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BackStories

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(JimBullock was musing on stories leading to AYE...)

• BobLeeBackStory 2002.12.10
• JimBullockBackStory 2003.02.15 (Revision)
• RobWyattBackStory 2003.9.15
• RickHowerBackStory 2003.10.07
• LaurentBossavitBackStory 2003.10.23
• PhilStubbingtonBackStory 2003.10.23
• CharlesAdamsBackStory Revised 2005.11.02 (Previous 2003.11.10)

Backstory = in part the answer to the question: "How did you come to be here."

I'm borrowing terminology from the storytelling arts here - theatre, novels, movies, TV and so on. Even mythology. The work tells the story of some chunk of time (or doesn't. I'm leaving out structural experiments with non linear storytelling for the moment.) Somehow all the characters got to the state and the place where they start out in the story you are telling. That's the "backstory".

Examples, let's see:

In the beginning of Casablanca, there's that bit of exposition about the tortuous route to America, and getting stuck in the city in Viche France. In a lot of stories, the plot is about discovering the back story: Who is Kaiser Sousa? The libretto in a lot of stage stuff gives you just enough of the backstory for each character to make sense out of where they start out. Pick any film noir. The characters all have huge backstories - stories that make them damaged, and noir. The folks at AYE are interesting to a fault. And none of them is at AYE to get certified on the latest tech fad du jour. How'd they get there? Why spend money on something like this? How are they able to? What else do they do? How did they come to realize that "effectiveness" was both necessary and learnable?

Michael Bolton knows a lot of theater things. He's probably got more to say about backstories than I, and more directly useful content.

Do you mind if we quote you?

Sure, go ahead, as long as you spell my name right.

-- JimBullock, 2002.12.09

Going Forward Stories tell about how you have applied and insight, model, or technique you learned at the AYE Conference.

EstherDerby 12/13/02

So, Jim, what's your backstory?

No, no, no. The idea is to learn about all of you fine folks, while I remain a mystery, wrapped in a conundrum, buried in an enigma. Or words to that effect.

And I'd also like to hear GoingForwardStories.

That's good. I like that.

I asked about "stories" prompted by something I stole from somewhere long ago - I don't remember where. It's the idea of looking at what you're doing as "the movie of my life" and asking whether it's the kind of movie you want. You get to make a lot of choices along the way, so the movie isn't someone else's script. I don't think it's all your own script all the time. But you've got a lot of choices along the way. And if you keep your wits about you, I think over time what happens ends up being more the result of your choices than not.

I'm busy testing that theory, by the way. I'd like a few more trials before I have to commit chunks of my life to this theory, but that's not an available option. There are also some parts of the script that I don't seem to control. They tell me recognizing that has something to do with "growing up." Whatever it's called, I don't like it.

So I'd like to add the bridge between BackStories, and GoingForwardStories, which is something like BecomingStories. What do you want, or hope or expect from this experience? Separate from what it's worth right now, in the moment, what stories would you like it to open up? I know people who live mostly in the past, hooked on their backstory. I know people who live in futures that never happen, hooked entirely on BecomingStories. I know people who live what seems like a stream of events, without connection to what they've expereinced and done, and without connection to the futures they might create.

It seems to me that intentional living has a lot to do with acting now, using what happened before to create what might happen then. One would come to AYE, I hope, to learn things in the experience, now that along with your own BackStories, might help you make GoingForwardStories you like.

Or at least that's my bias.

--- JimBullock 2002.12.13

--

On to the topic of BecomingStories:

I live out of a belief that we can all be a create force in our own lives. The first step is to clearly picture the life you want.

Unfortunately, most of us aren't very good at knowing what we want. We've all be told to "be realistic" or "stop being a dreamer." Some of us been told "you can't do that becuase you're a woman" or "don't overstep your bounds," or "you're too old, (young, fat, thin, clumsey, tall, stupid, slow....)."

The truth is that we want what we want, wheher we can have it or not.

Once you know what you want, clearly enough that you will recognize it when it happens, you will choose, consciously and unconsciously, actions that will move you closer to what you want.

One woman's story.

EstherDerby 121402

Or just stalling for time while I try and develop some coherence. I put some effort into my occasional musings. It might not show.

I've thought of a beginning, now, and of course my musing about choosing and stories front and back, is all about my little life. I've had a backstory that led me to think about choices, and becoming what you want.

At any rate, the time invested has created a beginning at any rate, so here's a start at least to JimBullockBackStory.

- JimBullock, 2002.12.14