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“To Tell the Truth Sometimes You Have to Lie”: Notes from Blogher 2005 Storytelling Birds of a Feather

August 1st, 2005 · 2 Comments

Highlights from the Birds of a Feather Storytelling group Blogher July 30, 2005:



I came late and left early, due to the fact that the session I was helping to lead was immediately after this one.

However, here are a few quotes from the informal session when we split into groups and discussed various interests. I am intentionally posting these statements unattributed and anonymous.

These notes are not all-inclusive but will help provide the flavor of our BOF.

I confess that at first I didn’t know whether I should spend time at the BOF or just prepare for my session. But this time turned out to be rich.

[Explanation of my Blogher liveblogging style: I attempted to do my best to capture as many direct quotes as possible. I did not capture every sentence or word. Occasionally I may have paraphrased a few words in order to get the idea down quickly. Please feel free to correct what is written here, either by commenting below or emailing me: harrowme AT yahoo.com. Official list of Blogher livebloggers here (I was not an official blogher one). ]

Notes:

to tell the truth sometimes you have to lie

hone it

danger is in publishing not writing

I don’t need to bring in these other characters

Posting is still writing – how can it be shaped, how is it coming across?

It dosen’t feel like finished work, it’s too raw

Because I’ve written so much …i do censor myself…things I write about…I do know my lbel laws so I do neutralize

I’m not going to put a value I won’t assay that

I don’t blog about my children unless its in the public domain

I give everyone nicknames

how much do you rewrite

write the real story first then mask or nest it

personal privacy

play poetry

disguise in romania

veiled story telling is very important for survival

libel, survival, identity

it takes a lot more craft, thinking time

the kind of story telling blogs we’re talking about, they need time

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2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Susan Kitchens // Aug 1, 2005 at 2:42 pm

    Thanks for putting this up, Julie. At the BOF, I was just about to ask you to elaborate on a statement (attributed to you? that you said) that in telling the story, the storyteller changes. I want to know more what you mean by that. But that was the moment where you had to go to prepare for your session. Ah well. If you’ve time and inclination to write about it, I’m all eyes. 🙂

    oh, and a clarification of statement #3: “There is no risk in writing, only in publishing.”

  • 2 Jenny // Aug 8, 2005 at 8:07 am

    Those are really good notes, Julie…

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