Kate on stage at Truth Be Told

Writing and storytelling are not necessarily the same skill. As a long-time writer who fell in love with The Moth and other storytelling podcasts and events, I thought the transition between the two would be easy.

Then I went to my first in-person story event about 3-4 years ago, got up on stage for the first time, and whoa, no. Live storytelling on stage is HARD and a completely different skill than writing a story on the stage. That first time, I was very, very nervous. I meandered. I ran out of time to make my point. Honestly, I knew I could do better — and I needed to do better at public speaking in general in order to be an indie author out in the world.

So I practiced. I went to more events. I told more stories and I did improve, to the point that I was asked to be a featured storyteller at the June 24, 2018 Truth Be Told Story Slam in Boulder at the Dairy Arts Center.

Now, I’m not claiming this is the best story ever told, but you know what? I got up there and the story came out exactly as I hoped it would in my mind. Let’s go to the video evidence:

I may not have won — that honor went to Edith Gonzalez with her hilarious story Chunks, go Edith — but I’m damn proud and I had a damn good time. Thanks, Truth Be Told!