en route
STORYTELLING GUIDELINES
AMAZING! YOU WANT TO TELL YOUR STORY...
We can’t wait to hear it, and we’ll be there for you all the way while you are crafting it. We’ve got you!
Before we start, we’d like you to know a couple of things. Don’t let them scare you off! The guidelines are there to make the story better!
1
En Route Stories are crafted with love.
It takes time and effort to craft a story. Expect to spend a few afternoons!
2
En Route Stories are told out loud in the first person.
It can be a vulnerable spot. Make sure you are ready to tell your story.
3
En Route Stories are not read or recited.
We like a direct connection between the speaker and the audience.
THE FRAMEWORK
En Route is strictly non-fiction and all stories must be true as remembered by the storyteller.
The story you’ve prepared should be intrinsically related to the theme of the night.
A story needs action and the action must have consequences. What is gained or lost? What is the urgency? What is the conflict? What is the goal and who or what is blocking it? How did the trip from Point A to Point B change or shape you?
Were you there? Are you one of the “main characters”? Your involvement in the events as they unfold is essential. No journalism.
En Route Event stories should be between 6 and 12 minutes long.
What we don’t want: Stand-up routines. Stereotypes. Rants. Essays. How-tos. Confessions. Lectures. Fictions.
What we do want: Hook us in: make us care about you. Paint the scene. Clearly state your fears, desires, the dilemma. Make us invested in the outcome. Introduce the conflict. Make us worried for you. Impress us with observations that are uniquely yours. Rope us into the moment when it all goes down. Conclude as a different person: Triumphant? Defeated? Befuddled? Enlightened?…CHANGED!
And a couple of things to avoid...
En Route’s mission is to create a community that promotes the art and craft of storytelling and to honor and celebrate the diversity and commonality of human experience.
Below are a few things that we believe are counterproductive to this effort.
If your story suffers from any of these problems, please go back to the drawing board. We promise your story will be better for it!
- Please don’t caricature or “explain” a culture that is not your own (e.g., putting on fake accents or telling us about the “customs” of a community you don’t belong to).
- Please don’t make another person’s identity (class, gender, race, orientation, body type, etc.) the punchline … or the story line. Your story, your struggles.
- Please don’t use another’s identity as a prop or plot point. (If you choose to include another person’s race, orientation, physical appearance or able-bodiedness, be sure that it is intrinsic to the story.)
- Please don’t celebrate unwanted sexual advances in your story.
- And of course, NEVER use racial slurs or hate speech.
