This study sought to gain a better understanding of the process narrators embark upon when deciding what version of a story to tell to a particular audience; a process, hereafter, referred to as narrative adaptation. Inductive, open coding of 25 semi-structured interviews resulted in six rules of telling: (1) If an emotionally close relationship exists with the listener(s), then a more detailed story is told; (2) If it is believed that the listener(s) will not wrongfully judge the storyteller, then a more detailed story is told; (3) If the listener(s) display interest in the story, then a more detailed story is told; (4) If the physical setting is not appropriate, then the story is condensed; (5) If the conversational context is not appropriate, then the story is condensed; and (6) If a meaningful purpose will be fulfilled by telling the story, then a more detailed story is told. Implications of studying the process of narrative adaptation are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.