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Carol Knarr
115 W. 3rd Street
Portland, IN 47371
260-578-2565
carol@carolknarr.com
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Carol's Blog
How Spider Got a Bald Head
Some stories are so much fun to tell I want to find a way to put them in every concert. How Spider Got a Bald Head is one of those stories, but unfortunately, it falls into very few concerts. I can stretch it to fit a trickster theme since spider is a trickster or I can tell it as a porquois tale explaining how something came to be. I slip it into a nature concert at times, but sadly it is one of those fun tales rarely told.
Gaining Permission for Stories
New storytellers will oftentimes become so excited about their craft that they steal stories and perform them without giving any credit to their sources. It is important to find your own voice, give credit to sources, and create your own niche.
Finding the Moment in the Story
I know I want to tell a story when I find “the moment.” Each teller would describe this moment differently, but for me, I would have to say it is the part of the story when I see every detail. My senses become alive. My energy tenses. I build to that moment in the story and even pause just before I begin to describe what is happening to savor every detail as that moment unfolds.
Finding Perspective in a Story
Finn McCoul is a mighty Irish giant, perhaps the greatest of all. I happen to think what made Finn great was his wife Oonagh. She was the one who out-smarted Benandonner, the Scottish giant. Finn would have continued to run away from his problem if it hadn’t been for his wife.
Finding a Puppet's Voice
Finding a puppet’s voice and attitude are personal challenges. Oftentimes, I will not use a puppet in a story due to the voice being a challenge to find and maintain. Sometimes the puppet’s voice will change or I will forget how that puppet talked. These are typical challenges one has when first using puppets with storytelling.
