There is a saying that a great story is the one we have heard and want to hear again. While there is no single style or template of how to write a novel or tell a story so that it turns out to be great, great storytellers conjure unique methods to do so on a periodic basis.
Regardless of the subject or the storyteller’s background, there are some common elements that play a major role in great storytelling, such as fascinating characters, thrilling and tricky storyline, an engaging sense of the place where the story is set, and so on.
On that note, let’s go through some of the qualities that any amateur writer must develop in order to upgrade himself/herself to a great storyteller.
Contents
Great Articulation
Under-articulating words would make a piece of writing look less fluent and incoherent, and the writer can often come across as unprofessional or less intelligent.
Similarly, if a writer articulates words to an excessive degree, it can make the story or writing look less natural or artificial in some sense, which would, in turn, make it hard to digest for the readers.
A great writer is the one who knows how to strike a balance between these two extremities, tuning their style to fit the requirement of the story and the taste of the target audience.
It becomes quite clear from the above discussion that a good writer spends a considerable amount of time knowing every aspect of the story or idea before starting with writing.
The Ability of Natural Pacing
A great storyteller knows how to keep the audience engaged by placing a key point in every section of the story or writing. This is usually done by identifying two major points and establishing them as the two ends of the story.
To put things into perspective, it is initiated with an amusing anecdote to attract the attention of the audience and end the story with something that resonates or stays with the audience long after the story is over.
These points work as two end poles of the story, and now all that is left to be done is to fill the space between them with meaningful content in perfect sequence so as to ensure an engaging and holistic story.
Furthermore, a good writer knows when to take a pause and when to pace up the plot to make the characters and scenes appear more lifelike and realistic.
Excellent Observation
One of the strong points common to almost all successful writers is a penchant for observing other people’s behavior and how their mind works. This helps writers fabricate numerous characters and scenarios, and most importantly, give them a more humane touch so that readers can easily relate to them and remain engaged with the story.
For instance, overhearing conversations between two people while commuting, carefully observing their gestures, reactions would help you develop your own scenarios about them and their little bubble.
This unnatural practice of creating scenes, characters, or stories through observing common people around you is worth exploring and might someday land you the story you were looking for.
Authenticity and Creativity
Storytellers who add bits of their personal instances in the story or reveal a little of one’s own life have greater chances of connecting with the audience than the ones who don’t.
Humans have a general tendency to invest in a person’s personal story. Also, this makes a story authentic and unique, which could constitute its Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
Furthermore, a successful storyteller must be creative. Creativity is not something a person is born with but is a skill that a person can develop through knowledge, intelligence, and intuition. And the seeds of naturally grown creativity have far-reaching benefits.
At its foundation, creativity sprouts with the generation of new ideas, which then combine with existing knowledge in a way that could interest or inspire others.
A Passion for Writing
True and long-lasting success in any field can only be achieved when you are truly passionate, and the same applies to writing. Every person who hopes to become a bestselling author one day must have sincere love for writing.
You will have to experience a stretch of dreary days, rejections, and pain. This is when your love for writing, literature, and storytelling will keep you going.
With passion comes perseverance, but many amateur writers don’t tend to acknowledge the impact of a healthy routine. If you are sincere enough about a story and intend on completing it without fail, then you should be ready to work on it every day.
Moreover, the modern-day writer can use any novel writing app to keep track of his progress, and thereby leverage the democratization of technology to spurt timely creativity.
Acceptance of Constructive Criticism
Writers often tend to develop an emotional attachment to their work, and it hurts to the core when someone critiques or rejects it.
Another prominent quality of great writers that separates them from amateurs is that they look at their work with objectivity and take constructive criticism very seriously, which helps them make necessary improvements in their work.
In order to get your work published, you need to be open to constructive criticism. It might not be an entirely comfortable process, but it is necessary.
Knowledge of the Audience
Great storytellers or writers know why they are getting attention from their audience. A captivating story to a particular audience might not work with another type of audience.
To become better at storytelling, you must keep the perspective of your target audience in mind at every stage of writing, starting from establishing an idea to the final drafting and forwarding your story to the publisher.
The new-age digitized economy has ever-changing needs and demands. And writers – like all other creative creators – need to stay on top of the pulse of the crowd and bend their ways accordingly.
Conclusion
The aforementioned qualities and characteristics are fairly basic in nature but have a powerful impact on a writer’s way of storytelling.
Apart from these qualities, one of the major prerequisites to becoming a great writer is to continue writing regardless of resistance and/or rejections. To possess the will to jot down words despite adverse scenarios, and eventually, you will see yourself inching closer to achieving your goals and aspirations.
