What Are Nifty Stories?

03/20/09

When I was a kid, I often heard the word "nifty" in reference to things like fancy cars and outrageous fashion. It was a word that meant a variety of things, all of them good and attractive. As time passed, I heard the word used in a wider range of conversations, including nifty evenings out, nifty concerts, and nifty songs. Later still, it cropped up in conversations about more "cultural" experiences: nifty books, nifty poems, and nifty stories. Nifty stories.

Whenever I heard the word I assumed it meant something good, something attractive. Still, I did not really define the word until I found myself using it to refer to the stories I tell to audiences and on recordings. Actually, it was a listener who called my material "nifty stories," and that comment sent me to the books. The current Wiktionary defines the word as "good; a general term for anything that is good, useful or beneficial." The standard reference Compact Oxford Dictionary states: "particularly good, effective, or stylish."

What was my listener describing when he called my stories "nifty?" The stories I choose to tell are, indeed, particularly good and rather effective at making a point, a lesson, a message, a bit of perspective. You could say that my idea of stories that are nifty are ones that entertain as well as enlighten. There needs to be a message beyond a witty punch line.

Nifty stories are stories that teach. Nifty stories are memorable. Nifty stories carry a message that applies to all people. Nifty stories are always in vogue. Stories such as these hold the listener's attention long enough to send their message effectively. Any stories of worth are nifty stories. Check out my website at www.JayStetzer.com for some nifty stories! Priceless humor