Simon (or should I say, beloved twin), I am so sorry for causing you such mortification! You’ve always told this story to family as a funny tale but now I see that you were genuinely upset by it. Not my intention, I’m sure! I think I just really wanted to have a twin and probably people asked us if we were when they saw us sporting our matchy-matchy corduroy co-ords….
Anyway, when I grow up I definitely plan to be more crotchety than quavery so I’ll ditch the twin ambition 😅 xxx
“When I grow up” 🤣 Oh, it was - and is - a funny tale! It was also a good lesson in learning to laugh at yourself, which not every child manages to learn. I think I’ll join you in team crotchety. Never did like quavers. They’re too cheesy xxx
Wonderful essay, Simon! Reading it again, your insight about storytelling is really impressive: "You want to tell your story to people in such a way that they could then tell it to others. ... When your story becomes their story, that’s not theft. That’s a gift."
Well, my friend, your essay is a gift. Thanks for sharing it.
"To my left, to my right, and in the rows in front and behind, my classmates roared with laughter...For weeks, when I went to bed at night, all I could think about was that lesson and my moment of humiliation...Why did I put my hand up? Why did my sister make me believe we were twins? Why couldn't I go back and undo it all?"
What a great essay, Simon! I was right there with you, blushing at the memory of my own childhood missteps ◡̈
I love how you talk about leaving space for readers to fill in the gaps. It's so true that the perfect specific detail can convey so much, yet you still need room for readers to bring their own perspective, to feel themselves in your shoes. Really well done!
As an only child (with all the benefits and disadvantages rolled into one ), it was lovely to hear such a compelling story about what I can only ever imagine. 😁
Thanks Alan! Yes, there must be benefits and disadvantages of being an only child. No hand-me-down clothes for a start, but also … no hand-me-down clothes! 😆
Simon, there is so much in here. The matching outfits, how you internalized your sisters comment, the scene at school, and you getting to watch this same scene played by other people. And then you tie it all together in the end: "You want to tell it to people in such a way that they could then tell it to others." Isn't that what stories have, in our long oral culture past, been about? Telling and retelling.
I think it’s got some of your best lines in it. This one in particular is gorgeous: “Yet, doubt already tugged at my once-confident sleeve.” I felt that.
Fantastic storytelling, Simon - I do enjoy "Would I Lie To You?" and I think you make a great point about overtelling vs letting the reader/listener's imagination fill in the blanks. Also interesting to hear that barristers get some training at LAMDA!
However I'm on tenterhooks to know what the outcome of the voting was at your workshop - did you manage to hoodwink them or not? Or is that the blank you're leaving for us to fill in ourselves?... 😉
This turned out so well Simon! And you've really given me a new window into an aspect of storytelling that I hadn't considered, which is just how much other readers are bringing to the spaces between the details. I'll be thinking more about this in future storytelling, whether there's a way to write that invites the reader's imagination to become even more active in the process. It seems to me that the provision of detail is what triggers the reader's own memories and it's hard to imagine that you could suppress the imagination of another person by providing too much of sensory description, but this is useful food for storytelling thought.
Thanks Rick. I think it’s a balance. It’s analogous to writing that tries too hard and is overloaded with adjectives. A few choice details spark the imagination. If you focus on one or two key bits of description, then the reader has space to run with the imagination prompt, whereas if it’s too prescriptive, they may get bogged down and find it harder to picture the scene. In fact, it’s maybe a case of helping them picture “a scene”, rather than “the exact same scene” you might have in your head.
Simon, Oh my you have such a beautiful way of bringing the reader into your stories and then putting them there in the scene. I read this "reminder" story in WH and love how you developed it further. In addition to other's comments, what struck me was the idea of using this technique to help people process their past traumas. I'm sure something like it exists, but I was thinking about how our "deep stories" could shift in the retelling through other's eyes and voice. As you said, each storyteller emphasized different things and you then had all these additional awarenesses come through for you.
Thank you Linda. That’s a really interesting idea of using this technique to help people process their past traumas. I too wonder if any practitioners already do that.
Simon (or should I say, beloved twin), I am so sorry for causing you such mortification! You’ve always told this story to family as a funny tale but now I see that you were genuinely upset by it. Not my intention, I’m sure! I think I just really wanted to have a twin and probably people asked us if we were when they saw us sporting our matchy-matchy corduroy co-ords….
Anyway, when I grow up I definitely plan to be more crotchety than quavery so I’ll ditch the twin ambition 😅 xxx
“When I grow up” 🤣 Oh, it was - and is - a funny tale! It was also a good lesson in learning to laugh at yourself, which not every child manages to learn. I think I’ll join you in team crotchety. Never did like quavers. They’re too cheesy xxx
Wonderful essay, Simon! Reading it again, your insight about storytelling is really impressive: "You want to tell your story to people in such a way that they could then tell it to others. ... When your story becomes their story, that’s not theft. That’s a gift."
Well, my friend, your essay is a gift. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks so much Larry! The gift was your insightful feedback so that I was telling the story in a way people could understand.
"To my left, to my right, and in the rows in front and behind, my classmates roared with laughter...For weeks, when I went to bed at night, all I could think about was that lesson and my moment of humiliation...Why did I put my hand up? Why did my sister make me believe we were twins? Why couldn't I go back and undo it all?"
What a great essay, Simon! I was right there with you, blushing at the memory of my own childhood missteps ◡̈
I love how you talk about leaving space for readers to fill in the gaps. It's so true that the perfect specific detail can convey so much, yet you still need room for readers to bring their own perspective, to feel themselves in your shoes. Really well done!
Thanks so much Rachel! Childhood missteps certainly offer a lot of space to fill in the gaps.
That bit that you quoted reminds me of the famous Stealers Wheel hit:
“Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you” :)
As an only child (with all the benefits and disadvantages rolled into one ), it was lovely to hear such a compelling story about what I can only ever imagine. 😁
Thanks Alan! Yes, there must be benefits and disadvantages of being an only child. No hand-me-down clothes for a start, but also … no hand-me-down clothes! 😆
Simon, there is so much in here. The matching outfits, how you internalized your sisters comment, the scene at school, and you getting to watch this same scene played by other people. And then you tie it all together in the end: "You want to tell it to people in such a way that they could then tell it to others." Isn't that what stories have, in our long oral culture past, been about? Telling and retelling.
Thanks Marie. Yes, telling and retelling and retelling again.
Beautifully written essay, Simon.
I think it’s got some of your best lines in it. This one in particular is gorgeous: “Yet, doubt already tugged at my once-confident sleeve.” I felt that.
Thanks Claire! I enjoyed writing that one.
Fantastic storytelling, Simon - I do enjoy "Would I Lie To You?" and I think you make a great point about overtelling vs letting the reader/listener's imagination fill in the blanks. Also interesting to hear that barristers get some training at LAMDA!
However I'm on tenterhooks to know what the outcome of the voting was at your workshop - did you manage to hoodwink them or not? Or is that the blank you're leaving for us to fill in ourselves?... 😉
Thanks Alan! Oh, that wasn’t meant to be a blank - yes, they were hoodwinked. Probably more to do with other participants’ acting ability than my own!
This turned out so well Simon! And you've really given me a new window into an aspect of storytelling that I hadn't considered, which is just how much other readers are bringing to the spaces between the details. I'll be thinking more about this in future storytelling, whether there's a way to write that invites the reader's imagination to become even more active in the process. It seems to me that the provision of detail is what triggers the reader's own memories and it's hard to imagine that you could suppress the imagination of another person by providing too much of sensory description, but this is useful food for storytelling thought.
Thanks Rick. I think it’s a balance. It’s analogous to writing that tries too hard and is overloaded with adjectives. A few choice details spark the imagination. If you focus on one or two key bits of description, then the reader has space to run with the imagination prompt, whereas if it’s too prescriptive, they may get bogged down and find it harder to picture the scene. In fact, it’s maybe a case of helping them picture “a scene”, rather than “the exact same scene” you might have in your head.
THIS is it. Exactly how it’s best done. Love it Simon
Yes, that totally makes sense.
Love how this turned out! Such a great story with a fantastic lesson for us writers to keep in mind.
Thanks for your help with this one Emily! Looking forward to seeing where you go with the end of your piece.
Simon, Oh my you have such a beautiful way of bringing the reader into your stories and then putting them there in the scene. I read this "reminder" story in WH and love how you developed it further. In addition to other's comments, what struck me was the idea of using this technique to help people process their past traumas. I'm sure something like it exists, but I was thinking about how our "deep stories" could shift in the retelling through other's eyes and voice. As you said, each storyteller emphasized different things and you then had all these additional awarenesses come through for you.
Thank you Linda. That’s a really interesting idea of using this technique to help people process their past traumas. I too wonder if any practitioners already do that.