What are your top 3 story resource recommendations to a storytelling rookie?

[Ryan Harter]

I am new to the storytelling community and I want to hear your favorite resources. This could a book or a site that informs or inspires your stories.

P.S.
Any Portland OR storytellers want to point me toward the storytelling community?

[Kat Quatermass]

www.mythstories.com quick plug for my friends. But genuinely its a unique resource in being both a physical museum and an online treasure trove of stories. Follow the Duck!

[Ryan Harter]

thanks!

[Mary Brugh]

A place to go on a Friday night. Thanks, Kat!

[Dianne de Las Casas, Author, Award-Winning Storyteller]

Ok, shameless self promotion here. Get The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage. It's nearly 400 pages and 30 chapters of great information, phenomenal resources, and expert advice from storytellers around the country. It can be ordered from any major online book retailer.

Warmly,
Dianne de Las Casas
Founder of Professional Storyteller
Author of The Story Biz Handbook
http://www.storyconnection.net

[Ryan Harter]

thanks!

[Daniel Bishop, the Storyteller]

The Library. The Museum. History. and most importent, Talk to people. These are the best places to find Stories.

[Ryan Harter]

Love your answer. I started watching the history channel more because of your suggestion.

[K. Sean Buvala]

Read these articles:

Blunt Advice for New Storytellers
http://storyteller.net/articles/210

Red Pen Storytelling Tool
http://storyteller.net/articles/220

Performance Nightmares
http://storyteller.net/articles/208

Resolutions for Storytellers
http://storyteller.net/articles/26

Roadblocks to Storytelling Success
http://storyteller.net/articles/236

[Astorymouse]

As a still budding storyteller (and writer) I became aware that no matter how many storytelling classes I go to - in the end what matters is how I put the story forward on the night. We can all learn tips and tricks, and we are also human, and much depends on how we feel "in the moment" so to speak.

Read a story through one night, sleep on it, gossip it through with a friend, then begin to craft it - adding emphasis where needed - fire, water, earth and air - all are elements which can be brought into a telling - imagine where they might be useful...plot the story geographically in front of you, so you can literally "walk" into it.

Then, on the night, once you have done all this - remember that you are you, and the story will appear in whatever way it chooses, and you may not want to do any of the above..and all that is OK.

good luck to you - and to me!!!

hugs
steph

[Tim E]

For me? My go-to book is The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (Pantheon edition). Whether I'm looking for a story to tell or seeking to be inspired, I enjoy going back to this collection.

When I want a new wonder tale or fairy tale, I turn to the collections of Ruth Manning-Sanders (A Book of Wizards, A Book of Ghosts and Goblins, A Book of Giants, A Book of Witches, A Book of Mermaids, etc.). These are all out of print now, so it's taking me a long while to find used copies for my own collection. Fortunately, my local library is well-stocked with these volumes.

But then-- these are the stories that inspire me. For you, it might be different.

As to storytelling process, storytelling business, and storytelling stories, Eric Wolf's podcast at http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/ is indispensable. It's more accessible than a conference, and helpful on many levels... from practical tips to big picture ideas and visions to simply getting a chance to listen to other people who "get it."

[Lois Sprengnether Keel (LoiS)]

Go to a large enough library to have the 2 reference books by Margaret Read MacDonald called Storytellers Sourcebook. They take a bit of getting used to using, but if you read her explanations of how the book is arranged & what the abbreviations mean (always a good step when using a reference book), you usually can locate stories you half remember, or on a topic you need, or from a particular location. Her information goes beyond the many volumes of Index to Fairy Tales which also has value, but only lists a story's title, country of origin, subject & the anthology containing it. (The earliest editions don't even have subject indexing.) The various editions still are a help, but not as much as the Sourcebook.
Online suggestions for subjects are at fellow Professional Storyteller member, Jackie Baldwin's, site, in the SOS:Searching Out Stories section. It's a free archive of st... http://storynet.org lists organizations, but nobody in OR has submitted any, but the OR NSN state liaison, Yvonne Young, is also a member here on Professional Storyteller. She's in Eugene, OR, but surely knows more about storytelling in your state.

[Lois Sprengnether Keel (LoiS)]

My computer made a hiccup while I was trying to edit this. The later reply is the 1 to read. Sorry for the confusion.