This two-day immersive workshop guides participants through the full arc of creating and telling a true personal story — from spark to stage.

Each storyteller will develop a 5 minute true story about facing a challenge and emerging with new understanding. The work is grounded in The Flame philosophy:

• True story

• First person

• Present tense

• One central transformation

• Crafted for the ear, not the page

This is not about being polished. It is about being present, specific, and alive.  Participants move from idea → draft → structure → embodiment → live telling — supported by guided feedback and community witnessing.

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Saturday - Finding and Shaping the Story

10:00 – 11:00

Arrival & Orientation

Welcome to the space. Introductions  

We settle in and clarify the aims for the weekend.

We begin with foundational questions:

• Why do we tell stories?

• What do stories reveal about us?

• What makes a good story?

• What makes a good storyteller?

Storytelling is connection — not performance tricks.

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12:30 – 1:00

Do You Have a Story?

Participants identify the one story they will work on — focusing on a clear moment of transformation.  Not three stories. Not a life summary. One.

Lunch

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2:00 – 3:00

First Tell — Small Groups

Participants share their story in groups of 3–4.

Focus: speaking it aloud, not reading.

Facilitators circulate; timing checkpoints every 15–20 minutes ensure momentum.

The goal is discovery — what feels alive? What feels unclear?

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3:00 – 4:00

First Writing Session — Capture It

Handwrite the story in first-person present tense.

“I am 7 years old and I smell skunk.”

Participants are encouraged to:

• Start with action

• Use sensory detail

• Let it be messy

• Wrestle it onto the page

Optional prompts help map alternate story possibilities.

 

Before closing Saturday:

• Sunday schedule reminders

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Sunday - Deepening and Delivering

10:00 – 10:30

Check-In

Reflection on the previous day’s discoveries.

What shifted overnight? What feels clearer?

 

 

10:30 – Break

Storytelling with Feedback

Participants tell their developing stories to the full group.

Deb offers structured feedback.

Peers write “love letters” — reflections given directly to the storyteller.

Feedback focuses on:

• The hook

• Clarity of arc (beginning, middle, end)

• Specific details

• Emotional truth

• The button (ending line)

 

Timekeeping ensures every storyteller is supported and the group keeps moving.

 

 

2:00 - 4:00

Rewrite & Refine

Participants revise for the evening sharing:

• Sharpen the opening

• Clarify stakes

• Strengthen sensory detail

• Trim excess explanation

• Land the ending

 

Start late. End early.

Every sentence reveals character or advances action.

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What Participants Leave With

• A fully developed, memorized 5  minute personal story

• A deeper understanding of their voice

• Tools for structuring future stories

• Experience giving and receiving thoughtful feedback

• Greater confidence in live storytelling

 

The Flame Principles in Practice

Throughout the weekend, participants practice:

• Authenticity over performance

• Vulnerability without self-pity

• Specific detail over generalization

• Trusting the audience’s intelligence

• Giving the story as a gift

A Flame story is not therapy.

It is not a sermon.

It is not literary writing.

It is lived. Spoken. Shared.

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