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Since November is the month when a certain subset of the world's population is furiously typing out a full-length novel in 30 days, I thought I'd reflect philosophically on the merits of storytelling, explore the labyrinthine pathways of character development, and expound upon the virtues of a perfectly formed narrative arc.
Yawn.
Let's just drill straight down to the real deal. Storytelling isn't just about words. That would be like cooking with one type of ingredient, say veggies. They make us strong and we all love them (right??) but that's not all we want on our table.
Storytelling is about images (films and video), sound (music and voice), body language (dance), and time (rhythm). So why restrict yourself to just veggies? Er, words?
If writing causes you pain, try video. If you can't figure out how to turn on your camera, sit down at a piano. If you're tone deaf, pick up a paintbrush or wrap your hands around a pack of clay. Experiment. Try whatever form of expression feels natural to you. No matter who you are or what your talent is, you have innumerable ways to tell the stories inside you.
And for the writers among us, I challenge you to step away from that keyboard and push the comfort zones in your brain. Telling stories through different media may feel at first as if you've landed on an alient planet and can't breathe, but give it a shot. Trust it. It's new, that's all.
Earlier this fall, I was asked by the Head of School of a Reggio Emilia-based elementary school here in the Bay Area to produce and direct a welcome video for prospective parents. I said yes before he finished asking the question.
For me, telling stories through multimedia is the fullest, richest, most immersive experience for a "listener" but also for the creator. It is also the most natural. We have not one, but multiple senses, and our minds have this extraordinary capacity to blend it all together and infer and imagine, so we create alongside the creator. We travel that journey with the person who started it, and in taking part in it, it becomes our journey, our discovery, our world.
My professional craft may be writing, but I'm a storyteller.
~ Birgitte
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Speaking of storytelling, I've been doing a LOT of that lately. I've written about 3D printing and gamification of healthcare, edited other authors' books, even crafted a video script for a hot new imaging technology for the GoPro lovers out there.
The latest news is that I'll be blogging for a wonderful community called Sacred Science about food, healing, culture and tradition. My first blog post talks about the importance of paying attention to the origins of our food. A topic that is very near and dear to my heart, as those of you who know me, know.
Why not just focus on literature, you might ask. Isn't that the job of a literary author?
Well, no. There's no "job description" when it comes to author-creators (see "Musing of the Moment" above).
Just like food, exercise, travel, and any other form of enriching activity you undertake, the work you do should energize and revitalize you.
Because that is when work becomes passion.
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Twenty days. We have twenty short days in our count-down to the first of several unveilings of a deep and multifarious ocean of the mythology and history of cacao my team and I have been working on, quietly, passionately, assiduously.
Twenty days until we throw open the first of many doors to the world of Max and Itzel, and the dazzling creatures that guide them on their journey into the myth and magic of one of the world's most sacred foods.
It has been a long road—a road begun in July 2013. But for all the time I've dedicated to this project, these next twenty days will be the longest and yet frighteningly shortest days that a writer can experience. Thank heaven you're here to share them with me.
Watch your Inbox on November 30.
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