​

1. YOUR STORY MUST BE YOUR STORY

You are the main character.

​

​

​

2. NO NOTES

Imagine you are at a dinner party. Not a deposition. Don’t try to memorize your lines.

​

​

 

3. CREATE STAKES

Put the audience in a place where we care about what happens.

​

​

 

4. HAVE A GREAT FIRST LINE & STICK YOUR ENDING

Grab your audience. Your last line should be clear in your head before you start.

​

​

 

5. NO RANTs

Anger is for your therapist. Or, shape your anger into a story with resolution.

​

​

​

​

6. 5-MINUTE LIMIT

If you exceed your time, you get the hook! (4 minutes, 1-min warning).

​

​

​

​

7. HAVE FUN

And practice civility and respect.

​

​

​

 

 

WHY THE MOTH?

 

The Moth was founded in 1997 by the writer George Dawes Green — its name comes from his memories of growing up in St. Simons Island, GA, where neighbors would gather late at night on a friend's porch to tell stories and drink bourbon as moths flew in through the broken screens and circled the porch light.

​