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What if I'm not a storyteller, and a list to determine if you are or not. |
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From blogging to journaling, writing the essay to emails, I enjoy writing about a variety of subjects, which include topics I think I know about, and a call to write about the unknown. I like the business of writing, creating a world of complex characters, and weaving them in and out of pure drama. I’ve been acquainted with my characters for years now, and I’ve always imagined that they’d end up in a novel, a book. Undaunted by not having pursued publishing to date I now write with careful intensity of producing something of worth, something that comes from my soul. However, the time it has taken to study characterization, arcs, plotting, and the entire gamut of storytelling tools, its donned on me that I simply could be chasing words, just writing, so to speak. Then it occurred to me that maybe I’m not a storyteller at all, maybe it’s not in me. The mere thought scared the hell out of me, especially when I can attest to the difficulties of writing the full-length novel. The process of creating, outlining, nurturing and forcing the words is one of the most difficult things I’ve done in life. I have felt overwhelmed, inadequate, to the point of giving up. Earlier works left me in tears questioning not only why I thought I could write a story, a novel, even, but how dare I call this writing. I have had to turn my back on it and keep mute about it. But always, always I came back. I persevered because I didn’t know what else to do. I wrote for hours, I still do, and now, often I sometimes feel clever when I strengthen my plot, or pretty good when I’ve said exactly what I meant. I realize now that the novel, my novel vastly defines me. But can I write story? Maybe it’s not possible. Maybe it’s not a gift. A writer writes, right? But good writing doesn’t make one a storyteller, and all storytellers don’t write. So, how do you know if you’re a storyteller? I’m a storyteller, and I need to believe this about myself. As with other novelist, there’s not a lot of time spent producing other works, especially if one is unpublished. This fact is probably why I questioned myself. I needed to know if I could come up with something that would gauge whether my writing ability includes storytelling. I needed something that would undeniably convince me that I am a storyteller, and that I tell stories. After much thought, there is. I created a list of 39 things to measure if you’re a storyteller. Although there may be other habits one can base this on, I chose to ask questions regarding what one does after reading a good book. There are no right or wrong answers, or a definite amount that has to be achieved in order to call yourself a storyteller. But if you: Read a word or sentence one at a time in a good book. Read a paragraph over again. Reread chapters. Read passages aloud. Appreciate the prose. Open the book anywhere and start reading. Read the book a second time, or multiple times. Memorize parts of the book. Can relate to the story whether experienced or not. Imagine the writer writing the story. Devise alternate endings, beginnings, or other information. Look for the meaning of the story. Study the dialogue. Study the taglines. Study the style. Study the words. Savor each page. Find yourself smiling. Discover what makes the story come alive. Pay attention to how the story flows. Hear the music of phrases and sentences. Note the transitions. Notice all the words written. Notice the lack of passive sentences. Can determine who is telling the story, who is the narrator. Study the books’ chosen point of view. Identify the main character, or characters. Write down sentences or passages from the book. Bookmark pages. Write in the book. Highlight passages. Share parts of the story, or the whole story. Are fascinated with the setting. Share sentences or paragraphs in email. Compare your writing to the content. Set out to write something similar, attempt to use the same style. Wished you wrote it … then, if you do all or part of these things, chances are … Storytellers understand their expectations as a reader and strive to mimic and incorporate the important elements in their stories. A good book fondles time, and grasping story on many levels, happens. The reward is heightened creativity for the storyteller who reads a good book. So, am I a storyteller? Yup. Recognizing the storyteller may expect more from the draft than what’s realistic, the following techniques are worthy of practice. Make studying the craft a priority. Read books on writing with a thirst. Keep studying favorite authors. Massage the tale and reshape it. Compulsively paint what you see. Evoke with passion. Insist on bringing emotion to life. Honor all five senses. Fall in love with your own style. Listen for your voice. Coax your characters’ voice. Strive for naturalness. Kiss and say goodbye to deletions. Write so that the story is apparent in the draft. Lead the reader with an invisible hand. Let there be no boring passages. Craft so that the hard stuff looks easy. Yearn for the next writing session. Produce productive hours. Write on what you consider is your throne. Worry the writing and perfect it. Write something every day. Rewrite in order to create good rewriting material. Rewrite again. And again. Never satisfy until it reads like a bestselling book. Inject soul. The above takes work, but it can exceed expectations. Improvement comes with persistence and ensures writing confidence for the critical writer. Proofing, editing, reading and reviewing aid in creating a work of art that’s more than OK. Practice by writing what comes naturally; study grammar independent of Grammerly checks and rewrite until it doesn’t make sense to continue - this makes for a good read. So, there you have it, some guidelines to help if you’ve ever wondered about your storytelling ability, and whether or not the Muse, Calliope, of Epic poetry is with you. I’m going to hang around with writing story and working the novel for a while, lots of time vested, incredible growth, an interesting motley crew of characters, and I’m learning so much. I’ll continue to Blog, journal, write essays and emails, but I want to be a storyteller writing about the unknown and throwing in some meaningful verbs. |
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