How to Tell a Great Campfire Story

It’s inevitable: Some night while sitting around the campfire, you’ll be called on to tell a story. And while it’s not an audition for the next Yellowstone sequel or prequel, you want to do it right. A little preparation and a lot of nerve are all you need. We can help with the prep, but first a pep talk: Storytelling is intimate, personal and immediate. Experts make it look easy, but anyone can tell a tall tale. Just remember it’s about having fun, so enjoy.

READ THE ROOM

Successful storytellers know their audience. What works for a gaggle of tweens will fall flat on toddlers. Fishing buddies will scoff at your ghost-in-the-attic tale. If the audience is your own kids, you already know what they’re interested in and what their fears are. Tailor your subject matter to their lives, what they love and hate, what they do with (and without) you in the picture.

ESTABLISH THE PREMISE

What you’re really doing is telling lies up there beside the crackling fire. Take it from the experts—pathological liars couch their fabrications in verifiable truths, so reference facts, events, people and occurrences of the day.

Details are the key to a great story, putting meat on its bones. As you weave your tale, work in the color of the sky, the smell of the woods, how someone walked, a boat motor’s horsepower, the specific breed of dog, etc.

Everyone loves a good ghost story, but fear is relative. For some it’s a lost juice box; for others, chainsaws and missing body parts. Again, read the room and remember a good story doesn’t necessarily need cobwebs and rattling chains.

Got nuthin’? There are plenty of stories in literature, from fairy tales to nursery rhymes. Go ahead and change the place, the characters or the ending—or make up your own. All you need is an outline; the rest is you riffing.

TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

A good magician uses subterfuge, calling attention to something else while he hides the coin. If the story is all beer and Skittles until the boat starts leaking, dwell on the pre-sinking portion for a while before delivering the coup de grace. Take your audience on a roller coaster ride—ups and downs, fun and fear.

Edit yourself and watch your audience for signs of boredom (muttering to a neighbor, poking the fire too much, throwing rocks at the storyteller). Enlist a supporting cast: an audience member who’ll gasp at the right moment adds dimension to your description of a door creaking open to reveal a zombie. An adult rattling branches in the bushes reminds the audience they are among apex predators. A group chant might vanquish the ghost lurking in the gloom.

BE DRAMATIC

Sell it! Every whisper, shout, grimace and moan adds texture to your performance. A child’s fishing rod is a good stand-in for a wizard’s wand. A butcher’s knife makes a great, well, butcher’s knife. And don’t forget the flashlight-under-your-chin trick for scary stories.

Circle the fire, gaze into the dark abyss beyond the firelight and follow it with a sharp intake of breath. Stand, kneel, crouch, wave, cry and laugh. Why not? Add a pinch of risk to spice up a bland soup.

Make your story relevant by pointing out the craggy tree that resembles a troll. Compare the stream’s gurgle to a witch’s simmering cauldron. If clouds block the moon or a coyote howls in the distance, that’s found storytelling gold … improvise!

Keep your pacing in mind and slow down. Rushing through your narrative makes it harder to follow and can steal some of its veracity.

ENGAGE

Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Make eye contact, ask questions, incorporate an experience an audience member had during the day into the story. Now he or she is a cast member too.

Audience participation breaks the boredom and gets them more invested. If the story involves ghosts, practice summoning them together. Animals in the tale? Do some calling. Dark and stormy nights require sound effects, from wind and rain to thunder, all courtesy of your audience. Connect with each audience member. Younger kids love a good chorus, so if there’s a recurring line or theme (“… and his pants fell down …”), let them join in.

Be kind. Avoid demeaning anyone. Skirt known pitfalls about real fears, dead pets, insecurities, family members’ foibles and felony convictions. Open your heart and a great story will pour out. And don’t forget the s’mores.

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• Related: How to make a campsite breakfast burrito.

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