Story-Tellers

A recent TV program talked about Irish story tellers of the past, men similar to troubadours who traveled from town to town telling their tales.  They often put up at a neighborhood home where they were given a bed and food in return for the entertainment they provided.  Naturally, the more fascinating stories they could tell, the longer they could enjoy the comfort of staying in one place.  The canny story-teller, then, told rousing tales designed to captivate his audience.  He also stopped his narrative with a cliffhanger each night to heighten anticipation and give himself another, and yet another, evening of bed and board. 

 

All writers are story-tellers.  Our livelihoods depend on how well we keep our audience entertained.  We must aim to please using the Irish story-teller's techniques, then, writing great yarns that appeal to the minds and emotions of our audience -- and shoving them chock-full of cliffhangers to keep readers coming back for more.      

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