It was 1979. I was finishing a Dip Ed at Sydney Teachers College after briefly considering an Honours Year at Uni of NSW. Spending a year making thin sections of eucalyptus flower buds and researching their morphology under an electron microscope would be interesting enough. Cell biology at the time was as illuminating as as it was elucidating. The first DNA sequencers had come on line at my university and the prospect that these enigmatic molecules would yield up the secrets of their genetic code was tantilising. But I had more pressing matters. My inner world was in turmoil, wracked by fear and a religious melancholy I could not shake.

Tags: Storytelling

Storytelling is much more than having a good idea. Yet many people don’t think of themselves as storytellers because they lack confidence in their creativity. They think that their story ideas aren’t good enough. And that is where they are mistaken.

We are all storytellers. Everyday we tell stories. Much of the time we think in story as well, the stories we tell ourselves.

I’ve been thinking about the movie. ‘Groundhog Day’ of late. It’s based on the concept of a character who has to repeat the same experience every day over and over. There’s still currency in that idea today. Things keep getting worse for Phil Connors. He feels himself a victim of circumstance. His life continues to deteriorate until finally he lets go of the chip on his shoulder and begins the long journey of becoming the best person he can be.

Tags: Storytelling