April has been a fantastic month.
The Confab Storylab has been rolling right along. giving me new tools and tricks to play with in my storytelling. The more I advance with these techniques, the more I understand that I am going to have to try things different ways before I ultimately settle on my way. As someone raised gifted with a huge fear of failure, this is mildly terrifying.
Luckily, workshops like these provide a safe environment to fail in. I told a story that I had barely written a rough draft for, and got a page full of notes on how to develop it. Last week, we were asked to take a familiar story and improvise part of it. Going off-script is taking a huge leap outside of my comfort zone. I like my lists, I love my threes, I enjoy hand-picking sensory details that firmly plant my audience in my story.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover I do less floundering than anticipated. It’s not pretty, but it’s very real, and that is often the more desirable trait in storytelling. Watch me get lost in a moment on stage while I search for words to bring you into it with me.
May promises to be exiting as well! The storylab is putting on an intimate breakout event where I’ll get to experiment a bit. I am also performing at Tinder Tales on May 25 at Lord William Pub. Who doesn’t love awkward dating stories? I’m excited to share one of mine (oh, there are many!) with a room full of strangers.
Lukas Rowland 
It’s cool to hear that the Confab Storylab is cool. I’ve been seeing stuff about it for a while. Do you think it would be interesting for someone who already has a degree in Creative Writing? Or is it mostly the workshop setting that’s been useful?
It’s hard to say; I’ve only taken a couple of intro to creative writing courses what feels like a thousand years ago. My experience is that storytelling workshops often go into the difference between the written word and the spoken word. I also love a workshop setting, learning and trying new things, discussing with other storytellers, it’s very inspiring!
Love reading about your storytelling! Are there any videos I could see? Love you!
There was a camera recording at the Shortest Story, but I have no idea if I can access my story. I will inquire!