Story beginnings, endings and other phrases

How to begin and end a tale

In 1997 a thread on the Storytell listserv started by Tim Jennings resulted in a collation of phrases storytellers traditionally use to open and close a story.
While editing my own Word.doc of the file for a forthcoming workshop, I found Dutch storyteller Rudolf Roos had already done the work for me.

Here are the lists on his website:
• 139 Folktale and Fairy Tale Beginnings by Storytellers
  (No. 111 I claim as my own original opening to Well of the World’s End)
• 99 Folktale and Fairy Tale Endings by Storytellers

My thanks to Rudolf for his work.

Phrases to use between the beginning and the end

Again for the forthcoming workshop, I have collated suggestions of phrases storytellers like to use in a tale. These range from how to cover up a mistake (and we all make them) to moving the plot forward.

My workshop co-presenter, John Rogers, offers his own German-English phrase list.

More storytelling links