Try Our "Made-For-the-Web" Storytelling Workshop
By: Clara Elizabeth Davis & Sarah Boorboor
Every month, we host an Unravel Your Story workshop for our community in Shanghai, giving people the chance to take a break from their busy lives to reflect and share. Things are feeling uncertain here at the moment, and taking the time to care for ourselves, physically and emotionally, should be at the top of our to-do list.
Reflecting on and writing our own stories is our favorite form of self-care. We wanted a way to help everyone to reflect on their story in this moment, so we made these videos that break off a piece of our workshop, the often elusive first step: idea generation. We've included homemade videos throughout this post to help guide you through these exercises, giving you the chance to look inward and put pen to paper (or fingers to keys!). We hope you take this opportunity to reflect, learn, grow, and share!
Activity 1: Free write
The theme of today's mini-workshop is GROW.
It can be daunting to get started on a personal narrative, we encourage people to start with a free writing exercise to get the juices flowing. Every month we share a writing prompt that connects with the theme of that month's live show. Here's a writing prompt inspired by today's theme:
Take 5 minutes to free write using the prompt above. You shouldn’t feel like there’s a necessary destination or end point to this exercise, it’s totally open ended.
Activity 2: word map
Now you’ve gotten warmed up, but it can still be intimidating to know what story you want to focus on (we all have so many!!). We love using word maps as a tool to explore different directions for our personal narratives.
Start by putting the theme word grow in the middle of a blank page, then let your mind free associate and see where it takes you. You can do this forever* (*meaning anything over 15 minutes), but we recommend you set a timer for 5 minutes and see where you land!
"With grow, I think of hair right away. I think about cutting my hair really short and vacillating between a new found confidence and deep regret. I think of growing my out my hair in winter and this reminds me of my hometown Philadelphia and all of my feminist influences there. A word map can take you in endless directions to find the story you want to focus on."
Next Step: Once you’ve got a complete word map, highlight three words that you have more to say about and take three minutes per word to free write a paragraph.
Activity 3: Focus on Transformation
Look back at the three paragraphs you’ve written inspired by words from your word map. Look for the points of transformation that present themselves. Do you see any? Pick the paragraph that feels the most special, and think about the transformation or change it generated in your life, and in you.
In order to have a story, some kind of transformation needs to take place. In this exercise, we start by thinking about and then writing out the moment of change or transformation. Then, think about what happened before and after that shift.
“I focused on the word ‘sister’ from my word map, because to me it represented a distinct point of transformation in my life. I was a teenager when my parents adopted my baby sister, and it was an experience that changed my perspective and priorities significantly. Less wild rebellion, more diaper changing. That external change in my life generated a powerful internal transformation, one that can serve as the foundation of a story.”
Final Step: Take your moment of transformation and swap it with 'before', you now have the basic outline for your story. We challenge you to set a timer for 30 minutes and start your first draft. Happy unraveling!
Share Your Story
In times of uncertainty, stories reveal their true power. They can confuse us, scare us, or sensationalize situations. They can also inform, inspire, uplift, and reassure us. But the fundamental power of storytelling is its immense capability to remind us that there is so much more that connects us than divides us.
Whether you’re in Shanghai, wider China, or anywhere else in the world right now—we encourage you to consider what story you can read, share, or tell today that can make a positive impact on you and those around you.
If you want to share your story for workshopping from our team, head to our submit a story section for everything you need to know. You can also enjoy one of Clara's stories here and learn more about the workshops we offer on our Unravel Impact page.