The Word

The Word

It’s on the tip of my tongue and I just can’t get it out. This is important. I’m a storyteller and can’t remember the words that I have to say to make this story work. This isn’t a problem if I’m just practicing in front of a mirror, but here I am in front of an audience of adults and I’m lost in my own story without the words I need to make it work. So what do I do? When I’m working with kids and doing a workshop, I always tell them to just go with what you remember of the story. If you leave out a part or make a mistake, unless the audience has heard the story before, no one will notice your omission.

So here I am right in the middle of a tale and I don’t know the words. I keep the tale moving as I know it should. I can even add more description and take the story into more elaborate places, but I’m going to reach that point soon and then what will I do?

Did you ever get a song stuck in your head and can hear every note of the song, but the lyrics and title just evade you? Your mind just keeps on obsessing over those words as the tune plays on and on in your head. It’s kind of like that. Only with tunes in my head, three days later the answer will pop up and I’ll shout it out like I’ve found gold. Of course, the people around me have no idea what’s wrong with me.

Remembering this word or phrase three days from now will not help this performance. The audience will be left without closure or understanding.

I guess this is called multi-tasking. Here I am telling a story at a public venue with one part of my being, at the same time another part is going through reams and reams of papers and books trying to find this one story and that one phrase that I need to make it complete and time is running out.

I’m almost there, the grand finale, the ultimate part, the do or die moment. I guess I’ll just make something up…pause…wait for it…

Me talking…”And as the prince gazed into the princess’s eyes for the last time, he said,”…In my head (“YES!”) … back out loud, “Never forget.”

The End