FGS: Well, I didn't see that coming - Stories of getting blindsided

I won't say I love getting blindsided, but I do enjoy the excitement of getting knocked sideways a bit.

I could barely contain myself a few weeks ago when a friend called me to ask if he could hide a bag of guns in my basement. Will I get a story out of that? Probably. It depends on the permission of a few people involved and if they have any active NDA's.

I remember being blindsided when my son and I took DNA tests, and his name didn't come up in my list of relatives. It took a few weeks of sleuthing and calming down before I realized I could get a story out of that one.

I just realized today that I could get a story from the time in 2020 when my rent went up 45%. The story would be about how I never wanted the responsibility of owning a house until a mortgage wasn’t going to be much more than rent.

Those are the kinds of stories we’re looking for at the next FGS. We’d love to hear a story where you look back and think, “Well, I didn’t see that coming.” How did you deal with the situation and how did it change you? Did it turn out for the best in the end or do you still wish you could have avoided it?

Of course, our themes are just suggestions, so you can tell a story about almost anything as long as it follows our usual rules and guidelines: [https://freshgroundstories.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/](https://freshgroundstories.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/)

The easiest way to come up with a story is to start with a moment that meant something to you. Once you have that, write down all the memories that have something to do with that moment, both before and after it. Then choose 2-3 of those memories to be the story.

Remember that a story isn’t just a series of things that happened. There needs to be some obstacle that you overcome by the end.

Practice the story out loud to as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. Please don’t get onstage if you haven’t practiced your story. The audience is giving you their time and attention. It’s not fair to them if you get up there and try to wing it.

All stories have to be under eight minutes. Stories can be as short as you want, but no longer than eight minutes.

Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. Send me an email if you have any questions about that.

Our free monthly online workshop is a great place to get feedback on your story. [https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop](https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop)

I’m also happy to help anyone with a story they’re working on. Email me, and we can set up a phone call.

See you Thursday, September 17 at 7 pm, on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Paul Freshgroundstories@gmail.com