Storytelling versus Story Writing

I was six when I was first told that I knew how to tell a story. Often, people would tell me I had a way of expressing emotions and making the events feel real. Little did they know, most of my stories were based on true events. When I started writing these stories, there were some things I could easily describe because I had been through them myself, and other times, I would use generic phrases like "I was angry" because I didn't really know how it would feel to be in a certain situation (this is not to say, such phrases can't be meaningful, but they work only in specific contexts that we can discuss later). As I grew up, I realized I wasn't the best at storytelling or story writing, but with practice I could work on both.

To begin, storytelling is the art of expressing words in a way that readers don't even realize they are reading. These words are told through imagery, and sounds. They are so immersed in the writing that they begin to feel they are on the journey themselves. However writing a story is not the same as telling one. Story writing involves being able to communicate through your writing, to put your thoughts into words the audience will understand. Describing someone as “angry” or “confused” is so much easier than trying to explain how they look or feel.

Words don't come easy to me. I don't have polished writing and sometimes I feel like my imagination is limited. If you feel the same, not to fret, there's always multiple solutions to practice enhancing your writing skills.

Firstly, some ways I have learned I can practice telling a good story is by understanding my characters more than developing a plot. Think of it in the sense of watching a child grow up. Over the years, you have watched this child develop a personality, noted changes in their desires and motivations, observed their experiences and so on. When a baby is born, generally you don't decide what they're going to do in life. You let them grow and see how they change and based on this you can make predictions about where they can end up in life. In the same way, I believe, some important aspects of being able to tell a story come from how well you know your own character and their experiences ( do you think, in the end it all leads to how well you can write your characters?). This all comes from within you. When you understand what motivates your characters, the scenes you choose to write will relate back to them.

This isn't always easy. Sometimes we write certain scenes that are meant to push the plot along, even if they don't fit with the characters' motivations. Now are you starting to see why story telling isn't always easy? If a scene doesn't focus on the character's motivations, it's best to rewrite it or remove it from your manuscript. Find another way to move the plot along without disrupting the flow. It's like living. Most things that you do in a day relate to you; they are based on you. You don't always do the same thing as your siblings or friends, and this is why we all end up having unique experiences. In the same way, the story that you're trying to tell is about your character, and it must relate to them at every point.

To help with writing your scenes, the important concept to consider is "to what extent will your character go, to get what they desire?" This reminds me of the prompts in social studies in high school, and how we would write position papers using at least three examples to argue a position. The reason I bring this up is because this can really help with writing scenes. I'm not asking you to find three examples in every scene that explain the extent your characters are willing to go to to achieve something, but being able to find at least one in each scene, can really help understand if the scene is important. If there is nothing to support your character's motivation, it's best to remove the scene.

Now, let's move on to story writing. If you write something, ask yourself, "so what?" If you cannot come up with a plausible answer that doesn't explain the motivation of your characters or shows them moving toward their destination to achieve their goals, then know that your readers will also ask, "so what?" Sometimes, writing pretty (it's called purple prose) is meant to show off our writing skills as a writer. However, for readers, it can really take away from the flow of the story we are trying to tell if this is occurring too often. Your ability to write should be expressed through the scenes that relate to character motivation. Don't describe something that is not needed. Don't put it in just for the sake of showing off your talent. Find another way.

My issue has mainly been with story writing. Sometimes, I just can't write. It's as simple and complicated as that. If I can't write a story, I will also have trouble telling it. It won't be as entertaining as I would want it to. So, to deal with this issue, I analyze how other people choose to describe something. I read a lot, because that is what I'm told to do often and I try to experience certain situations myself when possible. This may not be possible if you're writing about someone dying or one of your characters committing a murder. For these types of scenes, I watch scenes from movies or TV shows, I read articles on how others describe the event and I try to reach into my imagination and pull up an answer of how to write.

I've noticed that the only time my imagination is limited is when I am purposely confining myself to certain standards. When I let myself go, when I think of what I want rather than what people like and believe to be acceptable, I tend to write better and enjoy it more. This is really important to me, because if I can tell a story, I must learn to write one too. One without the other is like milk without cookies. There needs to be a balance between the two. You can really work on this by writing short stories on your own experiences, joining writing contests or reading. When you do read, don't read as a reader, take on the role of a writer and observe diction choices, style of writing, character motivation and how all these traits are combined to tell a good story.

I really hope this helps. If there is something specific that works for you, I'd love to hear about it. Do share!

Thanks for reading and have a great time writing! Please follow our Instagram page @dreaming.in.ink for book aesthetics, excerpts from novels and poems, and more!

~ Fiza