Sarah_11_I

So perhaps I was naive in my thinking that the final chapter would bring it all together. I find it ironic that Simmons closes with “Story thinking is subjective and sensory; it follows strong emotions and is unpredictable… Control chases stories away….” Does anyone else find it ironic that her book teaches how to tell a story, yet closes with “storytelling is unpredictable…” Anyway, small rant. Overall, I think our class has grown a lot since we first started telling stories. I don’t know if it is because of Simmons’ book, or because we learned from each other. Either way, we have grown. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s stories each week- what are we going to do the rest of the semester!?!?!

Sarah_10_I

I guess my mind was wandering this morning when I read the following passage, “His story and his ability to convince others of his story was a primary tool of Hitler’s influence. Even when he blatantly distorted facts, the emotional content of his message mesmerized his listeners. It is frightening example of how story can trump facts.”

I realize this was about Hitler, and not really related to my idea, but I got there somehow… Anyway: So I was thinking about the controversy of books vs. movies and which gives a more powerful story. (See it’s KIND OF related) Personally, I’ve always been on the side of read the book first, then see the movie. I think that if you see the movie first, or don’t even read the book at all, you are cheating yourself. If you don’t have the opportunity to imagine the story in your own mind, you are missing out on so much. Take for example, the Harry Potter phenomenon. I love the books. I think they’re an amazing piece of literature for children, and their imaginations can go wild. I think it’s a shame when some children (and adults) watch the movies first, then consider themselves Harry Potter fans. I’ve seen the movies, and they are very similar to the books. Well, the first three or four are. However, when I see the movies, there are so many things that surprise me because that’s not how I pictured them. The further along the movies get, the further they stray from the books. This is understandable, because the books are so long.

I grew up loving to read. Before I could read, my parents read to me every night. I feel bad for people who did not grow up with this love of reading. I feel that they’ve almost been “cheated” somehow, and they’ve missed out on an opportunity to use their imagination.

Sarah_9_I

Simmons speaks in this chapter about the “storytelling voice” when reading to children. I identified with this immediately. My mom is an elementary school speech & language teacher. I’ve gone to school with her so many times & observed her in the classroom. Often when she goes into the kindergarten or first grade classrooms she does a “large language unit.” This usually starts out with her reading a story & then doing a related activity afterwards. When I say she reads a story, that is an understatement. She is SO LOUD and really gets into the story. If you are in the classroom, you understand why. Kindergarteners & first graders are squirmy, loud, impatient people. To truly get into the story you have to grab their attention right away & hold it until the very end. I really believe you have to be a certain type of person to be a teacher, especially elementary. Each time I go into my mom’s school, the chaos reminds me of a zoo. I think the teachers are like zoo-keepers, trying to keep track of the children. They do a fantastic job, and captivate the children each day.

Team 1: Update! (Chad, Tim, & Sarah)

The video was shot on September 30^th. We’re currently going through the video & editing it. We did an audio interview/photoshoot on October 4^th. This Thursday (Oct. 11^th- 9AM) we’re meeting to put together the photo-audio slideshow. We’ve done some sketches/preliminary animation for our website, but we’re waiting on specific guidelines from the design team.

Sarah_8_Q

When I was reading the “no therapy zone” I laughed because I felt this part of the book was really speaking to me. I feel like I am constantly bombarding faculty (and select GA’s) on the door and saying “hey- do you have a minute?”

I have a (mental) list of people to go to when I have problems or questions. Sure, I definitely try to figure things out on my own first, but sometimes I just can’t get it. I realize I have a select group of people who I consider “expert-advice-givers” in certain areas. I consider myself a part of that group for some of my friends. I really enjoy having that group as troubleshooters.

Does everyone else have groups like this? I’m assuming I’m not alone on this one…

Group #1: Topic Proposal

Group #1: Chad, Tim, & Sarah

Topic: Crop Walk

Working Title: Walking with a Purpose

General Idea: Our project will be to build a website with videos & interviews related to the event. Our focus will be to follow Rachel & Caleb Scott. They are two students who attend the school at the Muncie United Church of Christ.

Event Details: Sept. 30^th, 2007

The website will open with a flash animation of child-sized footsteps walking across the screen. The video will be from the actual event. The interviews will be displayed as a photo-audio slideshow. We will have links to the organizations involved with the event.

Proposed Timeline: Video shooting will be on Sunday, Sept. 30^th Storyboarding has already started for the design process. An interview is planned to visit Second Harvest Food Pantry. The project will be totally finished before Thanksgiving Break, so that we have about 3 weeks to “tweak” the project based on comments from classmates.

Related Links:
Crop Walk

Christian Ministries of Delaware County

Sarah_Ch6_I

I agree with many others about this chapter.... Nothing really grabbed my attention.... However, when reading about "your character in the epic sense," my mind started wandering... It's true that we all judge each other by the stories we tell. However; I believe we judged them long before we even started this class... In Dr. Joe's class we have all done the Myers Briggs test.. My letters are INTJ... And not only does "J" stand for judging (for those who haven't done the test) I scored 100% on the judging... (and my friends haven't let me forget it, either!) But anyway, I started thinking about how some of these stories actually change my opinions about some people in this class.... I think these stories bring out sides that we've never seen before in each other.... One story in particular really touched me because the same thing has happened to me... I never had a connection with this person before, but I do, now...

Sarah_5_I

One part of this chapter I truly agreed with was the concept of “let me tell you a story.” The author suggests the whole body-carriage of the audience changes. It’s very true; you want to be comfortable, able to enjoy the story. This happened right before class last week. I was hanging out in the GA room with many of my classmates before class started. Several of us are in Dr. Joe’s Creativity class before, so we have a bit of down-time between the two. Anyway, I was talking to one friend who was trying to explain something to me, and she said “let me tell you a story.” And I remember I did get comfortable. I was already sitting on the couch in there. I took my laptop off my lap and sat it on the floor. I took my (incredibly uncomfortable) shoes off, and got ready to listen to her story.

This brings up another point mentioned in this chapter. It always helps the audience member to identify with the story an “I was there,” type moment. Because it evokes a memory, they are more likely to identify and remember the story.

Sarah_4_1

The idea of gesture was encouraged to tell a good story. The concept of drawing a cartoon was the example.
I'm not sure if anyone else ever did this in elementary school, but I remember in 1st or 2nd grade during Halloween and Christmas, our teacher would tell us an "interactive" story. For example, at Halloween, it was a "spooky" story about a witch. She lived in a little tiny house. (fold a piece of paper in half) When you looked at it from the side, it was even smaller. (fold paper again) She wore a very pointy hat. (cut out a triangle). She flew on a very crooked broom. (cut squiggly line) (continue the story for a while while continually folding & cutting)
At the end of the story: and the very spooky jack'o'lantern on her front porch looked just.... like.... THIS! (as you unfold the paper to reveal a jack'o'lantern)
This form of "interactive" storytelling was my favorite thing this teacher would do. The book mentioned that you can't force an audience to listen and pay attention. Obviously this method worked for me fifteen or so years later.

Sarah_Ch3_Q

“Contrary to popular belief, bad decisions are rarely made because people don’t have all the facts. Bad decisions are made because people don’t have all the facts. Bad decisions are made because people ignore the facts, do not understand the facts, or do not give the facts enough importance. Why? Basic human emotions like anxiety, greed, expiration, intolerance, apathy, or fear have hijacked their brains and directed them to the “easy way out,” the “path of least resistance,” the “safe route,” or the “taking care of number one” opinion. More facts will not help them regain perspective. A story will. A story will help them figure out what all these facts mean.”

I really thought this was an interesting perspective… I hadn’t really thought about it… Many people often DO ignore the facts to appeal to the human interest factor of the audience. It just makes the story sound better if you leave out minor details that make it much less interesting.

Sarah.A_CHAPTER1-2_I

According to our reading, (Thanks Sam for helping me out- I too, am awaiting the arrival of my book!) “People don’t want more information. They are up to their eyeballs in information. They want faith- faith in you, your goals, your successes, in the story you tell.”

I disagree with this. Personally, I want more information. I totally understand and agree with wanting faith, for meaningful, inspiring stories. However, I also want information. Perhaps it’s trivial, and may not have too much to do with the story, but personally, I enjoy quirky pieces of information that may not directly relate to the storyline. I suppose it also depends on the type of story you are telling, the audience you are aiming for, and even the mood of the audience at the time. I may be alone in this thought.