When you're as old as I am, you've seen quite a bit and have stories to tell for every occasion. Sometimes that's a good thing, if you're a good storyteller or in good storytelling condition. Sometimes that's a bad thing, especially if you can't tell a story properly. Then you become what's called a bore.
As old as I am, I have a story for every occasion, because I've seen quite a bit. That can be a good thing, when I'm in the storytelling groove. However, sometimes I'm not in that groove and the stories either drag on or go nowhere. At that point, I become a bore.
You have stories for every occasion when you're old enough to have seen quite a bit. In the hands of a capable storyteller, it's a good thing; in less capable hands you risk becoming a bore.
Old people have stories and they tell them over and over. Sometimes they're funny. Sometimes they're boring.
We grow old, lost in our stories. Our stories are our lives, and we retell them to reassure ourselves we have lived. At times, we bring ourselves and others alive with the stories, carry our listeners out of themselves for a moment; often we render ourselves dead and irrelevant with tales told poorly or wide of the mark.
6 comments:
Interesting topic.
What do you think are some classic traits of a bad storyteller? Here are a few I can think of:
Not cutting to the chase---Leave out unnecessary details. Give the listeners tidbits, and if they're interested, they'll ask questions and then you can elaborate. Don't just assume that listeners are as interested in the topic as you are.
Also, telling the same story more than once over time is horrible. It makes you seem like you didn't care enough about the listener the first time you told it---like the story telling is all about *you*, not the listener.
So, does this mean you are sporting the "JoePa" look?
I liked "Our stories are our lives, and we retell them to reassure ourselves we have lived." Nicely done. For the record, I'm pretty sure you are a year or so younger than me.
BDA: I'm 37. I haven't gone for whales on my pants yet.
LB: It's true in most cases, but sometimes old friends sit around and tell the same stories every year and laugh at them the same way.
good point
Yep, thought so. I'm 38.
I find myself rehashing the same old stories all the time with my college friends-- in part it's to remind ourselves that we have lived (and lived large), and also I think it's to connect with people who have fewer and fewer points of connections with me by the year.
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