The first time I have ever experienced a round-robin story was at the first creative writing class I ever took. This was when I was in elementary school. I don’t remember what year it was, or if the phrase “round robin” was actually used, but I do remember having lots of fun hearing the crazy and insane stories that were created. I think that was one of the many things that led me to take that same creative writing class for the next few years.
When I walked in, all the desks in the classroom were arranged into a circle. No desk was left out, and there was a giant space in the middle of the room. It was weird, but funny. Our teacher explained that we would take out our notebooks and start writing for a few minutes. It could be about whatever we wanted. (I think I started it with “once upon a time,” because that’s how I did things back then.) After a while, she said to pass our notebooks clockwise. We started writing again. Then we switched and wrote, switched and wrote, until we got our own notebooks back. The results were VERY funny. I don’t remember any specific examples, but I think somebody said something about how insane the stories were.
Round-robin storytelling doesn’t necessarily have to be in this kind of setting. You and your family and friends can simply sit around and take turns verbally telling the story. The fun of a round robin is that everyone has their own ideas and their own take. Try it out! See what silly stories you and your loved ones can create!
