Fairy tale example: “Have you ever wondered why the moth chases the flame?” Funny story example: “I have the college roommate story to end all college roommate stories. Let’s just say it involves a toilet. "
Fairy tale example: “Once upon a time, when the world was old and magic still lived and beasts still spoke. . . " Funny story example: “I’m sort of the quiet, owns-multiple-cats type, right? But my roommate was very much the what’s-a-liver partier. "
Fairytale example: “Moth approached the tall, white pillar and there was Flame, burning in her glory. Moth felt hooked somewhere around his stomach and the tug of love set in. Of course, heroes do not rescue their princesses in the same day, and Moth spent many splendid moonlit nights falling deeper in love with Flame. " Funny story example: “It was a new year and so we moved into this new neighborhood that was nice and. . . stabby. So. . . I’m pretty much set to DEFCON 1 at all times. Good for the blood pressure, you know. "
As time allows, keep the details that go the furthest to create proper pacing or set the scene, but adjust as necessary to meet the reactions of your audience. If they start to seem bored, speed it up and pare down to the necessities.
If you do forget a detail, weave it back in without breaking the experience of the story. For example: “Now, the Pied Piper wasn’t just after the town’s money for no reason. You see, they’d gone back on a deal they’d made with him. "
Ask a question and give an answer. “How crazy is that? I know I’m sure not going to try that again. " State the moral. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is an excellent example of why you should never take your cat to work. " Use tone and voice carefully. Try generally building in volume and speed until the climax of the story, at which point you should slow back down and lower your voice to show you are done.
For example, characterize your father’s voice with an overly deep, gruff sound and add in occasional extras to the dialogue like “[Relevant part of the story. ] Also, I am going out to the garage to build a deck. Or part of a deck. Maybe I will just watch a television series where they build a deck. "
You should also experiment with dramatic pauses. A moment of silence and a look can add a lot to someone’s experience of a story.
Remember, facial expressions come in more than 3 flavors. You can convey really complex emotions by using very specific facial expressions.
Of course, you do not want to go over the top. Do not hit anyone in the face or knock over your drink. Or knock your drink into your face.
Some stock gestures, such as the Groucho Marx eyebrow lift or the Rodney Dangerfield collar tug, can add extra silliness to a story (Conan O’Brien and Robin Williams frequently used stock gestures).
