I’m not sure if gifts that prompt storytelling have always been available, or if I have just noticed them more since I’ve been interested in storytelling.
This year, for example, I’ve seen an “ingenious journal” that “jumpstarts the storyteller in everyone, sold by Norm Thompson and probably many others. “More than 100 ‘story starters’ ask compelling questions and provide inspiration,” the catalog description touts. At Solutions.com, we find Your Story: A Guided Interview Through Your Personal and Family History, which has 179 questions “that help to put together important details. And Femail Creations offers a game, Life Stories. “A fun game of telling tales and sharing smiles with family and friends will open a pathway to each other’s hearts and souls,” says the catalog copy.
I didn’t purchase any of these for Christmas this year, but I did order other similar items.
Sometimes we need help telling our personal stories. I can see stories coming out of these products that would even be useful for the purpose I tout — career advancement. It would be interesting to possess a passel of these products and compare their usefulness.