Following my earlier post asking What Makes a God Story; I received a response from blogger Richard Littledale.

With Richard’s kind permission here is an extensive answer to the question I posed. Richard’s guest post has been adapted from his book ‘Stale Bread’.

Before you begin

1. Train your eyes as ears and your ears as eyes 

What do I mean by this? Every time you look at something, be it a fast car or a beautiful sunset, try to think how you might use sounds to describe it. With the fast car, for example, you might use images from nature, such as the roar of a cheetah or a panther. Equally, with the sunset you might turn to the world of classical music – talking of deep mellow notes. You can then do the same in reverse with sounds. If you hear a pneumatic drill somewhere nearby splitting up the road – what visual images could you use to describe the sound to someone who had not heard it? As you hear waves break over a breakwater – what visual images could you use to describe it to someone over the phone? This deliberate crossing over of the aural and visual helps you to master the art of description.

2. Train your mouth as a paintbrush

Now that you have learnt to look at sounds and listen to sights, try taking it a step further. Think of the silence before you as an empty canvas. How can you paint a picture onto it with words? Think back to that sunset. How can you describe it in such a way now that a picture is created in the minds of those who listen? It is best to start this in the privacy of your own mind before trying it out on others. Watch the sun set tonight and write a description of it. Put the description of it away until tomorrow evening and then read it again. Does it evoke the scene for you? If not, keep trying it until it does.

3. Read short stories

Obviously it is good for you as a communicator to read almost anything – newspapers, novels, devotional books…or even comics! However, the short story is of particular help when it comes preparing sermons. Unless you are intending to keep your congregation rooted to the spot for hours on end, the short story will meet your need more exactly. It will show you the discipline involved in developing an intriguing plot and believable characters in a short space of time.

4. Watch adverts

Okay, so perhaps you do despise them with their cheery jingles, their infuriating voice-overs and their zany graphics. Advertisements are often the epitome of efficient and creative communication. Especially where television adverts are concerned, vast sums of money have been paid for a few precious seconds of airtime in order to sell their product. How have they done it? What do you notice about the images and the words? How is the producer’s creativity expressed?

5. Observe stand-up comics

Nowadays it is hard to find a stand-up comic to observe where at least part of their routine won’t make your toes curl with embarrassment. However, as a putative storyteller they have a great deal to teach you. These people must hold a sceptical audience for anything up to an hour with only their words to help them. At least your congregation are unlikely to boo you off the stage or pelt you with beer glasses? That said, look at the way the comic holds his or her audience. Look at the way their keen observation of life has allowed them to describe people we all recognise. Listen to the way they use words…and pauses to hold our attention, building up to a comic climax.

6. Look at everything more intently

From now on, don’t just look at things with your eyes – look at them with your mind, and even your soul. Don’t just think to yourself’ that grass is green’ – what kind of green is it? Is it light green or dark green, acid green or restful green? I have been helped greatly in this by taking up watercolour painting, and spending many years in the pursuit of authentic trees and believable seas! However, you don’t need to go to those lengths in order to see things more intensely.

Once you start

1. Use all five senses

Having written your story, read it through again and see if you have incorporated all five senses. This is important because it brings the story to life, and it also maximises its impact amongst the listeners. Although it may seem contrived to you, it will be vital to someone who is listening.

2. Major on your minor ones

We all have a natural inclination towards either visual or audio clues in our speech pattern. Thus some people will say ‘I hear what you are saying’ whilst others will say ‘I see what you mean’. Both of them mean the same thing, but their choice of language reveals their particular inclination. Which expression would you be more likely to use? Whichever it is, you need to insert a positive bias in the opposite direction in your storytelling. In so doing you will offset your natural tendency, and finish up with a well- balanced narrative.

3. Use silence

Silence in speech, like white space on a printed page, is vital in order to get the message across. An unrelenting piece of text with no gaps whatsoever is harsh on the eye, and ends up discouraging the reader from continuing. Conversely, a little white space here and there serves only to emphasise the words which are written, making them stand out. In the same way, silence in storytelling can serve to heighten the drama of the story as it unfolds. It also acts as an excellent prelude to the moment of revelation or application. You will need to steel yourself to use it though. It is an established fact that thirty seconds of silence to the congregation feels like at least ten minutes to the preacher who has created it! Persist, though, and you will find that it pays dividends.

My thanks to Richard for his guest post. His book Stale Bread, published by the Saint Andrew Press in 2007, can be purchased here at amazon.