Writing Vs Storytelling Skills

Writing vs Storytelling Skills

When talking about story writing, “writing skill” typically refers to everything that entails the creation of a story from brainstorming to drafting to editing, and while it’s fine to have a catch-all term for that kind of thing, it can be a bit misleading.

There’s a point many newer writers reach where they can tell that something is generally wrong but they can’t figure out what. To most effectively work on a skill you need to be able to identify what the problem is, and a good place to start is to take a look at yourself and ask if your skills are better as a writer or a storyteller.

(Editing is like a 3rd category because doing it well requires a good critical eye and strong technical skills, but for the sake of non-professional, personal editing, it can fit under “writing”.)

Writing and storytelling skills aren’t mutually exclusive. For very specific skills they’re divisible, but in general they affect each other and working on one tends to see some form of improvement in the other. Like with all skills, you can easily reach a point where you’re good at both, but most people have a natural inclination toward one or the other and it’s always good to know where you fall. 

Writing skill is more technical. It’s concerned with elements like sentence flow, diction, structure, and other literary techniques. These writers usually work best with paper in front of them and practical application.

Storytelling skill is more conceptual. It’s concerned with plot, meaning, and entertainment. These writers usually work best in their mind and with theoretical ideas.

There are some signs that may help you discover where your natural strength lies, but remember that it’s possible to have a mix of skills and that some of the signs are situational and can be influenced by other factors. Mileage may vary on how rigidly these apply.

Signs of writing skills being more your strength:

Writer’s block may more frequently come from not knowing what to write or where to go, rather than not knowing how to write it.**

These writers tend to be good with essays or explaining ideas with the written word.

These writers tend to prefer planning stories before starting so they can focus on the writing rather than immediately making up where they have to go.

Editing brings out more issues with plot or story concepts rather than unclear writing or grammar. 

They tend to write more detailed descriptions, better exposition, and have a good understanding of technical literary techniques like diction.

More likely to understand exactly what tweaking a scene needs to convey a specific concept or idea, particularity when rereading for editing.

Signs of storytelling skills being more your strength:

Writer’s block may more frequently come from not knowing how to write something rather than what needs to happen.**

Coming up with the sequence of plot events is easier than finding the words to describe it.

These writers tend to not need as much planning because their mind is wired to connect plot points and concepts on the fly.

Editing tends to brings out issues with poorer clarity of explanations, skeleton writing (not enough description; too much plot), or simplistic wording. 

They tend to better understand plot cause-effect, tension and entertainment, and have a good understanding of thematic literary techniques like plot structure.

Ideas and plots are more naturally structured for the medium they’ll be used for, rather than frequently found to better off on TV or in another type of storytelling.

(**Writer’s block can be a complicated issue that, compared to the other points, has the highest level of variation for why it occurs.)

There’s no such thing as being too skilled in one area, but a severe imbalance can show up in ways like:

If writing skill is much higher than storytelling skill, the writing will be structurally sound and pleasant to read, but the plot may be full of holes and not that enthralling. 

If storytelling skill is much higher than writing skill, the premise of the story may be interesting and well thought-out but the writing may be dull and/or disconnecting to the audience.

The exact implications of the imbalance will vary per story and per degree of issue.

In the end, there’s no such thing as a perfect writer. A division of skillsets doesn’t mean you can’t have varying abilities in both, but knowing where you tend to fall as a writer can be a first step toward finding better resources for what you need to improve. So take a look at which side of the fence you tend to fall on; your future progress will thank you.

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random urban magic and mythology au prompts

There are two vampires in my history class and they always get into intense debates about various historical events they both lived through and it’s a treat

Dude, even my grandma can use a smartphone better than my vampire roommate

This is the worst summer camp ever. That Mothman asshole keeps eating all my left socks to fuck with me and I’ve had it up to here

Yeah I turn into a pomeranian every full moon but y’all won’t be laughing when I fuck up your slippers

When I found and took care of an injured swan, the last thing I expected was for it to shed it’s feathers and turn into a hot person and profess their undying love to me but here we are

Oh dear, I, a clueless selkie have left my coat unattended. It sure would be a shame if the hot lifeguard with the nice shoulders and model-esque build would just take it from me!!!

So there’s this historical movie and an actor said something that the guy they’re portraying once told me word for word…. Wtf wtf wtf wtf (a homie made this one)

As a rusalka it’s my personal mission as a vigilante to rescue those in toxic and abusive relationships. If no one else is going to help those women, I’m doing it myself, vigilante style.

I know you’re a giant but this is the fifth house you’ve stepped on this week, can you PLEASE just order uber eats like a normal person? I’m getting tired of all these calls!

Someone get this banshee a contract, she would be perfect to sing in my heavy metal band!

Turns out the siren in the class next to mine hates being asked to sing but they keep being asked to participate in our school’s musicals much to their annoyance and inability to say no to people

(or alternatively) I asked a siren classmate to be in my drama club’s upcoming musical but turns out they have crippling stage fright. Great

The worst part of having these ghosts as roommates is that they never help with paying rent

I don’t wanna be that guy but there should be something in the rules against flying in the middle of a basketball game. I’m looking at you, faerie on the opposing team

Whenever I have a bad day, I like going to the elderly orc next door. They make great coffee and have lots of wisdom and advice to give.

I’ve been running my granny’s old magic shop for witches and other spellcasters for a while now and I refuse to let this complete asshole who just opened their new fancy shop put me out of business

Prompt #2274

“Uh uh uh,” the villain chastised. “I’m the only monster around here. Not going dark on me, are you [hero]?”

My only real and valid writing tip is that you google every word you make up for your fantasy stories. That's It

tag yourself!!!

red wine - desperately trying to study french in your spare time, reading poetry by the candlelight, coffee shops, silk bed sheets, smeared lipstick, having a passion towards everything

white wine - reading two books at the same time, niche humour, dried flowers, french pastry, flower scented hand creams, feeling your mascara on your cheeks after crying

vodka - angry logic, forgetting to go to bed because you were too busy thinking, short hair, reading dostoyevsky, trees covered in snow, cold hands, bruises appearing out of nowhere, smeared mascara

whiskey - leather jacket, falling asleep on the couch, under eye circles, vintage crime films, messy hand writing, has no mental stability, eye contact, unfinished letters, modernist books on bedroom floors

beer - night outs with your friends, old jean jackets, eating fast food instead of a healthy dinner, road trips, falling asleep on the backseats of your car

brandy - chocolate cake, keeping a dairy, the feeling of velvet on bare skin, lace lingerie, antique shops, hollywood classics, wavy hair, browsing through fashion shows instead of sleeping

cognac - blonde hair, watching french new wave films, black coffee, rose pink blushes, pearl necklaces, daydreaming about being in love in a foreign country, choppy bangs

rum - tousled hair, talking about greek mythology, sound of ocean waves, echoing laughter, messy ponytails, hawaiian shirts over black bikinis, dancing alone in your room

gin - empty perfume bottles, watching the sunset in your balcony, vintage lace shirts, petting street cats, jazz music playing from a distance, playing poker with your friends

scotch - quoting your favourite authors, midnight confessions, admiring good architecture, reading classics in rainy days, silver necklaces, stargazing from your window

Characters who don’t typically seem phased by things (maybe they’re pretty stoic, or bright and bubbly, or boundlessly determined) who have something particularly bad happen to them, so bad that it breaks their spirit or leaves them so weak that they can’t carry on as normal, and everyone suddenly realizing how vulnerable they are.

“Are they… crying?”

“They look so small on that hospital bed.”

“I didn’t realize how quiet things would feel without their incessant chatter.”

“They always looked after us, but we never asked if they needed help. We always just assumed they were fine, we never bothered to check?”

“God, I forgot just how young they are.”

“Have they always looked so… sad?”