John B_Chpt 11_I

I appreciated the way Simmons finished off her book. This chapter had several great points throughout it, especially the last few paragraphs. I like the idea that "control chases stories away." I like control in just about every aspect of my life. When i (i'm sure like most others) are not in control, i certainly feel way out of my comfort zone. Here Simmons continues on by telling us to have faith and confidence in what we tell, and that it's ok to step out of our comfort zone as long as we follow our instincts and emotions. This will lead us to more meaningful stories.
When I think about it, this class was a perfect example, I always needed to think about what story I was going to tell. I needed to control my stories by telling myself them in my head, going over certain details, before telling them aloud to the class. I think this is the practice that Simmons is referring to (for me).

John B_Chpt 9_I

Simmons brings up some great points in this chapter and I totally agree with Chad, there is a lot of fluff also. I particularly liked the paragraph on hope. "People are afraid to hope. It opens up to dissapointment again." This is a very risky statement for Simmons. Thinking about it deeper though, I think I want to agree. People today are ultimately despaired. There is so many negative things happening around us, it's hard to have hope for anything. You can't even turn on the tv, or listen to the radio, or play a videogame without hearing or seeing some negative action.

On another note though, thinking about stories and media got me asking myself about stories running out. Will there be a time in the future when we have ultimately "heard it all", or is this impossible?

John B_Chpt8_I

This chapter really didn't do much for me. I feel like Simmons is trying to explain and reinforce good listening skills. That's all fine and dandy, but I think that from being a middle child in my family, I have learned a lot of the listening skills that Simmons refers to at a young age. I know we have talked about this in class, about Simmons' writing being geared towards people working in cooperations and big businesses, but reading this chapter really depresses me when thinking ahead about getting a job myself. I don't know if I could work with people who haven't learned the basic listening skills that Simmons writes about. What amazes me is that there are people out there who actually need help in learning how to listen and tell stories. Like we discussed in class, I think all of us in this class are creative people and don't need the same kind of help that CEO's (for example) need when telling a story.

John B_Chapter 6_I

Just a little side note, I really liked the idea of resistance always having a story. My blog on the other hand is focusing in on the importance of developing connections with people before you need to influence them. I think all of us can agree that we live in a "who you know not what you can do" society. Knowing this, it is kind of dissapointing to think that we doing things to only benifit ourselves. Not wanting to sound like a jerk because I am guity of it too, but Brian's blog is a perfect example of what i'm talking about. He keeps on jumping in on people's projects so he can benefit from the project itself (in whatever way it will benefit him) and from the people that he's associating with. Brian has some great skills, but would he put them to use if he knew there would be zero benefit? now that I'm thinking about it more I can't remember the last time I did something without thinking about how I would gain from it.

John B_Chapter 5_I

"Story will eventually hook you into a powerful momentum that is bigger than you dreamed-some people call it truth. It may completely redefine your perceptions of your own self interests."
Truth, when you really think about it is such a great power. We try to find truth in almost everything, whether it be logic, science, etc. We live in a society of "truth." Everyone is telling the truth. Commercialism attracts our inner desires of seeking truth. But are we naturally truthful when telling stories or do we exaggerate our stories to make them sound more important and interesting. What is more important to a storyteller? Truth or interest?

John B_Chapter 4_I

Did anyone else feel like after reading this chapter, that they were 10 years old again learning the fundamentals of story telling? I can understand the importance of this chapter, but I feel like this should've been the first chapter. Up until now, I have been enjoying the read. Annette, in my opinion, really "dumbed" it down. Humans are naturally expressive, and I think a lot of what Simmons talks about in this chapter are learned throughout the early stages in life.

John B_Chapter 3_I

Alright, I get it. If anything this was some "smart" writing, but of course being the argumentative type I do feel the need to think of something against it. Here's my best shot. After reading this chapter, instead of coming to blog immediately I decided to turn on my video games and let it sink in. That's when it hit me. I understand that Simmon's believes that facts don't impact a person as much as a story will, that's all fine and dandy. But when you play a new videogame, it is just pumping out fact after fact at you. For example, when you kill a boss in a game, it will give you a fact like "congrats you killed so and so". Well then i guess you could argue back and say that it's the videogame's story that compels the player, and the facts move you along in the storyline blah blah blah.

weak

JOHN B_Chapter 1_I

When I first picked up this book I was sure that it was going to be a crap read, but the 1st chapter really surprised me. I enjoyed the fluidity of the writing style, and it wasn't as boring as I was anticipating. There are several great points made throughout this first chapter, but one that really stuck out most to me was on page 27. "Storytelling is the most valuable skill you can develop to help you influence others." I thought about this line for a long while trying to think of any argument against what was said. Relating to people i feel might be a more important skill, but is it possible to make relations without stories? The author would say no, but I am hesitant to agree. I'll keep thinking on it.