Category: prep note Page 3 of 24

Prep Note 11/28/23

On November 26, 2023

What was the story you heard? What makes it a story?

I stayed on campus during the break instead of traveling home for the holiday. On Thanksgiving, I FaceTimed my sister and my grandma while they waited for dinner to be ready. While talking to my grandma, my aunt was brought up. The story that my grandma decided to tell me about my aunt was brought up naturally. My aunt is notorious for her cooking skills. We love her, but she has been banned from making the Thanksgiving mac and cheese. I’m old enough to remember the time when she still brought side dishes to Thanksgiving, but my grandma told me a story from when my aunt first started dating my uncle in the early 2000s. My aunt is related to me through marriage, and she wanted to impress her future husband’s family. On her first Thanksgiving with my family, she didn’t want to come empty-handed so she decided to make a pie. All she planned to do was buy a premade pie crust and a canned filling. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not making a pie from scratch; it’s hard to mess up. On the morning of Thanksgiving, she was in a rush to get ready and was running late. Her hair was in rollers, she was trying to get dressed, and my uncle was rushing her to get ready. She realized that she had forgotten to make the pie, so she ran into the kitchen to let it cook while she did her hair. She opened a can that was sitting on the counter, dumped it into the pie crust, and threw it in the oven. While she finished her hair and makeup, she smelled something funny coming from the kitchen. As she checked on the pie, she realized that instead of grabbing the can of pie filling, she grabbed a can of tuna fish. It was my grandmother’s first time meeting my aunt, but she didn’t judge her. My grandma thought it was the funniest thing to ever happen, and she and my aunt still joke about it every Thanksgiving. I think what made this story a story was the emotion and the sequence of events. If the story was told out of order it wouldn’t have made sense. If the emotion my grandma expressed when telling the story was different/more negative it would have changed the story completely as well.

Prep Note 11/28

By William Sheets

On November 26, 2023

In prep note, Will S

Over Thanksgiving break, my aunt and uncle on my mom’s side drove up from New Jersey to visit. My parents and my aunt and uncle have all been friends forever, even before they were married. So I figured, who better to get a story from? I told the four of them over dinner one night about the assignment and asked them for one of their best stories. The four of them had all lived together in the Bronx for several years, so I was sure I would get some wild stories from those years. And I was far from disappointed.
I didn’t just get one story. I got a deluge of them. We talked for hours, my parents, aunt, and uncle reminiscing about when they were younger while my brother and I just listened. They told stories about finding a coating of lint in a meal a friend cooked for them once, about accidentally letting their dog run onto an equine racetrack during a race, of how they all met, of course, and much more. But there was one story that stuck out to me more than most.
My aunt is a veterinarian who specializes in racehorses, hence the racetrack story I mentioned before, and went to school at Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania. However, she did all this after dropping out of the first college she attended and working for a bit as a racehorse jockey. So, when she decided to apply to Columbia, she asked her friends, my parents and uncle, for a little help. Together, they went to a local restaurant in the Bronx to help my aunt write her college essay.
They told me they went around in a circle, adding, subtracting, and editing for hours on end, laughing and messing around as much as they were working. They decided to draw on my aunt’s unique experience as a jockey as the central pitch of the essay. Not only was the essay good enough for my aunt to get in, but it was good enough for all four to remember specific lines from it even all these years later.
This story stuck out to me, not necessarily because of what it was about, but how it was told. My aunt was the one who started to tell the story, it was her essay after all, but before long, everyone else was interrupting her, providing details she may have forgotten, re-telling certain moments from their perspective, or just making jokes about the whole experience. Watching the four of them working together, and sometimes against each other, to tell this story was a near mirror image of the story itself. I could imagine the four people in front of me laughing and writing together, all working toward some common goal. My parents ceased to be my parents, my aunt wasn’t my aunt, and my uncle was no longer my uncle. Instead, they were four best friends, reminiscing, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company, just like they did in the Bronx all those years ago.

Prep Note 11/28

By Ana Michaelis

On November 25, 2023

In Ana, prep note

What was the story you heard? What makes it a story?

Over this break, I did not have any family come in because they live out of the country, but I did have a moment to speak with my grandma and family over the phone. We talked about my great-grandma, my grandma’s mother, and how she had 8 other siblings. This conversation went unprompted, and she literally said to me that all of her siblings “had a story” then she told me about her aunt, a women who was married to a very well known lawyer in Colombia. Together, they had 11 children, which is crazy and so many in itself, but she also later discovered that he also had exactly 11 children with another woman. Yet after, he maintained a relationship with both women, and sent all 22 children through college.

I do not necessarily believe it has to have many characters, point of view, conflict, etc. It is hard to say what makes something a story, but to me this felt like a story because it was an authentic experience faced by someone. And especially someone who I am related to, and also its relation too many common themes, like love, infidelity, and family.

Prep Note 11/16

By Angelos Charalampos Bouras

On November 16, 2023

In Angelos, prep note

In Thursday’s lesson, we analyzed how to tell a story, shared our ideas with a partner, and created a grading rubric for the storytelling project. Drawing inspiration from the book Moth, Mitch highlighted the metaphor of “stepping stones” in the narrative process. Recognizing the challenge of navigating the middle of the “story puzzle,” we’ve identified three essential elements for a compelling story: scenes, summaries, and reflection.

We embraced the principle of “show, don’t tell,” and the inclusion of examples to portray characters or events. We also discussed the fine line between humor and stand-up, and we’ve explored the potential of humor as a storytelling tool, referencing Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette” comedy special.

In our collaborative groups, we’ve delved into refining our stories, using strategies like detailing every aspect to enhance narrative impact. Looking ahead, we’ve set goals for the story project—aiming to learn more about our classmates through active listening and engagement. Our rubric includes assigning points for listening skills, story quality, and overall effort, with potential assessments like a brief test or reflective notes after each presentation.

Prep Note 11/14

By William Sheets

On November 13, 2023

In prep note, Will S

The book written by the directors of The Moth had a lot of really helpful tips that I’m definitely going to keep in mind when I’m working on my story. For example, something that really stuck with me was the necessity to make sure a story is varied. Stories aren’t as engaging if they contain only scenes or only reflections. You need a mix of both in a good story. I also thought the book pushed pretty heavily for a “show don’t tell” style of storytelling. They seemed to emphasize using details to imply important character traits, emotions, or realizations instead of just saying that those things existed outright. I think this in particular is something I might struggle with when planning my story, so I’m sure I’ll look back at the tips in this chapter for reference.

Prep Note 11-09-23

By Brice Di Carlo

On November 9, 2023

In Brice, prep note

The inclusion of pictures made Professor Dolson’s story much easier to follow. An aspect of Professor Dolson’s video that seemed strongest was the fact that there was clear turning point in her story. At the end of the story, Professor Dolson made a stark comparison and realization between herself and others. Something else that was interesting is that the story was about a random unexpected moment in her life that drew realization. The story didn’t have to be high or low in someones life, it could just be a basic interaction or moment.

Prep note – 11/9

By Nicholas Gunn

On November 9, 2023

In Nick G, prep note

I enjoyed listening to Professor Dolson’s story. The combination of the story being told, the music in the background, and the pictures being displayed made it feel more than just a story. Rather, it felt like its own experience that each of the elements in telling the story contributed to. It was also interesting to see how a simple story can convey such a deep message. The complexity of a story does not determine the value behind the story itself, some of the most meaningful stories are the simplest.

Prep Note 11/9/23

By William Linquata

On November 9, 2023

In prep note, Will L

Listening to Professor Dolson’s story was very different because it had music and pictures that helped me envision what she was saying. It made me think more about the connections between her story and my life. I know that I have seen many white picket fences and brick buildings in my life too. Overall, this method of storytelling seemed to be a deeper way of connecting to the audience through not only words but music and images as well.

11/09 Prep Note

By Angelos Charalampos Bouras

On November 9, 2023

In Angelos, prep note

The essay workshop for really helpful overall. I find it significant to hear from others their perspectives on my creation because it is challenging to identify any flaws by myself since I am biased. Sometimes, it is not even about the flaws, there are just different opinions since writing can have so many different forms and different ways to be interpreted. The feedback that I received helped me gain different perspectives and see my essay more holistically, Now, I feel much more comfortable with my version of my essay.

Prep Note 11/9

By William Sheets

On November 9, 2023

In prep note, Will S

Professor Dolson’s personal story was really interesting to listen to. I thought the connections she drew between the neighborhood where she parked and her own home were really clever and they made the story feel very well structured. By tying the beginning of the story to a detail at the end, Professor Dolson gives her story a circular feel which makes it feel complete and satisfying. I also think the use of background music helped to add emotional weight to the story. All music is culturally coded to invoke some feeling in us, and the music choices Prof. Dolson makes, mostly trending toward somber or serious music, added an additional layer of gravitas to the story.