As a storyteller, Aesop could have used a little coaching.
We are constantly being coached to, "Show, don't tell." Yet, the great writer of those famed fables felt the need to "tell" us what the moral (or the meaning) of the story was. He could have taken a lesson from modern-day filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Toy Story, WALL-E, Finding Nemo). In a TED talk, in February of this year, Stanton said it in a way that was brilliant. He said that he and his colleagues discovered:
The Unifying theory of 2+2.
"Make the audience put things together. Don't give them 4. . .give them 2+2. "
So, when you think about the ending of your story, be careful to not fall into Aesop's trap. You don't have to hit the audience over the head with a morel, or a "This is what the story is about." Make sure that all through the story you have given the audience all the clues and all the numbers, then, don't give them the "answer", let them figure it out for themselves.
And Aesop, think about this:
Instead of telling us, Slow but sure wins the race; show us the amazement and disappointment on the Hare's face as he turns the corner to see the Turtle, crossing the finish line, a wry smile on his beak, and his head bobbing up and down, seemingly disconnected from his body.
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
