Celebrating Storytelling

by Deren Hansen

Once again we've told thirty stories in thirty days. It's often good to take a step back after something like this to assess what we've done.

First, beyond simply thanking the participants for sharing their work, each and every one should be commended for the courage to do so in such a public place. Even though we rightly teach would-be authors that they must write for readers and not simply to express themselves, it is impossible to write without investing some of your self in the words. Exposing your words to public scrutiny — perhaps even ridicule — means exposing yourself as well. While you may develop a thicker skin over time, releasing a new piece of writing always requires some courage. So, kudos to all.

Second, we should never forget the simple joy of storytelling. Much of the discussion here focuses on commercial writing — that is, writing for money in some way, shape, or form. Add in all the rest of the writing advice floating around the web, particularly from those involved in the publishing industry, and it's easy to believe this is the only form of writing that matters. As nice as it would be to get paid to tell stories, the true mark of a successful story teller is telling a successful story in your chosen medium.

Storytelling is an essential part of what it means to be human. Whether you hit the bestseller lists or simply entertain your grandchildren, mastering the art of storytelling will make your work and your life richer.

Thanks to everyone here who helped enrich April for us.

Deren Hansen is the author of the Dunlith Hill Writers Guides. Learn more at dunlithhill.com.

How to Hear Success Stories

by Deren Hansen

Aspiring writers are drawn to success stories, like moths to flames. And we're all guilty of a little twinge of jealousy that we aren't the subject of the story. But as inveterate optimists (what else can you call someone who devotes years to a single manuscript), we soak up the stories hoping that one day we will be the hero of a similar story.

So it's deeply ironic that we who are storytellers often fall prey to the tricks of our own trade when we hear these stories and afflict ourselves with unrealistic expectations. We hear, for example, of the writer who went from query to book deal in 37 days, note that our own queries have gone unanswered for more than 37 days, and conclude that we're not worthy.

Why do we do this? We forget that the foundation of the storyteller's art is to skip the boring bits. Advice about pacing, pithy dialog, and scenes ("in late, out early") all comes down to artfully avoiding the boring stretches that are an inevitable part of real life.

And how will you tell your success story? Fresh from the process of scrupulously scrubbing all the boring bits out of your manuscript will you say, "Then on the following Tuesday, I wrote 1673 words. But when I looked over the new material on Wednesday, I decided I needed to rework half of it so I didn't reach my new word count goal that day ..." No, you'll apply your craft and weave together a concise narrative of the highs and lows of the experience with a sprinkling of lessons learned. Above all, you will make it a story with protagonists, antagonists, try/fail cycles, a climax, and a denouement.

Why?

Because that's the essence of what you do as a storyteller.

The next time you hear a success story, remember that it is a story. Learn what you can from it, but don't compare it directly with your experience because you simply don't know all the boring bits that were skipped to make it a good story.


Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.