My second time at story gaming was as enjoyable as the first and I think one of the main reasons I enjoy it so much is that it's a chance for me to exercise my creative skill in an enforced manner. I have horrible writer's block/creative anxiety and it frustrates me because I feel like I am a creative individual but cannot express it.
I love that the elements I drop into the world that we're collaborating on become integral pieces. I love surprising myself with what comes out of my mouth. I'm surprised, but not overly so because as soon as my brain thinks of it and it starts coming out of my mouth, there's this feeling that it fits, that this is what is supposed to happen, like I'm on the outside watching and as an astute observer, can guess at what is coming next. It's all about not thinking too hard, intuition, and being flexible. I am unsure what my next sentence will be, but I have the feeling that if I just go with it, it'll turn out really cool.
This isn't my first time at this story-thing rodeo. I've been listening to others tell their favorite stories and telling my own favorite stories for decades. One of my good friends back in middle school was a fantastic storyteller. I loved hearing his stories, even though I'd heard them time and time again. It got so that I knew when he was skimping on details and when he was really launching into it. I would sometimes start laughing before a funny part, in anticipation.
But then, it's not really anyone's first time. We're asked to tell stories every day, often mundane ones, "What did you do today?" "Nothing much."
My own style of storytelling is full of facial expressions, exclaimations, and expectant pauses. But I never embellish. I occationally tell the stories of my friends if they're not there, or if they don't feel up to it.
What is the key to becoming friends with someone? Listen to them tell their stories, tell some of your own, and then go and create stories that the two of you can tell others. The more fantastic and interesting the stories, the faster you'll bond.
Basically, story gaming is genius.
