When I was a kid, I often heard the word “nifty” in reference to things like fancy cars and outrageous fashion. It was a word that meant a variety of things, all of them good and attractive. As time passed, I heard the word used in a wider range of conversations, including nifty evenings out, nifty concerts, and nifty songs. Later still, it cropped up in conversations about more “cultural” experiences: nifty books, nifty poems, and nifty stories.
Whenever I heard the word I assumed it meant something good, something attractive. However, it was only when I found myself using the word in my description of my own stories that I needed to define it. Actually, I hit the books when a listener said my stories were nifty. The current Wiktionary defines the word as “good; a general term for anything that is good, useful or beneficial.” The standard reference Compact Oxford Dictionary states: “particularly good, effective, or stylish.”
What’s so nifty about nifty stories? The stories I tell always have a message, a lesson, a bit of perspective, and they are, indeed, particularly good and rather effective at making their point. You could say that my idea of nifty stories is stories that enlighten as well as entertain. I look for stories with certain underlying values that help the listener to set their internal compass when sailing through life.
Any story with a moral at the end sends the listener a clear message. It teaches by example. On the other hand, many stories are not so obvious in the lessons they offer. The characters may act out the meaning of the story. It is up to the listener to decipher the message. And different listeners will carry away different messages. Stories such as these are inclined to be more widely popular. The subtler lessons tend to come from longer tales. One can learn many lessons from epic stories. Think of the difference between an Aesop fable and a tale from the Arabian Nights. Which one do you prefer to hear? Personally, I like to find my own message when listening to a story. Check out my World Full of Stories and Fables in Four Minutes CDs for some examples of nifty stories with more subtle lessons.
Nifty stories are stories that teach. Nifty stories are memorable. Nifty stories travel beyond the culture from which they originate. Nifty stories are always in vogue. Stories such as these hold the listener’s attention long enough to send their message effectively. Nifty stories are worth their weight in gold!
June 4th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Look around you at the great humorists. Art Buchwald. Mark Russell. Russell Baker. Look at history and the humorists that litter the pages.
June 6th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
In the process, I have discovered how world stories arise out of the cultures from which they are born. The more I experience a particular culture, the more I appreciate the value of their stories. My travels have taken me to Southeast Asia, Central and South America, around the United States, Canada, and Europe. I find myself amazed at both the differences and similarities of the various countries.
You can find in every culture notions which they hold as sacred.
June 13th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Totally awesome.
June 25th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Totally great.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:57 am
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August 11th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
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August 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
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August 20th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
And when I did find a special gift, I regarded it as something of a treasure. And I hoped my children would do the same.
I am now a grandparent. And I am always on the lookout for a unique gift children would enjoy. Something that will last far beyond the moment of giving.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I will bookmark this page. This blog helped me.
September 8th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Customs and rituals. Geography and daily habits. So the world stories I hear have substantial meaning to me. In the process, I have discovered how world stories arise out of the cultures from which they are born. My firsthand experience of a given culture heightens my appreciation of their stories.
September 10th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Thank you.
September 13th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
great info. Thanks a million for the post.
September 20th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
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September 25th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
They act as vital threads that weave through the fabric of a culture. They lend definition, roots, and significance to society. World stories spread as the culture grows.
I have been blessed by the number of world stories I have found from my travels around the world. And each time I visit another country I have the opportunity to learn a bit about it.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Great stuff. I will certainly come back here.
October 25th, 2009 at 2:07 am
World stories spread as the culture grows.
One of the great benefits of my travels around the world is the wellspring of world stories I have found in each country I have visited. I have also had the opportunity to learn a bit about each country. Customs and rituals. Daily habits and geography.
October 31st, 2009 at 2:15 am
Even later, the word took on a more cultured definition in reference to poems, books, and, of course, nifty stories.
The word seemed allusively defined, yet attractively so. Still, I did not really define the word until I found myself using it to refer to the stories I tell to audiences and on recordings. Actually, I hit the books when a listener said my stories were nifty. The Merriam/Webster Dictionary definition states: “very good, very attractive,” etymology unknown, originally used in 1865.
November 21st, 2009 at 3:39 am
Another reason is that they deal with the human condition, one way or another. Even animal characters in stories act out the situations of our own humanity.
For centuries as well, life has been a struggle. Conflict. Famine.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:41 am
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November 29th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Your blog is really helpful. This blog is rockin.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:43 am
Humor makes a hard message a bit easier to swallow. Witty humor is priceless humor. An awesome blend of entertainment and enlightenment.
As you know, everyone loves to laugh. Laughter takes the sting out of life.
December 5th, 2009 at 3:44 am
A CD full of stories will provide hours of pleasure. Think of the glimpse it can give into cultures and customs from countries around the world.
You can find three CDs listed on the “Recordings” page of my website. Fables in Four Minutes contains ten wonderful stories from ten different storytelling genres. For listeners who want to take a virtual trip around the world, World Full of Stories makes a unique present.
December 6th, 2009 at 3:46 am
This is a great blog dude. Great information.
December 12th, 2009 at 3:48 am
A unique combination.
As you know, everyone loves to laugh. Laughter takes the sting out of life. And everyone loves to laugh at the foibles of our own species (as long as it happens at the expense of another). Call it priceless humor.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Better research than most blogs. Great information.
December 18th, 2009 at 3:49 am
It is my job as a storyteller to sort out the meaning from all the information I hear. Also, I need to inject a bit of humor to make the tale palatable. Priceless humor.
There is priceless humor in virtually every genre. What is the reason for it? Simple answer number two.
December 20th, 2009 at 3:50 am
All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. A resolution of some sort.
Needless to say, no one cares to listen to preaching. We desire to sweeten our bitter medicines. That is where laughter comes in.
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:55 am
Take time to smell the flowers. Community giving is part of community living. Messages that made me who I am today.
Today I tell many of the stories I heard as a child. They have an ageless quality.
January 10th, 2010 at 5:13 am
World stories also capitalize on priceless humor. These stories always bring gales of laughter when they are told. Two good examples from my CD Fables in Four Minutes are “Rock Soup” and “Herschel in the Woods” My CD World Full of Stories has many examples a listener can enjoy. There are many similar examples of priceless humor from virtually every country on the planet. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a very long time.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:54 am
You will find lots of priceless humor in urban folktales. Listeners can readily find many humorous circumstances in my CD Parking in Manhattan. These hilarious comedies involve characters everybody can relate to and empathasize with. Priceless humor arises out of priceless situations.
You can also find many examples of priceless humor in world stories.