I've met some great storytellers in my day. One, an older guy, he could go on and on and his stories were pretty mesmerizing. Bootlegging, running away from police, confrontations that involved guns, just crazy stuff I'd never (or ever will) encounter. I love to pick an older person's brain sometimes and just hear how they really "lived" life. I mean, they actually did loads of stuff.
I've said this before, but good writers are a dime a dozen. There are thousands upon thousands of good writers in the world. They can weave with words like no one else. Does that make them good storytellers? No.
I believe you can be a great storyteller and not necessarily a good writer. As was posited in another thread "Can you learn how to become a better writer?" Yes, I think you can. Just like someone who studies the guitar for years and years, you can become a virtuoso if you dedicate enough time to something.
However, can you learn to be a good storyteller? No, I don't think so. You are either born with it or you're not. Some families are just full of great storytellers, stories passed on from generation to generation. Are all published writers great storytellers? No, not necessarily. I studied creative writing and English in my university days and I sat under "the learning tree" with old men and women. Hearing those stories from the men and women did more for me that 4 years of studying how to write ever did.
I know this is a writing forum, but sometimes I think people worry too much about what's cliche', what's overused, what makes a good this, that, or the other.
Shouldn't the biggest worry be about telling a good story?
What do you think: does worrying about conventions of writing overshadow basic storytelling? Do you worry more about your writing being perfect before thinking if you're even telling a convincing story?
Who are some great storytellers you've come across in your life? (whether in book form or in person)
I've said this before, but good writers are a dime a dozen. There are thousands upon thousands of good writers in the world. They can weave with words like no one else. Does that make them good storytellers? No.
I believe you can be a great storyteller and not necessarily a good writer. As was posited in another thread "Can you learn how to become a better writer?" Yes, I think you can. Just like someone who studies the guitar for years and years, you can become a virtuoso if you dedicate enough time to something.
However, can you learn to be a good storyteller? No, I don't think so. You are either born with it or you're not. Some families are just full of great storytellers, stories passed on from generation to generation. Are all published writers great storytellers? No, not necessarily. I studied creative writing and English in my university days and I sat under "the learning tree" with old men and women. Hearing those stories from the men and women did more for me that 4 years of studying how to write ever did.
I know this is a writing forum, but sometimes I think people worry too much about what's cliche', what's overused, what makes a good this, that, or the other.
Shouldn't the biggest worry be about telling a good story?
What do you think: does worrying about conventions of writing overshadow basic storytelling? Do you worry more about your writing being perfect before thinking if you're even telling a convincing story?
Who are some great storytellers you've come across in your life? (whether in book form or in person)