Storytelling and writing, while seemingly synonymous terms, are anything but. They can certainly coexist. But they can also live independently of each other.
My college students were recently engaged in an on-line discussion of this very topic. They had just finished reading an historical fiction novel and were discussing the benefits of using historical fiction to teach social studies concepts. One of the students had commented that the book was “great storytelling, but not great writing”.
I can think of several very well-known, successful novelists, whose books I thoroughly enjoy reading. They are great story tellers. However, I would not classify them as gifted writers. When I read books by truly gifted writers, the sentences take my breathe away. The word choice opens up new thinking for me. There are even times when I have to stop, just to reread a paragraph over several times to savor it. Reading great writing is so much more time consuming than reading great storytelling.
In a recent discussion with a friend regarding books we were currently reading, she shared that she does not enjoy reading “poetic writing”, as she calls it. While she appreciates strong writing, she reads for the stories, so wants nothing that gets in the way of that.
That does not mean that when telling great stories, the writing is insignificant. Like everything, writing exists a continuum, ranging from adequate to brilliant. Writing must reach a certain level of competence for the reader to be able to access the ideas and information being presented.
This idea seemed to bring comfort to a 9-year-old budding writer in my after-school Writing Club at my elementary school. It was our first meeting of the year and the students and I were getting to know each other through a few fun activities. “I’m not sure I belong here,” she shared, “I am not a great writer, but I have so many stories I want to tell.” I could feel the passion in her voice.
When I explained that she was absolutely in the right place, and that you did not have to be a gifted writer to be a great story-teller, I could visibly see her relax.
I can’t wait to read her stories!
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