Remembering with stories

Storytelling is a very strong tool to remember our history.
Yesterday it was 70 years ago the Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. To start the liberation of Europe.

When you see the age of the veterans, and the few there are left. Storytelling becomes very important. Because the people who were there, who lived through that hell, they soon won't be around anymore to share their story. Capturing their story now is very important, so it can be preserved for generations to come, to retell and remember what happened.

Because

From Huffingtonpost

it is hard to remember when you are there now a days, what happened there 70 years ago. Although it is such an important part of our history.

Listen to the stories of the heroes of those days, and retell their story. Those stories must never be lost.

Your story

Austin Kleon is a writer, blogger, artist from the United States. I got familiar with his work at SXSW 2014, where he was one of the key-notes. I bought his books "Steal like an Artist" and "Show your work". 

In "Steal like an Artist" Austin tells you how he looks at the world of an aspiring artist, how to get your work out into the world. 
And how to handle whenever you get stuck.

And his main advice is: Steal! Steal the ideas from the greatest minds in the world, but than transform them into your own ideas. So not simply copying, but adding to them, making them into your own story, your own idea. 

I came across one comment from him in the book that I particularly loved, especially in regards to storytelling:
"The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best - write the story you want to read. The same principle applies to your life and your carreer: Whenever you're at a loss for what move to make next, just ask yourself, "What would make a better story?" "

So let's start working on that. What you don't like, don't blame somebody else, but start writing your own version of it, and try to live that way, so you can make that story come true.

Picture from: http://relique-memoirs.tumblr.com/

What movie did you see?? - Framing

I already spoke about framing a while back (here).

I now came across a wonderful example how the way you talk about a story will put in a completely different frame.

This is it:

A very different idea of the movie I watch with my four year old nephew.

Eurovision Song Contest 2014

This is the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, Conchita Wurst from Austria. And yes, you are seeing it correctly, that is a bearded lady. Well, actually it is a man, in an awesome gown, with a beard. And he just won the Eurovision Song Contest.

It wasn't a bad song he had. It is a very strong song and a pretty tough song to sing, and he managed it very well (a lot better than other contestants with their songs). 
The song that came second was the better song (a wee bit chauvinism here, but The Calm after the Storm is a great song).

Conchita won, because (s)he had a great story to tell. He is a boy, bullied in his youth because he was more girlish than other boys and later because he is gay and a transvestite. The song, Rise like a Phoenix, is about overcoming your troubles and coming out stronger. Something he did with dressing like a woman, but leaving a beard as well. 

A story of being who you are and equality for all made him win the Eurovision Song Contest.

Immersive Storytelling - HobbitCon

Being part of the story, one of the characters or one of the essential components in a story. That is what immersive storytelling is.

You have campaigns that try to get people so invested in them, they become part of the story. You also have people who want to be part of a story and seek all opportunities to become part of it.

I'm one of those people.
I love everything Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit / J.R.R. Tolkien. So when an opportunity occurs where I can meet fellow fans, cast-members, people from behind the scenes of the movies or otherwise connected to my passion, I try to be there.

That is why I love to go to conventions. Actors who can tell you the fun stories about what happened on set, the interesting stories of how they got into character, what they had to do to find that character inside themselves. The experts who know so much on topics related to Tolkien. Other fans who are likely invested in the entire happening. Who dress up as their favourite character, in amazing costumes. And who become friends, through this shared story.

During the past Easter weekend it was Hobbit-Con in Bonn, Germany. A true gem when it comes to conventions. Where true fans of the books/movies are, dressed in wonderful costumes, where the actors feel free to move around, mingle with the fans, sit in the audience when their fellow actors are on stage.

And at the convention, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ken Stott, who portrays Balin in The Hobbit Trilogy, to his very first convention. At the end, of his last panel, he was asked, why didn't you want to come to conventions first, when you seem to like it now.
He gave this wonderful reply:
"Why would you need conventions? It is a book? It is a movie? What else should there be. But here, it becomes hope, joy, it becomes reality."
A very good description of immersive storytelling, and the reason why I love going to conventions.

The actors and experts on stage during the opening ceremony of HobbitCon 2014

Koriente

Businesses that tell a true story, I love them. 
I came across one in Austin (TX), Koriente.

They have this painted next to their door:

(Sorry, the picture is taken at night and a bit wobbly)

It reads:

My mom started this restaurant because she hates to cook.

She loved going out to eat (make someone else do the work) but found it tough to find healthy, msg free, lowkal, balanced meals with prices within daily reach. She felt guilty for feeding us crap & felt sick of being a housewife, so she said:

“why not open a restaurant for people like me.”

What a fun story to tell around your business!

And, if you are in Austin and looking for a great place to eat, go there. Amazing food, absolutely fresh and delicious, and very affordable.

Storytelling by Omega

I came across this wonderful example of storytelling in the following commercial by Omega.
It is visually stunning and it tells a story. A story of a world revolving, going on, using mechanics. And this world, you can hold, in your watch. 

Inspirational speakers

Being able to tell a good story, to make it captivating for the listener. Being able to get your story across in such a way your audience takes it with them and use it. That is a gift, a great gift.

Some people have that ability. At SXSW I was present at the key-note speech of Neil deGrasse Tyson. Before I had never heard of him. I wasn't even sure I was going to attend the speech. It was about space and technology. And I'm not very interested in space. But he was the key-note and I was told you should always attend the key-note, for they give great speeches.

And wow, were they right. That man can tell a story! A great voice, a great presence. An amazing storyteller, both funny and interesting.

He is currently the presenter of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey on the National Geographic Channel. In The Netherlands it is broadcasted on Sunday evening. And I have my DVR set for it. Very interesting, even if you are, like me, not that interested in space, it is about our history and our future. From the tiniest microbes to the unimaginable huge galaxy we are all part of.

So if you want to see a great storyteller in action, go have a look at it.

Power

Tolkien reading day

Yes, we have another special day today. It is Tolkien Reading Day. So grab your favourite Tolkien book and share your favourite quote or moment.

Mine is towards the end of Lord of the Rings. Sam just got Frodo out of the hands of the orcs. And both little hobbits are struggling on their way to reach mount Doom. The rest for the evening. And than Tolkien writes this:

Frodo sighed and was asleep almost before the words were spoken. Sam struggled with his own weariness, and he took Frodo's hand; and there he sat silent till deep night fell. Then at last, to keep himself awake, he crawled from the hiding-place and looked out. The land seemed full of creaking and cracking and sly noises, but there was no sound of voice or of foot. Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking to himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master's, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo's side, and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep.

And why is this my favourite part of the story? First of all the description of it. I think that anybody wherever in the world has seen this scene. The clouds breaking in the night and that one bright star twinkling there. And besides that, it is such a strong scene. Surrounded by ugliness and despair, in a land where there is no hope, no beauty. And the one ruling that land is trying to destroy all that you believe in and see as beauty. But in that land, when all hope is gone, there is that one moment, showing there is still beauty, there is still reason to hope. Giving Sam the courage to take a rest, so he will be strong enough to help Frodo with that hopeless task of destroying the ring. A little spark that will turn evil into good, the eucathastrophy, as Tolkien himself described it.

So now it is to you, what is your favourite part of Tolkiens writing? 

Happiness

Storytelling is the art of telling a story around what you want to say. To make absolutely clear what it is you want to say, without actually saying it directly.

This is an example on how to use it. 

(Click here for a bigger version of it)

Math and storytelling

I was so bad at math at school. So not my cup of tea. But at SXSW Education I saw a movie on how they are trying to give math a different twist and make it better fitted into the world of the students. By using storytelling.

The biggest story problem.

What a wonderful way to combine the world of stories and math. And why not, we use stories to explain something all the time, so why not math. I really hope the project will become ven more succesful.

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

A very happy Tell a Fairy Tale Day to all of you!

Yes, there is a day for telling Fairy Tales. And it is today!

I already wrote about the importance of reading to children and the history of Fairy Tales.

Fairy Tales come in all forms and sizes.
From the old tales by Grimm or Andersen.
To the newer once retold by Disney.

I'm currently looking forward to going to see Winter's Tale in the cinema.

A tale of love through the ages. With all the elements of a fairy tale: a hero, the villain and something magical happening.

When I was small I loved the story of Cinderella, even when your life isn't that great, you can still meet your Prince. And there is a Czech/German version of it; Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel (Three haselnuts for Cinderella). One of my favourite movies that is broadcasted a lot around Christmas time (probably because it has a lot of snow in it).

What is your favourite Fairy Tale, old or new, please do tell me?

Emoji

Uhm, Emoji, what?
I was thinking the same.
It are those cute emoticons you can use on Twitter or chats.
To enhance your story or to say something you can't say with words.

Here an example on how you can even put entire movie quotes or titles into Emoji.

And if you want to practice a bit.
A very famous book title:

You can find more of these here at Mashable.

As said before, an image can say more than a thousand words. Well, I guess an emoticon can do the same.

A story on

This article from TheOneRing.net just caught my attention.

A flute with the story of The Hobbit on it.

Music is of course very important in the various works of Tolkien. Remember the Misty Mountain Song from An Unexpected Journey. Or the Road goes ever On from The Fellowship of the Ring. 
So putting The Hobbit on a flute is very fitting.

And it looks amazing. 
I'm going to share one picture with you:

Just look at the detail. And those keys are about the size of your fingertip!

Here you see the three trolls. The road the company of Thorin Oakenshield has to take. A couple of the dwarves. And the good morning moment between Gandalf and Bilbo.

What an amazing way, to combine music with a story!

Every day references

Do you have those every day references that come from stories?

Today I have one.
Because it is a Blustery Day!



The wind is howling around the building, I hear the roof creaking.
But in my head, I'm humming the Blustery Day song from Pooh!

Now let's hope tonight the Heffalumps and Woozles stay calm.

Don't tell

Sometimes you want a story to be told, sometimes you don't.

In this song, a bit of a drastic way to make sure your "rumour" isn't told.
The ladies of The Pierces will make sure their secret won't be told around.

Don't be afraid, I won't be so drastic if you share this story...

Paper by Facebook

Facebook is going to introduce a new app: Paper.
An app in which you can organise your stories. The once you get from friends or official news outlets, but you can also put your own stories in it and share those.

In this short video they explain how it works
And the explain the wonderful world of storytelling. From the various shapes and sizes stories come in, like text, letters or pictures. To the importance of sharing.

The launch is February 3rd. First only in the US.
So US-friends could you please share your story about Paper with me?

How one little stories turns into something big

A couple of weeks back I posted about how where you live tells a story about you.

In this post I told you also about my amazing neighbourhood with the fun streetname signs after the characters of Tolkiens books.

Those pictures I took for a school assignment, showing what is so amazing about the place you live in.
When I posted those on Facebook one of my Brazilian friends from the Brazilian Tolkien Society read it and thought it much fun. They asked me a couple of questions over Facebook and posted a story on the internet with my story of my neighbourhood and my pictures.

Beginning of January a Google map images of my neighbourhood turned up on 9GAG. "An entire neighborhood named after Tolkien's characters in the Netherlands."

And yesterday The Huffington Post picked up the story: "Every street in this Dutch neighborhood has a Lord of the Rings name, which is awesome."

Which today got the attention of the local newspaper and even nationwide Dutch news.

Can I claim all this attention happened because of my pictures and the story of my neighbourhood? No, I can't. But it is a very big coincidence it is all happening now, just after those pictures.

Just showing, how one small story, can turn into something really big.... (me creating world news?!?).

Creating memories

Memories are a very powerful story. Something happened to you and it was so profound, it stuck with you for a very long time.

If a company can make it happen something so amazing happens to you, you want to tell it to all your friends and you will tell it for a very long time. That is a very powerful marketingtool and a very powerful story.

Visiting a Disney park is of course already a big event for children. Having fun the entire day. Getting to meet your favourite cartoon characters.
When you are allowed to walk around the entire day in your favourite prince or princess costume. That will make it even more special.
But if then, somebody who is clearly from the park, comes to you to ask for an autograph, because he believes you are really a princess. Wow, that makes an impact. 

Making a story you will tell for a very long time!