Editorial Guidelines

Telling a story at Tenx9 Nashville? Here are ten guidelines for preparing a compelling, Tenx9 suitable story.

Tenx9 is a night for ordinary people to tell true stories from their lives– not fiction, not fable. So, thanks for lending us your story.

We are after real stories! Stories with a start, middle, and end (although not in that order necessarily!) Stories that have the listeners wondering “What happened next?”, “Why did she do that?”, “Who is that character?”, or “That character sounds just like my Great Aunt Myrtle.”

Unfortunately, folks sometimes want to:

• Give a live editorial on a theme.

• Offer a thought that’s got no structure.

• Talk about a theme, but without telling a story.

• Tell a story so they can convince you about a political, ideological, religious, or moral topic.

• Try to get you to join their group.

• Have a platform for speaking in public.

Tenx9 is not for those!

Our guidelines are simple but we expect Tenx9 storytellers to implement them:

1. Tell a true story! Sounds obvious – but make sure you’re not going on a rant, or delivering a manifesto, or giving too much analysis. Tempted to tell two true stories in your 10 minutes? Our experience has shown that this can slump.

2. You don’t have to write out your story – you’re welcome to tell it. But if you’re ad-libbing, keep to the point. Sometimes ad-libbers have fabulous beginnings and endings but the middle slumps a little. Or they have great openings, sufficient (though perhaps disjointed) middles, but weak, disappointing endings.

3. We at Tenx9 Nashville can help you in editing. Just send us your draft at tenx9nashville@gmail.com. If it’s your first time telling, we require this.

4. Cut out scene or theme setting introductions! We’re serious about this. If the folks listening aren’t asking “why did that happen?” or “I wonder what happened next” or “I wonder who that person is” by your second sentence, your story is not what it could or even should be. In fact, it may not even be a story! Please make sure that you are telling us something about what happened, as opposed to reading a live reflection piece on a topic.

5. If you’re mentioning a person, and that person might be embarrassed to be identified, use a pseudonym. (Obviously, if you are exposing the person, it’s best to tell the story to a lawyer, not an audience at Tenx9 Nashville.) On the subject of names, if your story involves lots of characters, make it easy on those of us who forget names quickly. For example, instead of talking about Jack, Joe, Bertha, Margaret, Sam Hill, and Petunia, think perhaps about how you’d help us remember who you’re talking about – e.g., the builder, the dancer, the teacher, the vampire, etc. You get the drift.

6. You don’t have to give every single detail – the best stories just drop the listeners right into story. Set the scene succinctly to get the audience situated in the narrative: when did it happen? where? who was there?

7. Use a good opening line to bring the audience right into the story and hook them from the start: “Once, I saw a side to someone I had never seen before. But I’ll get to that. I had known this girl for a few years. In fact…” Remember, your ten minutes start from the moment you get behind the microphone.

8. Please be respectful of the diverse audience. At Tenx9, we are neither prudes nor crudes. We ask you not to overly sanitize nor unnecessarily offend. Be warned, though — we will stop your story if the content is offensive, hateful, objectifying, or overly crude. While we love juicy, intimate stories, we can’t have stories whose main point is sexual. If the story couldn’t be told on public radio, then it’s unlikely to be suitable for Tenx9. We try to balance telling the truth of our stories with providing a welcoming space for all. Kindly help us toward that goal.

9. A good ending is important too. For instance, at a recent Tenx9, one fine storyteller finished her story about the marginalization and unwelcome she and her brother experienced in her family by chronicling some of the final moments with their difficult mother: “She looked up at my brother and me, the black sheep, who were there caring for her, and said, ‘Am I in hell?’ My brother relied, ‘Not yet.'” Though certainly tragic, it was a damn fine ending. We knew it and she knew it. Having a good ending also helps you know where you’re going.

10. Ten minutes is about 1400 words – maybe two and a half, single-spaced pages at 12-point font. We are strict about the ten-minute limit, so we will ring a bell to stop you! Stick to the word limit and practice while timing yourself. Your ten minutes starts from the moment you get behind the microphone so jump right into your story.

We’re excited to hear your story. You’ll do great!