The other day, while pondering what I though storytelling was, my teacher said something to me that really struck a cord. She said that she believed storytelling to be something that happens when we tell one story but we can’t express all of it. And it is through this unquenchable need to tell more with more details that story telling is born.

Now this is a rather paraphrased version of what was originally spoken to me, but that is how I interpreted it. I guess I found it to be rather profound, because when I sat down and thought about it that’s really what storytelling is. Its a need in us all to retell an experience, to make sure that every detail and emotion we experienced in a situation is totally and to the best of our ability relayed to the listener.

I have always found an element of comfort in storytelling, this may be chalked up to the feeling of complete rapture by the listener or maybe its the feeling of freedom of creativity. By this I mean that when telling a story you typically have your audiences full attention, and with that power you are able to flex your creativity through the verbal picture you paint. It is a truly amazing thing, storytelling, in that you can leave out big details or blow up minor parts of the story to give the listener the experiences you want to portray.

But the interesting part that I think will really be a new experience in this class is adding a digital flare to it. When I think digital storytelling, I guess I sort of connect it to something that can be viral. Something larger than just a verbal rendition of what you wish to pass on, in that it is in writing. There is something so much more powerful in knowing that what you put down can be passed on not just from you but to millions across the globe. Its a much more intese form of storytelling.

For me though it’s not just the viral part that makes digital storytelling, digital. It’s also the fact that now storytelling will take a whole new form, I will be able to not just paint verbal pictures but actually show my readers what I mean and what I want them to experiences. I’m really looking forward to this new chapter and hopefully it will be just as exciting, powerful, and creative as verbal storytelling!

And now? A picture of my favorite storyteller Dr Suess