In my Art of Storytelling classes at Glendale Community College, we are beginning our section on Fact-Based stories. At first look, this genre seems to be one of the more difficult ones for students (and some seasoned tellers) to get their heads around. The trick here is, how does one make this story more than just a "report" or a mere "list of events"? One of the best ways to do this is to change the POV to first person.

In a biographical story, one could choose to tell from the point of view of the central character; be Ben Franklin, Einstein, Edison, Tesla. Another way is to choose some other character in the story to tell from their POV. Tell from the POV of the Parent, Lover, Partner or Teacher of the central character. Tell the events of a historical story from the point of view of a, seemingly uninterested, bystander or observer of the incidents. Perhaps the Butler, Carpenter or even the pet belonging to one of the characters.

Last semester, one student told the story of the Twin Towers in Manhattan, but not about the attack. He told the story of how the Towers were built, from the POV of a steelworker that had helped to build the towers. He told of his pride in building the towers and at the end, his sadness at their destruction. It was brilliant. 

This semester, the first up to tell told the story of Mark "Marky-Mark" Wahlberg...from the point of view of his Mother. This was a great choice. We hear of his turbulent youth and how he went to jail, as his mother lovingly said those ubiquitous words, "But he's really a good boy!" This showed us not only the "events" of his life, but his mother's struggle to deal with his self-destructive behavior, and eventually her pride and love at his success as an actor.

Telling from the first person can lend a creative element to the story and bring the audience closer in to the experience. In a case where they may not relate to the main character, they may be able to relate to the character telling the story.