See Carol’s bio, photo, and Part 1 of this Q&A and Part 2.

Q&A with Carol Mon (Question 3):

Q: How important is it to you and your work to function within the framework of a particular definition of “story?” (i.e., What is a story?) What definition do you espouse?

A: When I first got involved with storytelling I wrote “Storytelling in its simplest form is merely a relaying of events; in its art form, it is a mystical journey the teller and listener take together.” Both parts of storytelling have a place in our world. I still like the statement for how I believe it covers the different types of tales and would like to build on it by saying that I do not espouse one definition of story; one size does not fit all. Professional storytellers do not put much stock in anecdotes as stories and yet in the business world, anecdotes are powerful, easy ways to communicate. There are a few commonalities between all forms of story and those probably are what should be used to define story. Whether it is a one-liner, epic, ballad, poem, movie, anecdote, or fairy tale, all good stories evoke some kind of emotion and cause a connection between the teller and listener. Let’s not complicate it with pedantic definitions of opening, conflicts, resolutions, and character development. Many non-professional storytellers feel they should not use stories in their communications because their “stories” do not follow a strict form. A looser definition encourages more people to consciously use stories strengthening their messages.