Let me tell you a story. That’s how it always begins, right? Everyone loves a good story – they make the world go round.

The word story has recently evolved into some kind of monster. The world and his/her wife is bandying it around left, right and centre, but I still think there’s something magical about it at its very core.

Everyone has a story, but not everyone can tell a story.

You know that feeling, when someone tries to tell you about a dream they had and they’re so enthusiastic and all you can do is clench your jaw and hope you can keep that yawn at bay until they’re finished. We’ve all been there.

Storytelling isn’t easy. But it doesn’t have to be difficult either.

What is a ‘travelling storyteller’?

I read the Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel recently, which is a thick-set foray into the surreal and almost unbelievable world of the Ice Age. And, in this weird and wonderful world that’s kind of like the world we know but really, really not, they have these oracles called travelling storytellers.

You see, back in the days when mammoths roamed the earth and food was foraged with weather-hardened bare hands, there was no such thing as a television or books or, god forbid, the internet (how did they survive, right?). So for entertainment tribes gathered around crackling fireplaces with stomachs full of wild horsemeat and told stories.

But, when you spend so much time with the same people (as was the nature of tribes back then), stories begin to get regurgitated and the same narratives circle round and round. The best times were when someone who had travelled from farther afield turned up, bursting with stories of lands far away.

They weren’t just any old traveller who’d hitched up and waffled on about what they had for breakfast and where they went after that and then what they did after that. No, these storytellers were trained in the art of entertainment through years of wandering and weaving words, giving life to situations and creating tales from true stories.

This is a travelling storyteller.

Get your free copy of How to be a Travelling Storyteller

To celebrate the launch of the new Wanderful World design (what do you think? Snazzy, huh?!) I’ve written a short guide to becoming a travelling storyteller.

The e-guide dips into why you should be a travelling storyteller and covers seven tips you can apply to your writing and your travelling that will help you on your way to becoming one of those much-sought after entertainers in the Ice Age.

Click here to claim your free copy.

To grab a copy, all you have to do is subscribe to the Wanderful World newsletter where I’ll hand deliver you exclusive juicy travel and writing inspiration once or twice a month straight to your inbox. No spam, only morsels of goodness – I promise!

Of course, if you don’t want to sign up, that’s absolutely fine! You can follow along on Twitter or Facebook and check back regularly for updates on writing, travelling, and combining the two.

It’s great to have you along for the ride!

Now, tell me… What makes a good story for you? Do you travel to find stories? What issues do you have with storytelling?