"How do I become a better storyteller?"
I spent last month actively job searching and, as a result, avidly updating my portfolio here. As I was digging through old files for some portfolio fodder, I came across an old email exchange with a friend. It first started when he wrote:
“If I want to become a better writer, more specifically a better storyteller, where should I start?”
As the (often) token writer in my (mostly Asian) friend groups, I get asked some variation of this question a lot, usually in passing. But this was one of the few occasions where the inquirer was genuinely interested in improving their skills.
I sat down and mulled this over, then responded as thoughtfully as I could. I figured I would post it here too (slightly edted for general audiences).
Let’s start with a few questions:
What kind of style do you write in/want to write in? Alternatively,
What is the main objective you want to achieve with your writing?
What purpose do you see your writing serving?
What writing by others appeals to you?
The answers to these questions can give you a good starting place for developing your own style.
I think most writers will agree with me that, in general, "good" writing tends to be a result of great editing more than the initial writing. Most writing, professional or otherwise, isn't generated in one seamless session, even if it seems that way. So don’t be afraid to take more time with your writing process than you might have expected to (provided you’re not just procrastinating). Editing almost always benefits from taking some time away from the writing and coming back to it, so you can identify issues that are easy to miss when you're too familiar with your prose.
For me personally, I find that the best approach to writing is to forget any word, time, and whatever other limits. Instead, start by jotting down everything you want to convey, in whatever format and length necessary. Next, read over these points and ask yourself a few questions, such as:
Do your points support the main idea you were trying to communicate or do they point to a different message?
Is there a common thread running through your list?
What details do you need to add, subtract, or highlight more or less?
If you haven’t already, write your first draft. Revisit the above exercise. Then go back and chisel what you've got as necessary.
Sometimes, I find that it helps to set aside this first draft, then work on an entirely new draft, focusing on:
Getting my salient points across, while also
Making less effort to express my own thoughts and more effort to help my reader understand what I’m saying
This also prevents me from getting too attached to my own work so far, and more on ensuring that the best words are used for my writing.