Should Storytellers Work for Free? In several past articles, I have sung the virtues of volunteering and giving. But, as many storytellers have learned – some the hard way – working and performing for free has many drawbacks. We are often excited to have the opportunity to share our passion for storytelling. So, where do we draw the line? This article shares some of the ideas that were sent to th...

"Sevens" and Ways to Use the Magic of Numbers for Storytelling Previously, I wrote about the prevalence of the number "three" in stories and story structure. Because this article received a great deal of attention, I decided it was time to investigate another number that crops up in titles, how-tos and stories - the number seven. After several hours of research about the number seven, I not only ...

Writing A passion for some; a chore for others, the basics of writing are relatively straightforward, involving simply throwing words together and making sentences, using pen and paper or more typically, today, a computer. Let’s face it, writing is something we do without a great deal of thought. For some, writing is easy and often a pleasurable solitary pursuit; for others writing presents a dau...

Making Linear Storytelling Interactive Movies and video games coexisted symbiotically for years. A video game would come out well after the film it was based on. The game was often an afterthought, sometimes developed using a movie character, but little else. Now, games are released simultaneously with or even in advance of major motion pictures. George Lucas took this approach with the final "St...

Magazines for Women Every year we are seeing new women's magazines appear on the market, to join the masses already published. How can we determine which are the best value? It's easy to spend at least $20 per month, which totals upwards of $240 each year. Most magazines target a particular demographic, so it's wise to check out any ones you think might find interesting, before buying or subscri...

The Story of Becoming a Storyteller When I first discovered that there was such a job as storyteller, I was 30-something and enrolled in teacher school in St. Louis (home to a warm and wonderful group of tellers). As I finished my teaching degree, I focused more and more on classroom applications of storytelling and saw first-hand the results on student motivation and achievement. Before I even g...

Storytellers: turning our experiences into art Though animal sculptures have been produced for centuries by the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, storyteller figurines are a relatively modern art form. Helen Cordero, an artist of the Cochiti Pueblo, is attributed with its invention. Now these highly expressive sculptures are produced by many artists from several different pueblos. For an art teacher...

How to select the printer Before you decide what kind of digital printing you want to buy you should be very clear about your needs. You have to take this decision on various levels depending on what your requirements are. For example you have to decide whether you want an inkjet printer or a laser printer, and what size of the printer would suffice your requirements. As a matter of fact, selecti...

The Beauty of Africa Whenever Africa is mentioned, most people think of roaming animals and jeep safaris. Whilst Africa has much more to offer than animals, the beauty that nature has bestowed on this continent cannot be overlooked. The animal inhabitants of Africa are amongst the most varied and beautiful in the world. Most of us know that Africa is home to the magnificent giraffe and the impres...