Storytelling-Sorry I'm late

[Harold Feld]

Greetings from Yaakov:

I have not been very active in this list, I've been switching accounts and
busy with things.  But two snow days of enforced idelness have given me
just the opportunity to catch up.

First, my compliments to Borden for endeavouring to research his stories
and approaches.  I do both mundane and SCA storytelling, and find the later
somewhat more rewarding; in part, because telling stories in persona allows
me to get more into the Yaakov mindset.

I have found two things worth remembering when trying to tell stories in a
period fashion.  The first is to try to use period material (which I
believe was the original subject of this thread).  I have known folks to
try to "file the serial numbers" off a modern story and translate it into a
"medieval" setting.  I have invariably found it jarring and ineffective.
The primary reason I have found is that modern stories are built around
modern assumptions and settings. Very often, they will not translate well
into a period style.

For example: I once heard someone perform an SF/Fantasy story called "The
Hell Bound Train" in a "perioid" fashion.  The chief difficulty (depsite
the fact that I knew the original) was that the story involves both a stop
watch and a train.  The teller tried using an apple (which the protaganist
was to eat, rather than a stopwatch to stop) and a caravan.  The difficulty
is that neither behaves like the appropriate object from the story, and
discrepancies show.

The second thing I have used to great affect is attitude.  When I try to do
period storytelling, I really try to get myself into the right mindset as
unselfconsciously as possible.  The first and most important step (IMNSHO)
is to banish all moden loqutions and slang.  I usually try to include
society slang under this rubric.  Slang may get a cheap laugh, but I find
it really breaks the mood and prevents me from getting into the right
mindset.

That's all for now, I suppose.  More later.

Harold Feld
SCA
Yaakov HaMizrachi

"Do not ask 'Why are these days not as good as the days of old?' This
question is not prompted by wisdom." -Eccl.