That guy at the campground who taught me about storytelling pacing

I was at a campsite in the Smokies last fall, and this older guy next to me spent 45 minutes telling a story about losing his dog on a hike, describing every leaf and turn in the trail before the actual rescue. He said the buildup is the whole point, you gotta earn the payoff with details. Anyone else ever have a stranger's slow story stick with you longer than a fast one?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliots491d ago

Camp at site 47 in Shenandoah last summer. Guy spent an hour telling me how he fixed a broken tent pole with a twig and duct tape, going on and on about which way the twig bent and how the tape peeled. I zoned out after 10 minutes, never got the point. Fast stories hit harder for me, man. Get in, get out, leave the leafy details on the trail.

perez.christopher1d ago

Man, I used to be the exact opposite. I always wanted stories to cut to the chase, skip the fluff and get to the good part. Then this guy at a fishing pier in Florida told me a 30 minute story about a pelican stealing his sandwich. He described the exact type of bread, the angle of the sun, and the way that bird looked at him before diving. By the time he got to the punchline, I was fully hooked, laughing harder than I would have if he just said "a bird took my food." It totally flipped a switch in my brain. Now I catch myself adding more details to my own stories, just to see if I can make people wait for it.