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Writers’ camp and what we can learn about storytelling

  • Scott LaMar
Write your story written on an old typewriter concept for unique, individual or personal life history message

Write your story written on an old typewriter concept for unique, individual or personal life history message

Airdate: Wednesday, August 10, 2022

HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers is an annual event produced by independent/volunteer-run Hippocampus Magazine.

It will take place this weekend, August 12-14, in Lancaster.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk was Donna Talarico, founder, Hippocampus Magazine & Books who said of the event,”We have about 250 people registered so far and it starts Friday, goes through Sunday, and it’s mostly filled with breakout sessions and panels about the craft of writing, about promoting your work, publishing your work, and living the writing life. How do you fit writing into everything else you have going on in your life?”

Storytelling is a big part of writing. Jamie Beth Cohen, Author and Storyteller, who was named Best Storyteller in Lancaster in 2021, talked about ways to become a good storyteller, “When you’re telling a story, you’re telling it to one person. And that’s all you really have to focus on. And we do it at the dinner table. You know, when my kids come home from school and I say, How was your day? They’re telling me a story. And many people have had that experience in their family. So I do believe that some of it is innate. And for many of us, we can learn the skills. And you don’t have to be an extrovert to get on stage to tell a story. It really is like telling it to one person.”

How to keep stories compelling and cut out the parts that aren’t interesting or impactful? “What I tell people when I’m teaching workshops is write everything down, write every detail, write everything you remember, write everything down. Then decide what your message or your takeaway is going to be, and then get rid of any detail that doesn’t support that message.”

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