What type of writer are you? Recently a freelance editor commented in her newsletter that most authors she works with are good storytellers but not good writers. By good writer, she means someone good with words or grammar, which I like to call a wordsmith.
Storyteller (my definition): Someone whose strengths lie in plotting and telling the story. People who are good storytellers often have studied film or read a lot of plot-driven fiction.
I am the opposite, or at least, I think. I struggle with plotting and despite using every craft book with its fill-in-the-blank beats, it never gets easier for me. Critique partners tell me I’m good at big picture stuff, but I can only see it in other people’s work.
Wordsmith (my definition): Someone who’s good with words, grammar, and loves to play with language. People who are wordsmiths tend to read a lot, especially literary-type fiction.
Am I a wordsmith?
I love finding the “just right” word for a sentence. I love using motifs and metaphors. But like with storytelling, I usually catch grammar errors in other people’s work but struggle to find those in my own writing.
In Novel Metamorphosis, Darcy Pattison says there are four stages of learning (p. 5):
Unconscious Incompetence: You’re completely unaware that you can’t do something.
Conscious Incompetence: You're aware of not knowing a skill, but don’t know how to fix it.
Conscious Competence: You are consciously working on skills.
Unconscious Competence: You have internalized the skill and don’t think about it.
Maybe we don’t know yet what we still need to work on. I make a conscious effort on checking grammar and plot holes. But voice and character come easier for me.Voice was something I once struggled with, so maybe I’ve moved up the ladder on that one.
Often what readers or critique partners enjoy about your work are those unconscious competencies.
I’ve also learned that it’s important to learn to lean into my strengths and get help with the things I struggle with. Like I never send out my work now unless I’ve read it out loud multiple times.
What about you? Is telling the story or playing with words your thing? How do you overcome your weak side?
If you'd like to read more ISWG posts or sign up, please go HERE. You won't be disappointed.
I'm definitely into the plot of my stories. But writing description is hard for me. We all have our own challenges in writing so don't feel bad about yours.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie! Yes, description is hard. I always worry about boring my readers too much. --Jenni
DeleteNow I wonder if I am good at either of those things!
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Based on your success, I'm sure that's not true.
DeleteI'm with you. I like writing dialogs and scenes but stringing the scenes together into a good plot is really tough for me. I may need to approach it as quilt. Get all the little pieces written then figure out how they go together. I love playing with words but the only stories I can tell are the ones I've lived through. I overcome my weak side by being married to a person who comes up with plot twists.
ReplyDeleteI love your quilt comparison! I too lean on my hubby when I need help with plotting.
DeleteIt is hard to judge myself, but I know what I aspire to be: a storyteller. You can learn grammar easily enough, but coming up with a story and its characters, making them alive and breathing on the page is much more challenging to master.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Thankfully, storytelling can be learned, but it's definitely challenging.
DeleteI suppose I'm a Conscious Competence storyteller who occasionally manages to pass for a wordsmith...
ReplyDelete☺️
DeleteI think I'm Conscious Competence! ... most of the time 😅
ReplyDeleteHa! Writing is hard work.
DeleteFascinating. I'd never thought about the difference between a wordsmith and a storyteller.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by, Sandra!
DeleteFor me, those are two different hats--storytelling for drafting and wordsmith for editing. I wear them both at different times. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Great point! You don't want to get too picky about your words till you have the foundation of your story.
DeleteAnd that's why we need our critters and beta readers. To see what we are too close to catch. You are not alone in either departments or definitions. hehehe
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Yes, very true! We often need other people to catch our blind spots.
DeleteEven though I love poetry and have written it - which seems to point toward wordsmith, I'm definitely more of a storyteller. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I find poetry so difficult to write, but I do enjoy reading it.
DeleteI come from a loooong line of storytellers, so it's a given that I'm definitely a storyteller. In private (get-togethers) I'm often accused of stretching the truth (I'm paraphrasing LOL) Happy IWSG Day, Jenni!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool, Joylene! Ha! I bet your family get together are a blast!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteAnonymously Esther O'Neill, East of the Sun, ludicrous broadband, 0 G, therefore 0 signal, not surprised Google doesn't get this. Picking up security texts still impossible...
Would storytelling in the dark count ? Grandad told magical stories - enchantments, broken swords, mysterious missions, on one condition - lights out - and a fascinating history trail . His grandfather was his father figure, from Co Wicklow, with no electricity .
My late , lovely and only agent used to warn me, gently, that I needed to work on plots, and everything else.
Now seems a very good time to choose kidlit...
Sorry, Esther, that you were having such difficulties. Google wasn't being nice to me either yesterday. Sounds like you come from a long line of story tellers. That would be great if you joined us in the kidlit sphere!
DeleteInteresting to think of the distinction between storyteller and wordsmith. Maybe we need a bit of each?
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. The best stories have both, I think.
DeleteI definitely read a lot, and I believe that's where I learned about storytelling. But I've learned so much since I began writing fiction, and I hope I continue to learn until I die.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Donna! Reading is so important for writers. And yes, we never stop learning.
DeleteAn interesting juxtaposition, Jenni! I'm definitely a wordsmith, which is probably why much of my writing is nonfiction. I hope you had an enjoyable IWSG Day!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of the connection with nonfiction, but that totally makes sense. Hope you had a good ISWG day too?
DeleteIt is easy to see other people's mistakes more than your own. But perhaps we are too close to our writing?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm in between - not quite good with grammar and not quite good with plotting - this is why I continue to write and learn and no one's perfect but we can kind of strive for something close to it.
Have a lovely day.
That's me too. And you're right. It's very hard to see mistakes in our own work.
DeleteSuch a great post! I can't really tell which of the two I am, but I'm having fun trying to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping, Damyanti! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteHi Jenni!
ReplyDeleteYou post gives me something to think about. I feel like I'm a storyteller. But I really want to be both. I'm consciously working on my wordsmith this year. I've already noticed a change in my writing. Happy writing!
Jenni, what a wonderful post. Each time I begin a story, I struggle. What's the point? What am I trying to show here? How do I make it all work out? I guess I'm more a storyteller than a wordsmith. I enjoy stories with a beginning, middle, and end, and it is tied up at the end.
ReplyDeleteWe can always "see" what's wrong with others' stories. We are too close to our own to "see" what is wrong. This is why we need critique partners and beta readers. To help us smooth out the story. Thanks for a great post!