When I sat down to write the opening scene for my newest work-in-progress, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and pictured myself in a crowded locker room after an NFL game. Having an uncle who’s coached in the NFL for nearly 30 years, I’m lucky enough to have visited a few locker rooms and have first hand experience on which to draw on. I shut everything else out of my mind and spent nearly ten minutes concentrating on that experience, remembering the smell, recalling how loud it got with players giving interviews. I tried to remember everything I could.
I then put my characters in that locker room. The entire scene I was about to write played like a movie in my brain. It wasn't until after this exercise that I was able to put fingers to keyboard and type.
You see, I’m a storyteller. It wasn't until a few months ago while attending a workshop given by my fellow Austin RWA members, Tracy Wolff and Shellee Roberts, that I understood exactly what this meant. Their workshop on Storytellers versus Writers opened my eyes to a dichotomy in writing I didn't realize existed. I truly thought all writers “saw” their stories in their head before writing it. But that’s not so.
I learned that some authors, those who are more writers than storytellers, concentrate on constructing the perfect sentence, making sure the words fit. Jane Q. Storyteller, on the other hand, is more concerned with what makes her characters tick.
The presenters offered several strengths and weaknesses of storytellers and writers:
Storytellers are stronger at creating memorable characters, worldbuilding and looking at the big picture. But they can be weaker when it comes to the craft of writing (umm…check out my previous post on my craft book obsession. I guess this is the reason I’m so drawn to them).
Of course, there is a little of both in all of us. There comes a point when I toil over a sentence, making sure I get it just right. It just comes much later in my story creation process. For me, the most important thing is getting the images I see on the movie reel in my head down on paper. I’m a storyteller, through and through.
Tracy and Shellee’s workshop was fabulously presented, and, in my opinion, should be taken on the road. It was so interesting to have the differences spelled out and to hear other writers and storytellers discuss how they go about creating a story. My writing has benefitted from being aware of what both my strengths and weaknesses are as a storyteller, and focusing on honing those skills that come naturally to writers.
So, the obvious question is, are you a writer or a storyteller?
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