“In fact, age is immaterial when it comes to Clive’s wide repertoire and workshop skills. Students, staff and parents were utterly engaged and entranced, leading to inspirational drama, writing and lesson plans.”
Jo Osman, Literacy Leader, BIS Jakarta, Indonesia
“Clive created a thirst for storytelling and writing. Our children went off to create fantastic stories of their own as a result of Clive’s wonderful workshops.”
Leah Hardy, Library and Reading Development Co-ordinator, Exeter Junior School.
CLIVE PiG’s TOP TEN TALE TELLING TIPS
1 THE QUEST
Find your story. They’re not just in books. Look for them in your daily life. Ask your Grandma. Talk to strangers. Find them on your travels.
It can be a joke, a riddle, a traditional tale, fairy tale, scary tale, a myth, a legend or a true tale. Failing that, make one up!
Sometimes you search and search. Other times it might be staring you in the face. Sometimes they fall from the sky.
2 TAKE IT OUT TO PLAY
Become friends. Spend time together. Play with it. Roll it like a ball. Throw it in the air and catch it. Dream it, draw it, dance it, act it out.
3 WALK THE TALK
Tell it to your goldfish, tortoise, iguana, dog or llama. If you don’t have one of those, borrow one. Otherwise take it for a walk and tell it to a tree.
4 FIND SOME EAGER HUMAN EARS
Try it out on a human. Share it with a friend. If you haven’t got one, find someone at the bus stop or in the queue at the supermarket.
5 SLEEP ON IT
6 POLISH IT
Know the end better than the beginning. If you get lost in the middle don’t tell anyone else. When in doubt, improvise.
7 PERFORMANCE PALAVER
Diction, gesture, voices, pacing, props? story arc etc… blahblahblah
8 TO MARKET
Where else do you want to tell the story? Search for an audience. Storytelling clubs, folk clubs, parties, playschemes, schools, libraries, museums, festivals.
9 PRESENTATION
Brush your teeth, polish your silver tongue and check your shoes are on the right feet. Wet your whistle and tune your guitar. Double check there are no frogs in your throat and don’t let the cat get your tongue.
10 REPEAT
Tell it again and again and again then find another story and repeat all of the above.