others hate the idea. To be honest, I’m still not sure where I stand. I haven’t used a prop in an actual performance. But I do understand where both sides are coming from in their arguments. A prop can seem really gimmicky. It can go as far as a minor distraction for the audience to completely shattering their visualization of an image and effectively take them out of the story – something you don’t want.

Or, a prop might help the audience grasp a concept. It might aid them to see what the teller is visualizing. It could transform just some weirdo on a stage babbling, into something magical. And in some cases it might serve as a bond between the storyteller and the audience. One such prop that can do this is puppets.

(This is the first puppet I built 2 years ago. Speaking of which, Chris King wrote a good article about using props. It’s worth looking into. “Many Storytellers Use Props… The Ins and Outs of Storytelling.”)

Back to the puppet discussion.

My daughter has a love for puppets and movies such as Labyrinth. So I made her a goblin puppet as a gift. When I do tell a children’s story, using that puppet tends to jump starts her, and her friends’, imaginations faster than I ever could. As a side note, I also learned I have a knack for making fun hand puppets. So if the writing thing doesn’t work out – which it currently isn’t – maybe Jim Henson Studios will be hiring.

Since I had no idea how to make a puppet and couldn’t find many useful links online, I’m going to walk you through the steps of how I build one in a later post.

Ruth Stotter, professor of storytelling at Dominican University and also a storyteller, has an interesting way of using props. You can find out more here: “Working with Props (and String) in Storytelling.”

This post discusses pre-performance nervousness.

Game day is the real gut checker. Up until this point I pretty much think I have the story down and don’t need to practice. In some case, okay a lot of cases during my college class, I didn’t even practice until the last couple hours before the mini performance. Trust me, not practicing doesn’t pay off. At best you pull out a pretty good performance, but you’ll know that it could have been better. And the feeling of dread in your stomach before ‘go time’ doesn’t make it any better. Practice. It’s the best advice I can give, but if you didn’t, remember this: Stay calm.

(Here is a good blog article on WordPress that talks about this anxiety in public.)

How do you stay calm? You got to find a spot to memorize those bones of the story. Whether it’s in your car or in a restroom, say them out loud until you have them down. I tend to do this regardless of how many times I’ve practiced. It helps me feel confident that I know the story and fight the panic of public speaking.

That fear of speaking in front of an audience doesn’t go away for me, no matter how many times I’ve went over the story. But if I can focus on the bones, then it lessens. Once I get up on that stage and face the initial fear, the bones of the story take over and I’m able to work through the emotions. Sometimes those emotions help play into the story. People think that sweat they see is because I’m really into an exciting or frightening part, at least, that’s what I’m hoping. The nervous stuttering and bumbling of words, is the just the nervous character I’m portraying. In this sense, I’m trying to hide behind the characters and that works for me. But you can’t always do that. Not for instance if you’re making a presentation at work. In that case, know that outline, and work in those subtle details. But above all else, practice, unless of course you want a new career as a struggling writer/artist.

Amongst other things eHow.com offers a list of steps to fight off stage fright. Click here to see the article by a unnamed source.

This post discusses making changes to stories and copyrights.

Sometimes the story is just not working out and you feel it’s necessary to change it. This can be a touchy subject along with copyright violation. Changing a story isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you have to be careful how you do it. If you’re using someone’s story, you have to give them credit, and I’m going out there on a limb by saying, ‘you probably shouldn’t change it.’ After all its their intellectual property. Maybe you could obtain permission from the author. Maybe the story is public domain. Research first. This is where my expertise is limited, so above are some links that might have more information.

When is changing the story not a problem?

For me, changing the story isn’t a problem. I write my own, so I can do what I want for the most part. But there are other factors to consider even when you perform your own stories. The most important of which is the question: Do you have enough time to practice the new version before your deadline?

In my case, I do have the time and the change is only a slight one. In fact the only change is in the character design for Satan. Originally, he is very dorky version of the master of Hell. Instead of that, and as part of his God deemed punishment, I’m making him a hand puppet. Both in the story and as a prop. He’s going to be intelligent and still have the same mannerisms, except he is forced to be walked around by a particularly stupid imp. Below is a picture of the concept design.

As of now, I don’t think this idea has been done before, so it’ll be interesting. The change was primarily driven by the idea of pitching the story as a cartoon series. I’ve just got to find a way to make the first two episodes. What does that have to do with storytelling? Well, the overall goal is to effectively reach the audience. After all, I’m a story teller and I want to tell that story to the most people I can ; besides, I think it’d be cool to claim I created a cartoon series. Just remember, before you change a story make sure you do not violate any copyrights and have time to practice before your performance.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my story changes, but for now check out the concept drawings.

(This is an unfinished piece I’m working on for a story that is not mine. However, I’m not going to perform this story. I’m just providing artwork and conceptual drawings for the project.)

Here’s a link for some folktales, legends, and myths you can use. Just remember to give credit to the author.

This one talks about using body language and gestures.

This post is about the art of movement – not Parkour, a French term for the martial art of overcoming obstacles also known as the art of movement. Parkour is often associated with free running. It’s fun, exciting, and I’m sure it can be used for storytelling, but that’s not the quite what I have in mind for this post. Instead I’m talking about “pantomime.”

Pantomime, as according to many dictionaries, is the art of using body language and gestures to help convey actions and emotions. It’s a Greek word, which tells us that this narrative technique has been around for a long time. Instead of simply telling the audience that a mechanic is ratcheting down a bolt, you’re going to actually perform the movement and show them how the mechanic torques the wrench. Maybe the mechanic is straining to tighten it down (or loosen it for that matter) or perhaps the tool is spinning in deft hands. It depends on you and by acting out the movement you can drag your audience deeper into the story.

You can immerse the audience into the story, unless your pantomime is ill timed or too over the top. The art form is just that, an art, and it can be used too much. When that happens it becomes distracting. Once I watched a recording of myself using the technique and I didn’t make my movements big enough (on stage everything needs to be bigger). So instead of a mechanic wiping his greasing hands on a rag, I looked as if I were nervous and twiddling my thumbs. I’m not even sure the audience knew what I was trying to covey. Nerves already made me feel uncomfortable standing in front of an audience.

With my confidence depleting, the last thing I wanted to do was move around and make silly, exaggerated gestures.My professor had a good way of helping students work through that feeling of appearing foolish. But I won’t give away his trade secrets. Just remember that on stage, everyone is acting. No one sees you as being stupid, the audience just sees another actor. It’s up to you whether they believe the acting and are lost in the show.

In my case, it took me four weeks before I started using pantomime and I still haven’t mastered it. On that 4^th week, I had a breakthrough performance. I decided to use pantomime, and a lot of it, for a story called “The Boy who Liked to Draw Cats.” I didn’t just tell the audience that the boy’s father was plowing the fields. I let the oxen drag me behind the old plow. I struck the earth with imaginary hoe, tending the gardens. The pantomime continued for the entire telling. In fact, I nearly lost myself in the story, and my audience did too. It was a great feeling after I finished, because I knew that it worked.

It worked that time, but as I’ve already said: it’s a delicate balance. The story itself can dictate whether you need to use it or not. Sometimes in class we would practice telling the stories sitting down, while other times we would practice using lots of pantomime. I prefer to use it, but sometimes it looks like I’m just nervous. The only way to know when and how much you should use is by practicing both ways. See what works and have someone else critique you (preferably someone who can give you an honest critique) also try video recording yourself.

Click here to read a great blog about pantomime by Carol Knarr, professional storyteller and drama specialist.