Speak Up Storytelling SPECIAL EPISODE #5: Real Life People in a Book - "Twenty-one Truths About Love"
Feb 22, 2021
Steve Brouse, an elementary teacher and storyteller who performs live, and Matthew Shepard, an English-major who produces nonprofit communications and served as an early reader, talk about becoming real people in a novel. They discuss cameos, list-format storytelling, how real friendships shape fiction, the surprising places lists were written, and casting fun for a possible film.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Using Real People Creates A Puzzle
- Matthew Dicks prefers using real people as fictional characters because it becomes a puzzle of organizing known facts.
- He finds that inserting real acquaintances can be harder but more rewarding than inventing characters.
Shep’s Cameo: Tailgates And Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Matthew Dicks wrote a list called "This Guy Named Shep" and read facts about Matthew Shepard that were accurate and amusing.
- Shep confirmed many lines were direct quotes or true behaviors from their Patriots tailgate culture.
Steve’s Surprise Role And Small Details
- Steve Brouse became a central character unexpectedly and wondered what lines would be used about him.
- He discovered Dicks picked up small details, like an offhand quote about his father, and used them in the book.
