Telling your story

Got a story to tell??

So I’m Al and I’m 15 years old.

I’m your pretty usual teenager, I live in Nottingham with my Mum and two sisters and our dog. Life’s pretty everyday - I mean I go to school, hang out with my mates, try to remember to do my homework, try not to get into trouble for my room being a mess, usual stuff. And when I’m not do- ing that I play football or mess around online. Nothing special.

But that stuff means WAY more to me than you might thing because, you see, about a year ago I thought I might not make it this far. Because about TWO years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and I had to have brain surgery and then radiotherapy and a bunch of treatment and stuff and there was a time they didn’t know how it was all gonna go.

So this is my story of what its like to suddenly lose two years of your life sat in a hospital thinking ‘this can’t be real’...

Got your attention?

Stories are the glue that holds everything together. People LOVE stories, especially real life stories because we’re fascinated by other people.
 
Every story no matter how short or long has a structure - it helps us follow the thread. Before you film yours its worth pausing and thinking about yours ...

So here is a simple overview to help you think about how to tell your story. Remember, this is a loose guide. It sometimes helps to identify the end, then the beginning and then join the two ;)

Where does your story start?

This is the introduction.

Who are you and what do you want people to know about you and your story?
Identify and describe the moment in time - is it now, recently or a long time ago?
Where and when does or did the story takes place.
What was life like then?
Talk about you, how did you think, talk, act?
What did you want?

Then what happened?

Tell us your story.

What journey did you go on?
Talk about the ups and downs.
What were the main events?
What kind of challenges did you face?
How did events, or relationships play out?
Were there surprises or things we might not expect?
What details do you really want to make sure you tell people about?

What now?

How did your story end? Or is it still in process?

Was the ending a good one, or bad, or somewhere between the two?
How did you overcome the challenges?
Did someone help, if so, how?
How have you changed?
Describe how you are different?
What did you learn through all this - is there one thing you’d want people to know right now, today as you’re sharing this?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORY!

Stories are what make headstrong REAL and that’s what we’re all about - so we’re super grateful