Finding the Angle
Everyone has a story, and not just any story. Everyone has a
fantastic, amazing story inside of their lives. If you don’t
think so, take it from me, a journalist of over 20 years –
they do. And I love finding those stories. Often, I can catch
a scent of the story within the first five to ten minutes of
talking to someone.
We all overcome hard things, and even if we think we aren’t
fighters to get through what life deals to us, we are. Every
time I interview someone, I find this out. Some overcome their
struggles by serving others, some overcome their struggles by
education, and some overcome their struggles by making more
mistakes they have to move past. Life is hard, but we all have
ways we cope, and that is our story. Those stories shape the
lives of those around you, especially those that come after
you and that’s why it’s so important to tell not only our
stories, but the stories of those who have gone before us. How
do we do that? Find the angle.
The other day I was talking with my husband about how I have
learned to find the angle. I’ve been doing it for so long,
it’s almost become second nature to me, but it sure is fun.
And with social media being so prevalent in our lives, it’s
much easier to find the unique angles in people’s lives,
because they are all out there, for the most part.
My parents last year just before
Christmas in 2014. My dad is not big
on smiling for pictures, unless his
grandkids are with him.
My parents are another classic example. They think they lead
pretty boring lives. They are getting older, but have not yet
retired because they can’t imagine what they would do if they
weren’t putting in a full day’s work. Their parents did it,
and so they do it. Their lives have been pretty amazing, in my
humble opinion. Talk to my dad for just a few minutes and you
will find that He was born and raised in the Dallas/Fort Worth
area in Texas. A Texas boy at heart, he was eager to escape
his life soon after his divorce from his high school
sweetheart, which was settled in his mid-twenties. He
escaped several states away to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Soon after
his arrival, his car broke down and needed a rescue. Cue my
mother. My mother, a BYU graduate fresh with her teaching
degree but eager to find herself outside of the state of Utah.
She had an adventurous side and kind of wanted to spread her
wings a bit. She is never one to leave anyone in distress and
offered to pick up my stranded dad when his friend was still
working his shift at the casino where they worked. She and my
dad met. My mom, the shy Mormon girl, and my dad, a towering
Texan. He is 6’4” and she a tall, willowy 5’! The two never
looked back and their worlds changed a great a deal when they
decided to make a life together.
In that brief introduction there are angles galore: How did
they create a life? Different backgrounds, different sizes,
different religions, different everything!
What was their first meeting like? What did they talk about
with such an awkward (non)introduction? The year they met was
1968 – hippie era and in Lake Tahoe. What was that like? Did
slip into the party lifestyle or did she stick to her Mormon
upbringing? If not, did she change her ways? Why did he get
divorced so young, especially at a time when divorce wasn’t
all that common? And, what came after that first meeting?
There are about 20 angles to be explored from just one
paragraph.
When you talk to someone, often something they say will catch
your attention. If it does, chances are it will be interesting
to someone else. In our lives we are all trying to find common
ground, telling stories of people’s lives helps us to find
that common ground and helps us to know we can do hard things,
because other people have done them before.
Sometimes it works to even have that conversation with
yourself. What is your story? What about your family interests
you? What is your angle? I would start looking at a few angles
with those around you that are interesting. They are out
there. Write them down. Record them. Everyone has a story.
Rachel
J.
Trotter
is
a
writer
at
Evalogue.Life, where we tell personal and
family stories that inspire, and help you tell
yours. She has worked as a writer since her
college days over 20 years ago. She loves
telling people’s stories. She lives in Ogden,
Utah and is busy raising six children and
loves working on family history alongside her husband, Mat.