The writing prompt for this piece was – Your Stories. What are some things in your life today that you would never want to forget?
A Teller’s Thoughts
Once upon a time…
That is the way many stories start, which makes sense since when you begin something, it always starts with the first step. And it surely must have happened at one time or another.
You have a lot of latitude when you begin with “Once upon a time.”
Now, some find that starting at the beginning is not important.
The author of a book I once read wrote in the preface that the first parts of books are usually uninteresting and that readers generally speed-read to get to the middle of the book, where all the action is. So, in this particular book of his, when you opened the book, it began on page 155.
There was a great composer, Peter Schickele. He created the humorous character of P.D.Q. Bach, the 21st and oddest of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 20 children. Most of you may be familiar with Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, one that was started but never finished. Well P.D.Q. Bach composed the Unbegun Symphony, obviously a symphony that had an ending, but not a beginning.
These examples showcase innovative thinkers who did not require a once-upon-a-time.
I’m in the process of writing a 26-part story for a writing challenge that I participate in every April. (https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=4443)
The first part of the story was written in this writing group. It takes place when the main character turns 19 years old. Not the beginning of her life. It reached a point where, while writing, I didn’t really know the backstory of where the character came from. I suppose I could have used ‘Once Upon a Time’ and started at the beginning. But to do that would have taken away the mystery of who she was. Since I, as the writer, didn’t know her whole story, I chose to write her beginning as a separate story, so I could gain a better understanding of how she became a nineteen-year-old destiny chooser. I didn’t plan to release that backstory as a separate piece, so I’ve included bits and pieces of it, as the story progressed, through other characters in the story who would have known her beginnings.
I had the same issue with the ending of the story. I had to know where this character was going, so I wrote the ending very early in my writing process. I make changes to it as I continue to write. I’m still not finished with the whole piece, as of this writing. But it’s nice to know the finish line.
I wonder which other authors write like that, where they have a direction and start writing from the middle before even thinking of a ‘Once upon a time’ beginning or an ‘it’s about time’ ending.
What I do like about the phrase “Once upon a time” as a storyteller is that I usually don’t have to find a trick to engage my audience. As soon as they hear “Once Upon a Time…” they are engaged. I guess that comes from growing up hearing and reading all sorts of fairy and folktales.
My concern is that as we move into the future, fewer and fewer children are being exposed to such tales as they were written. Between movies, even cartoons, and the busy, fast world that we are living in. Time is not spent sharing these tales. And kids, as well as adults, just want to move on quickly and not sit down and share these ‘Once upon a time’ moments.
My wish is that we would all slow down and start at the beginning again. Maybe, then we’ll get to live happily ever after.
