The Many Arts of Storytelling

Stories

Regional Folk Tales

Every area of the planet that contains people has its own culture, and the vast majority of them have an oral tradition of storytelling. Some regions have perfected this into a fine art, but others leave it to families to pass down their own stories as a gift to younger generations. There are some societies that are not open enough to let strangers hear their tales, but others believe in spreading them throughout the world as a lesson to everyone. Learning how to listen to, repeat or craft original stories has seen a marked resurgence in recent years.

Crafts have come back in style, and stories are one type of craft that is done without using the hands. The voice is more important, but that does not take it out of the creative categories or the definition of a craft. While many folk tales were originally made to explain local or regional events, new stories are being created today that have the same type of background. People take examples from their own lives and make up stories to tell others.

There is an art to telling stories, and the speaker must capture the attention of the audience and keep it. They must learn the art of pacing their information, and they have to keep it from being boring. Details are necessary, but adding too many will lose their listeners, so refining their story is important. Classes can be found in this creative tradition at art fairs, and many craft revivals offer an opportunity to sign up as well.

There are few hard rules when it comes to the subject of telling stories, but there are good and bad ways to present them. Taking classes will help those who create their own tales to learn how to help their audience get the most out of the presentation.