Updated: January 26, 2019 2:25:22 am
Weaving magic with words
Professional storyteller Akshay Gajria on the finer nuances of the art
(Written by Anjali Krishnakumar)
Storytelling might seem like an ordinary task but to understand the finer nuances and its complexities is rather essential to hone and sharpen the skill. Organisations such Tall Tales Storytelling seem to be engaged in helping people develop that trait. To help Pune’s residents with their storytelling prowess, the Mumbai-based organisation held a story-crafting workshop in Pune on January 20.
Originally conceptualised as a platform to facilitate storytelling among the residents of Mumbai by American professor Michael Burn, Akshay Gajria, director of the organisation, says, the workshops began on public demand. “We were approached by multiple people who wanted help in writing as well as sharing stories,” he recalls.
Conducted by Gajria, who is a professional storyteller, the workshop is usually held on a single day, over a period of six hours. “Even if I conducted it over two days, it would still be for six hours each day, as that is how long I feel it takes to fully get into the content. My workshops are structured like a story, it wouldn’t make sense to interrupt them and begin again,” says Gajria.
While each workshop is slightly different from the last, incorporating varied learning and teaching techniques, they follow a similar format.
The attendees deconstruct stories and understand what is the difference between a good story and a great story. They also learn other skills such as understanding what is the underlying structure that holds up stories from start to finish, what a memorable character is and how to design them, and what makes effective dialogue, plot, flow and setting. Workshop attendees could work on fiction, nonfiction, screenplays or anything else they prefer.
“While all these mediums may seem different, the skeleton is the same. So we can work on the structure of any story in the same way,” says Gajria. The aim, he says, is to get people to overcome their writer’s block. Two participants at a similar workshop last December took to the stage with their storytelling in a True Stories Told Live event. “At the end of the day, you go back home and start writing the stories you want to write,” says Gajria.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario