Lesson #58: PACING - “SHARED THOUGHTS” - Eddy Laughter
This month’s Storytelling School post was written by guest author and Teaching Intern, Jenna Ulizio! Jenna first joined The Moth through our All Country program in the Spring of 2022. Jenna is currently studying English at The University of Connecticut.
Eddy Laughter takes us on a journey to a punk show in this story, most recently featured on episode 3 of Grown, our new podcast all about that time between those awkward teenage years and full-on adulthood. The episode is called “Young Punks” and features stories about musical memories.
This month’s Storytelling School story is:
“SHARED THOUGHTS” by Eddy Laughter
You can read the transcript of Eddy Laughter’s story here.
After you’ve watched and read the story, you can do the following activities:
Talk to each other about Eddy’s story.
For each post, we’ll highlight a different crafting strategy for how to make your story compelling. For this post, we’ll focus on PACING. We can learn a lot about what a storyteller is feeling not only through what details and events they choose to share, but through their tempo. Where do they speed up or slow down? What do they linger on and what sections fly by in a frenetic rush? Pacing can be an effective and revealing shortcut to a storyteller’s emotions.
In what moments did the pace of delivery help us understand what Eddy was feeling throughout this story?
What events stood out to you as the most pivotal? Did the pacing change in those sections of the story?
Where did Eddy start the story, and where did it end, both physically and mentally?
Write or tell your own story.
At The Moth, we believe in celebrating the diversity and commonality of human experience. Often, listening to someone’s story will remind us of a story from our own lives. While you almost definitely have not had Eddy’s exact experience, it still may have reminded you of a story from your life. Get inspired by these prompt questions to tell your own story!
Let’s Play “Have You Ever” -
Raise your hand if …
Gone to a concert?
Been obsessed with a musical artist?
Traveled on the train?
Felt out of place?
Seen someone you know in a place you never expected?
Been excited to be experiencing something?
Tried to avoid conflict?
Had a hard time picturing your older self?
Found a place where you belonged?
Did you raise your hand? If you raised your hand even once, that’s a story you could tell! Find someone to tell it to and try out a draft!
ACTIVITIES
Imagine you have the chance to see your favorite musical act in concert (or remember it, if you have!). Make yourself a playlist of songs you would want them to perform. What songs are on it and why?
This story ends with Eddy finding community in the concert experience. It could be anywhere from your found family or your monthly book club meetings, but what’s one moment in your life where you felt like you belonged? What were the events that led up to that realization?
Share this post with a friend!
And check back the second Tuesday of every month for another story.
Storyteller bio
Eddy Laughter grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and is an alum of the Moth Education Program at The Beacon School in Manhattan. She’s a fan of writing, wandering aimlessly, and overanalyzing monster movies. Currently, she’s attending Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she will most likely end up studying some form of storytelling.
The Moth Education Program works with young people and educators to build community through storytelling workshops, performances and innovative resources. To learn more, visit themoth.org/education
The Moth Education Program is made possible by generous support from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Charitable Trust, the Kate Spade New York Foundation, and Alice Gottesman, and The Paul & Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation.
Additional program support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the New York State Council on the Arts, ConEdison, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.