Great, here’s what you do!  Look at the schedule of dates and themes and pick one that works for you.  Once you have done that, the real work begins:

• Begin to craft a narrative that fits the theme.  What makes a great story?  Click here for tips.
• Practice it so that you can deliver your story without the use of notes.  This is not a reading – absolutely no notes will be allowed.  Practice alone, practice for your pets, practice for your friends (only ones that will let you know if your story is any good – it is a waste of time to practice for someone who won’t be honest).
• Edit Edit Edit!  Make sure your story fits the 5-minute format!
• Show up to the StorySLAM and put your name in the hat.  10 names will be called.  If your name is not called, then there will be another event around the corner that might fit your story.  Please come back and try again!  It is people like you who will drive these events! 
  
  

Let The Monti producers know that you’d like to judge the stories for that night when you arrive and you will be given guidelines on how to be the best objective judge possible.  All stories will be judged on three criteria.  How well does the story:

• Fit the theme
• Fit the time limit
• Take us on a journey and affect the audience

First and foremost, The Monti is a place to tell stories without the use of notes, so if you cannot do that, you cannot tell a story at The Monti

Tips for telling a great story:

First and foremost, The Monti is a place to tell stories without the use of notes, so if you cannot do that, you cannot tell a story at The Monti. 

Start with a compelling beginning.  You only have 5 minutes, so you need to get right into the action from the very first line.  The first line of any story, long or short, is one of the two most important lines of your story (the other is the last line.) 

Examples of a great first line:

“My troubles began when, in a drunken haze, I had my mother’s face tattooed on my lower back.”

“I had held on to my secret for five years until the torture became so unbearable that I spiraled into a deep Depression.”

“If my father was a comic book villain, he would be the ugliest and most hated villain in animation history.”

“My boyfriend turned to me in bed, right after we had sex, and told me he was gay.”

Like it or not, those are some good first lines.  Your story must start fast and strong in order to be to compelling.  Your beginning needs to set up what’s at stake; it needs to grab and hold.

Make sure you know what your story is about!  Everything you say in your story should support the central plotline that you establish.  Many stories are about a single event and take us from Point A to Point B, but some of the best stories are a series of anecdotes that are stitched together to support the central theme of your story. 

Don’t ramble.  Choose your words wisely.  Practicing ahead of time will help you show up prepared.    

No stand-up comedy!  This is a place for narratives not shtick.  We like you to be funny, but the comedic element to your story should come from the moving narrative itself.

Save the therapy for therapy.  If you are going to take your anger out on stage, channel it into a real narrative.  Please, no rants!

Keep the narrative moving until the end and kill ‘em with the last line!