Bring History to Life with Storytelling
Years ago when I was in school, there was one subject that I disliked and dreaded - history. I have discovered in recent years that I love history and the reason I hated it in school was the method of teaching, not the subject. Learning dates, names, and facts was boring and difficult. But now that I am hearing, learning and creating historical stories, the subject has come to life - it is exciting, interesting and captivating. One of the most popular and asked for workshop that I give has the title of this column, so I will share some of the same techniques I share in my workshop.
Pick a time period and/or person that interests you. You might think that this would go without saying, but when the word is out that we tell historical stories others will request certain periods or people from history. There are tellers who have been hired by communities and businesses to create stories about their history. These tellers always make sure, however, that they can dedicate their time and energy to these special projects. I find that working on historical stories can be even more demanding than working on a folktale or a personal story. And that is because of the time expended in:
Research, research, research. Creating an historical story involves extensive research and attention to details. To make your story come to life, you have to know so much more than you will ever include that you feel just like you were there at the time. You need to know what the setting was, felt like and looked like. What did people wear? What kind of food did they eat? What was their livelihood? What did they read? How did they think? What was important to them? We are fortunate that people in days gone by wrote letters to each other, so if you can find collections of letters from a time period, you will gain true insight into that time period.
One of my historical stories is about the time when Gauguin joined Van Gogh in Arles. Fortunately, both men wrote letters that revealed their opposite personalities, what led to their arguing and finally to Van Gogh's cutting off his own ear.
As you get into reading newspaper clippings, letters, and articles about your chosen subject, you will be amazed by how immersed and interested you will become. If you can find people who lived in that time period, or had relatives who told them stories, you will discover a whole new slant that will add richness to your story.
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