Storytelling

Theory: What a story is, why people love listening to stories, and the role of narrative in culture and everyday life.

Practice: Each participant tells a one-minute story from the past week. Game: “Continue the story” — one starts, the next continues.

Materials: Board, markers, notebooks, and pens.

Homework: Write one day’s story in a journal and read it at the next session.

Theory: Why characters matter. How to show a hero’s goals and obstacles.

Practice: Build a character with three questions: Who are they? What do they want? What stands in the way? Participants draw their character and describe them in three words.

Materials: Paper, markers, and pencils.

Homework: Invent a character with a strong desire or goal.

Theory: Conflict as the driving force of plot.

Practice: Group discussion of main conflicts in favorite films. Game: “Spot the conflict” in a given situation.

Materials: Board and markers.

Homework: Write a short story about a character facing an obstacle.

Theory: Beginning, middle, and end.

Practice: Reorder a fragmented story correctly. Group task: build a story from given prompts.

Materials: Prepared text fragments.

Homework: Outline your own story in 5–7 sentences.

Theory: Plot development, climax, and a simple hero’s journey model.

Practice: Fill in a plot map. Map the hero’s route and problems.

Materials: Diagrams and paper.

Homework: Write a story in which the hero makes a hard decision.

Theory: The difference between real and literary dialogue.

Practice: Write a short dialogue in pairs. Read and role-play the scene.

Materials: Notebooks and pens.

Homework: Write a 1–2 page story where dialogue plays the main role.

Theory: How to show space and atmosphere using the five senses.

Practice: Describe a familiar place using only smell, color, or sound. Read in group and discuss the mood created.

Materials: Notebooks and markers.

Homework: Write a scene where the setting expresses the hero’s emotion.

Theory: The role of emotion in story. Using metaphors and symbols.

Practice: Tell the same story in three emotions — joyful, sad, and dramatic. Hunt for metaphors in everyday surroundings.

Materials: Notebooks and pens.

Homework: Write a story that uses at least one metaphor.

Theory: First and third person. Reliable and unreliable narrators.

Practice: Tell the same story first in first person, then third. Create an unreliable-narrator example.

Materials: Board and notebooks.

Homework: Rewrite your story from another perspective.

Theory: How to work with different tonalities.

Practice: Create two versions of one story — humorous and dramatic. The group discusses which lands stronger.

Materials: Short texts and video clips.

Homework: Write a 1–2 page story in a humorous or dramatic tone.

Theory: Why editing matters and how to clear excess detail from a text.

Practice: Participants read each other’s texts and share feedback.

Materials: Printed texts and pens.

Homework: Finish your story for the presentation.

Theory: Public speaking technique — voice, tone, pause, and gesture.

Practice: Voice and rhythm exercises. Each participant presents their story.

Materials: A small stage and a phone or camera for recording.

Homework: Prepare a written text or audio recording on: “What does storytelling mean to me?”