I have realised that there is more than just telling good stories. I remembered why I tend not to tell stories, it's because people love talking about themselves, but in the short attention span era that we live in, people tend to turn off during the seconds that another is listening. Speaking to Cara last night, she would be totally involved in her stories but would totally interupt mine. When I would be talking, her attention would go to the radio or the television. Yet, she can repeat verbatim things that her band members or producers have told her. Danielle was the same, I could see her mood changing and her attention wavering when she wasn't recalling a story.
You would assume that I'm totally boring, but both these people tell me that they find me hilarious. I learnt that people don't listen to me for very long so I became very good at quipping in with something short and funny.
The trick is attention and respect.
I remember a chick called Nancy who would tell hilariously debauched stories and have entire tables hanging on her every word. She was smart, clever and her stories would always be a little shocking. It was great, but you would be completely unable to have a conversation with anyone else because people would snap to attention as soon as Nancy opened her mouth.
Other guys that I know that would have other's listening as soon as they said something had a very similar strength of character that Nancy had.
It isn't just the ability to tell good stories, people have to really want to listen to you.
For this to happen, I might need a bit of a character-overhaul.
