When I first started competing at story slams, my performances would run 8 minutes, often risking disqualification for going over the time limit.
It was in part because of the laughs, but the other part was because of my rambling.
It is normal.
It is the insecurity of the beginner who feels they will only get one chance to say it all.
When comedians are writing material, they cut parts of the story or the plot to make room for the joke. They mercilessly edit set-ups down, then play with the most impactful way to deliver the punchline with the least amount of words possibleā€”as long as the joke stays alive.
As storytellers, your job is different.
You need to take a look at any side story, joke, or commentary that pulls you away from the flow of your story. The story becomes the standard by which we evaluate the writing, so when we have to cut down words and, let's be honest, we always have to cut down words; then asking, "Does this move the story forward?" is a simple way to remain focused and make those difficult editing decisions.
Have you ever noticed how side-tracks derail you from the heart of the story?
The Story Frame
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