We help teens tell better stories.
Help your teen develop their storytelling and editing interests by enrolling them in "The Terrible Storyteller" course. Not sure? At least get them rolling with a free PDF of 5 storytelling tips.
Your teen is interested in storytelling and editing...
...and you want to nurture their interest, but this isn’t a topic you’re familiar with. Relax. You've done an amazing job raising your kids, but you don’t have to do everything yourself. You're still the hero of their education.Â
You just need a resource for them. A guide.
We understand.
My wife and I homeschool (actually she's the awesome teacher and I'm the supporter) and like you, we're frustrated by the lack of quality engaging courses that will challenge teens and are designed specifically for them.
Enroll Now
"I have been a big fan of Tanner's YouTube videos, so when he offered a course for teens I was excited to have my daughter try it out. She learned so much about storytelling in a fun and enjoyable way. She liked Tanner's teaching style and found his tools to be applicable in real life. She has tried out his storytelling method, and it has greatly helped her. I would highly recommend this program!"
Meg Thomas
Homeschool Coach
"Oh my gosh, these videos are incredible! I was already a passionate storyteller before this course, but those videos reignited that passion. I learned so much, and now every time I watch a movie or read a book I think of the things I learned from this course. It was super helpful and so funny. I would recommend this to anyone. I just loved it!"
Tess (16)
Student
"The Terrible Storyteller course has been an amazing course for my son to take. The course is fun, inspiring, applicable, and packed with writing strategies that are easy to implement! The material is so engaging, funny, and well done that my son's younger siblings saw one of the course videos and were begging to watch more. This is the way learning should be—exciting and educational all packed into one!"
Mindi Eldredge
Founder, The Mindful Heart
"Me and my older sister finished your course and we loved it! I loved how funny and creative the videos were, and how you used so many fun examples. I learned a lot about storytelling. I loved your section on how Jesus is the master storyteller; it was really neat. "
Naomi (12)
Student
"I have absolutely loved your storytelling class! It’s engaging (and hilarious!) and has so many good insights and resources. As an aspiring writer, I’ve learned a lot already that will really help me with my storytelling skills. I tried to think of a favorite section/lesson, but I loved them all. The Hero’s Journey was one of my favorite parts to study. I also loved the lesson on feedback! Sometimes being a storyteller is hard, but half the battle is sharing my work and getting feedback on it. I especially loved the section on how Jesus is the master storyteller. I hadn't thought about applying things like the 3 acts and the ingredients for a story to Jesus's stories, but it's so cool how they can apply to almost everything."
Noelle (19)
Student
"Both my girls loved your class! I heard them laughing and clapping a bravo. They showed me their favorite videos and replayed funny and cool things they learned. You really have a gift with sharing your love of storytelling. I can tell you put your heart into the class."
Angie
Parent
HERE ARE SOME THINGS WE'LL COVER IN THE COURSE
Section 1 - Anatomy Of A Story Stories have structure. They have anatomy. We’ll cover the anatomy of a story and you’ll learn various story structure types (yep, there’s more than just one type). This course is for all story types, but emphasizes video stories.
Section 2 - Analysis Of A Story (pt. 1) We’ll take the time to dissect different stories so that you’re capable and confident in your ability to recognize a story, identify key parts, verbalize what stands out to you (resonance), and have enough of an idea of how it’s made so that you can incorporate it into your own style.
Section 3 - Analysis Of A Story (pt. 2) Just knowing different story structure pieces is not enough. They need to be put together in the right way. We’ll continue our focus on story analysis, but now you’ll start to look for and understand what ingredients make a good story.
Section 4 - Planning A Story Now it’s time to put your knowledge to use and start the process for planning your story from initial idea to shipping it out.
Section 5 - The Art Of Editing It’s easy to overlook the importance of editing. After all, it’s an invisible art. We’ll learn about the importance of editing and then dive into different editing techniques (with the focus on editing video stories), including audio in your editing, and how to determine which shot, how long, and in what order.
Section 6 - Feedback (Learning From Success & Failure) If you don’t learn, you don’t grow. We’ll learn about the importance of feedback and how to learn from yourself and from others so you can grow faster instead of wallowing in stagnation.
Section 7 - Creating A Resonance Database What do you do with all the things that inspire you? That’s what we’ll learn in this section and you’ll be given the tools to create your own resonance database.
Section 8 - The Master Storyteller Here’s a hint, it’s Jesus. Whether you’re religious or not, you can still learn from the master storyteller whose stories have impacted BILLIONS.
Section 9 - Goal Planning Now that you know more about the storytelling world it’s time to pick a direction, set a goal, and start your journey.
What Are The Next Steps?
- Watch the course trailer below with your teen. This is important! Make sure they're interested. If they’re not, spend the money on something they’ll be engaged in, like building things with Mark Rober.
- Purchase the course.
- Click play on the first lesson and they're off.
Course Trailer
A picture is worth a 1,000 words, so is a video worth more? That depends. Watch the video to get a feel for what the course is like.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee & Money-Back Promise
You're investing in this course and in your teen so we want your investment to be worthwhile. Otherwise, we’d rather you use that money towards something else for your teen like a new cat, a coat hanger (a nice one), or a math book.
The guarantee is simple. Give us any reason you want your money back within 30 days of purchasing the course and we’ll happily refund your entire payment. All you have to do is email us the reason and we’ll send the refund. That’s it.Â
Really? Yep. But, you have to give us a reason. Any reason will do. Your dog threw up. You need to clip your nails. It’s hot outside. You need the money for Vegas, not because you have a problem (you can quit anytime). You don’t like The Terrible Storyteller’s nose or his breath. You lost playing the game “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza.”
To such reasons we will respond with something like this “We’re sorry to hear that, but we’re working on your refund now.” Of course, we might ask, “Is there anyone else you know that might be interested in the course?” and we may give strategy suggestions for the next time you play “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza,” but you don’t have to respond.
Why 30 days? Well, by then you should have made it to or through Section 4 and if you (actually your teen) aren’t liking the course by then, things ain’t gonna get better. We don’t want this relationship to turn into olfactory fatigue and stinky cheese. You know, when you smell an odor for long enough, you eventually stop noticing it because of the prolonged exposure and you start to enjoy the cheese.
Start "The Terrible Storyteller" Course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep. This course was designed with homeschoolers and self-motivated teens in mind. They can go as fast or as slow as they want.Â
No, not yet. If there is enough interest a Terrible Storyteller community may be rolled out via a monthly subscription. The aim of making the community subscription based would be to incentivize the students to be more invested and active meaningful members (i.e. when you pay for something you are more likely to use it).
No. I believe in God and Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus have influenced who I am, what I do, and what I say. But, no, this is not a religious course. However, I do use scriptures from the Old and New Testament throughout and I have one whole section dedicated to learning from the master storyteller (hint: it’s Jesus). So, yes, it is Christian influenced, but the sole focus is not Jesus. The focus is storytelling and editing.
I believe we need more light in the world. I believe stories can be atomic. They can energize individuals, communities, and nations. There are not enough stories out there that amplify light and the world desperately needs it. I believe our kids (yours and mine) can be a new generation of storytellers. A generation that not only wants to tell meaningful stories, but knows how to tell them and tell them well. They and their stories can make a difference in the world.
