I like to say, 'You get as much story as you can take.' But you have to effectively render it.
This quote emphasizes the importance of storytelling as a balance between capacity and skill. It suggests that there is a limit to how much story an audience or a narrator can handle at once. Overloading with information or details could overwhelm or bore the audience, diminishing the story's impact. Therefore, the challenge lies not just in gathering a wealth of stories, but in skillfully presenting and shaping them to engage and resonate. In the craft of storytelling, effective rendering means selecting the most compelling elements, organizing them coherently, and delivering them with the right timing and emotion. It highlights that quantity alone does not guarantee engagement; how a story is told is equally crucial. This idea applies across various contexts—whether in writing, filmmaking, podcasting, or everyday conversations—where the storyteller must gauge the audience's capacity and adapt accordingly. The quote invites a reflection on the art of storytelling as a disciplined act that requires discernment, editing, and skillful presentation, promising a more powerful and memorable narrative experience when done well.