Premiere Workshop of “Stories from the Outside Inn”

I don’t know how many of you have looked at the web site “Stories from the Outside Inn” (www.storiesfromtheoutsideinn.com), but it is a lovely website Nick Kemp and I put together last year. The imaginary Inn is actually a place you can download free MP3s that are 5-minute trances or stories of various descriptions. There is original ambient music for each track as well.

Well, Nick and I have just completed out first “Stories from the Outside Inn” workshop at the Queens hotel in Leeds. It was a wonderful journey. Fourteen brave souls joined us for the ride. Over two days we explored the elements of story telling, from the writing to the telling. We explored ways of refining and enhancing those elements by use of Ericksonian Language Patterns, voice use, tempo and pacing, and strove to strike a dynamic balance between seemingly disparate parts, like being totally planned and scripted to being totally spontaneous and improvising. A state we called an in-between state but maybe, now that I think of it, it’s more properly an “Inn-between State.”

The results were amazing. It is said that the proof is in the pudding. Universally, the creations of the class were absolutely stellar. You can look forward to hearing them in the next weeks and months to come on the web site. TIl then my heartfelt gratitude goes out to all our guests at the Outside Inn this past weekend and to Nick and his wife Sue for their generous hospitality.