Are You a Storyteller or a Writer?
By koopharper
@koopharper (7599)
Canada
November 19, 2015 4:29am CST
To try and clarify that, I am definitely more of a storyteller than a writer. I know how to put together a story. I have a lot more trouble with the nuts and bolts of the language. My spelling at least is excellent, my grammar is not so excellent and my punctuation is atrocious. I have an appreciation for good poetry but producing it is painful for me.
My English Composition professor in college gave me c's and d's but I think he liked me. In fact he went so far as to let me know he thought I could produce publishable material. If not for him I might have not considered ever pursuing that dream. He did however send me to the library to take a mini remedial course on comma usage.
When I do review work for other writers my line editing is borderline useless but I can tell you what you're doing wrong with your story line. I can tell you where and why you're losing interest with the readers. I can also tell you why your characters don't seem real.
Everybody here writes but were all different. Which would you say you are?
9 people like this
9 responses
@WorDazza (15826)
• Manchester, England
19 Nov 15
I'm more of an ideas man! I have many ideas and fairly detailed outlines for novels but actually getting down to write them is very difficult. Not because I don't feel particularly capable but more because I have a very low boredom threshold. Once I've been kicking ideas around enough to get to the point where I'm ready to actually write something I'm usually bored with them and looking at fresh ideas.
I'm hoping my latest idea for a novel, which is sort of Kafka crossed with Tom Sharpe, will eventually be realised as I haven't lost interest in that yet.
4 people like this
@WorDazza (15826)
• Manchester, England
19 Nov 15
@koopharper Is it something to do with writing lots in November?? I have seen that acronym(???) before. Unfortunately time is at a premium at the moment having just taken on a dog who's previous treatment has left him with some issues. He's very time consuming but very, very worth it!
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
19 Nov 15
@WorDazza It's short for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a complete rough draft within the month of November. Doesn't have to be any good. These type of writing marathons are often then only way some writers can finish a manuscript.
1 person likes this
@WorDazza (15826)
• Manchester, England
19 Nov 15
@koopharper And therein lies one of my other problems. Rough drafts!! I get very anal about getting stuff right. I can agonise for long periods over the best way to phrase even a single sentence. Not conducive to productivity!! I know I need to break out of this habit and just 'get stuff down' to refine later. I suppose knowing you have a problem is half way to resolving it!!!
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
19 Nov 15
Both aspects of writing can be learned so lets just classify you as developing talent.
3 people like this
@wiLLmaH (8801)
• Singapore, Singapore
19 Nov 15
@koopharper wow. That agood phrase to describe me. Thank you.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
19 Nov 15
I see myself as a writer as my efforts cover stories, articles, poems, drama, etc. and I'll keep doing them until I get one right
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
20 Nov 15
@koopharper yes very true - and you too of course
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
19 Nov 15
A writer is one who writes. Sounds like you are that.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
19 Nov 15
When I do review work for other writers my line editing is borderline useless but I can tell you what you're doing wrong with your story line. - can you explain this part?
2 people like this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
19 Nov 15
I'm not real good at helping fix another writer's grammar. A lot of writers don't know how to tell a story or tell a story well. Some story lines are garbage and some have been done so many times they may as well be garbage. I stay away from those. Hard to let the author know without discouraging them, hurting their feelings or making them angry. A story isn't going to fly no matter how good the idea if they don't grab the reader's attention at the beginning. It won't work if the characters don't have reasonable reasons for behaving the way they do. Hard to explain beyond this.
2 people like this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
19 Nov 15
Imagination is hard to teach and hard to learn. As long as you work with what you have.
@TheHorse (238275)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Nov 15
@koopharper I try to work with what I observe and then take it to the slightly weird if I can.
1 person likes this
@KristenH (33591)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
19 Nov 15
I'm a combination of both. You can still refine your English with free online writing classes for English and creative writing. It takes practice. I love to write and research and hates editing with a passion. But I have to do it to make it shine.
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
19 Nov 15
Both are skills that can be learned. My technical skill has improved a great deal. I just find the story line and creating believable characters comes a lot easier to me.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
20 Nov 15
In my native language, I´d say that I´m much more a writer than a story teller if story telling means that we have to tell a story talking.
I don´t mind punctuation and it is not important as it used to be. What is important is that the tale flows at its own pace and rythm
But for me, the most important thing about writing is the need to write. If you don´t have the need, then you are not a writer, no matter how much talent you have.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
20 Nov 15
A writer writes. Good point. If I'm not writing I have to express it another way.
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
20 Nov 15
Write it anyway. You can always fix the technical stuff later.
