All About Don

The Art of Story Telling

Every time a story is told it's as if a pebble, stone or rock is added to an invisible mountain of stones that has grown since the first people walked the earth. Stories come in many forms; oral, written, in picture form, song or drama. They can be big stories called epics or simply someone relating to a conversation one had with a friend or neighbour. Stories move from different cultures changing, transforming, evolving for example the story of the ash girl from china became known as 'Cinderella' in the hands of the European story tellers.

Sources for stories can come from ancient or modern word, folk or mythic traditions. The great stories can empower us. They can inspire, encourage, guide. They become a treasure-trove, they seem to come from a deep spring of imagination, arousing within us a sense of wonder and mystery. The imaginative powers of the story can let us experience joy, sorrow, fear, danger, love, courage and so many other different sensations all within the safety of the story whether written or oral.

Stories can bring us to lands of enchantment, vistas undreamed of and to inner realms of our own divine self. The story can warm and illuminate. They can guide and transform our lives. They help us to redeem the powers of our imagination that can be easily lost though our modern technological age. Good stories will awaken the inner child, take us as far as the imagination dares to travel yet all within the safe boundaries of a story.

Don Conroy.