This is my take on how my writing tells a story.
When it comes to the how of storytelling, I think most people consider perspective and tense first.
Is the story told in a first-person or third-person perspective? Is it in past, present, or future tense?
But how you tell a story can cover other bases as well. When I write fiction in particular, these are the storytelling variables I think about:
- Is the story visual?
- Plot-driven?
- Character-driven?
- A hybrid between these?
I know there are other options – but these tend to be how I write. But all are worth considering – because they impact the how of the process.
When it comes to the fiction I write and have written, my approach has shifted over the years. As we move through November and many participate in NaNoWriMo – I’d like to share how I tend to tell a story.
Telling a visual story
When I was not quite 5 years old, in May 1977, my parents took me to see Star Wars. The blaring horns, the crawl scrolled up the screen, and then a ship appeared – being fired on by a larger ship. I was mesmerized and instantly hooked.
I love sci-fi and fantasy film and television. I’ve been a huge fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Farscape, Firefly, Game of Thrones, Shadow and Bone, and numerous others. The spaceships, the swords and sorcery – it thrills me.
When I started to write my own sci-fi and fantasy – in my head, it played out as a movie. That’s probably why my favorite writing music is movie scores, theatrical new-age, and Russian classical.
I’ve often said that when I write my story, I think of myself as being a camera over character ‘x’s shoulder. I see it and the characters within it as clearly as I see the keyboard at my fingertips.
Every fantasy and sci-fi story I write is a video in my head. The ships, the lasers blasting away, characters talking and arguing, swords clashing, all of it. And I strive to tell the story of what I have seen in my writing – hoping you will also see it – or a version of it that matches your experience.
Plot-driven storytelling
For the longest time, this was not my forte.
Nope. As a pantser, I sat down with the visual in my head, a scene involving a character or characters, and went with it. Plot? That came along. Eventually. At some point.
While I think I’ve created some good stories this way – they are not as commercially viable as something plot-driven.
For example – Game of Thrones. Book or TV show, you know that the plot is all about the game of thrones. Who gets the throne? Why should they get it? Who are the contenders and who are you cheering for? How will the winner win?
The plot carries the story along. Even when the story sometimes goes away from the main plot to a subplot or short digression – ultimately, the plot is the driving force.
Unlike my previous work, Forgotten Fodder was plotted in advance. I outlined it, planned it out, and feel that it’s one of the strongest stories I’ve written.
But there is nothing wrong with a character-driven story.
Character-driven adventures
My Source Chronicles fantasy series, when I began it, was all about a character that popped into my head. The mysterious sorcerer (whom I don’t name for the first several chapters) drove the evolving story.
Even with the visual storytelling that I tend to work from, character has been the driving force. The camera, as such, over the shoulder of character “X” can occasionally see into their head. I offer their perspective of what they see, and/or interactions with other characters.
Firefly, I would argue, is character-driven. Sure, the overarching plot is to keep flying free – but that takes a backseat to the stories of the disparate crew of the Serenity. This is also why the overarching plot of the series got broken into multiple subplots. It was all about the characters that made up the crew.
Great storytellers can weave an incredible tale driven by characters. But you can’t disregard a plot at all, because then you have no stakes and no drive for the story.
Maybe, one could argue, that’s kind of how life unfolds – but that’s not true, really. We all have drive, ambition to a greater or lesser degree, wants, and desires.
This is where the hybrid comes into play.
The visual, plot, character hybrid
The plot is only as interesting, in my opinion, as the characters that drive it.
Going back to Game of Thrones – the characters of the story – book or TV show – are fascinating. Daenerys, Tyrion, Samwell, John Snow, Arya – you cheer or jeer for them as they are driven by the plot. I think one of the reasons so many people hate the way the TV show ended is because the build-up to the finale didn’t payoff how anyone expected. (And I believe we will never see the last 2 books. No offense to George RR Martin).
As I worked on my Void Incursion series, it began with characters and scenes. Though it took a while for me to find the plot – when I did, it began to drive the story more. The recently published Antipositional Moves – book 4 – is where the plot settles in. The 5th and final book of the series – Check and Mate – has been planned and plotted out in advance (and is being written presently).
I still love the visuals I see of the characters, ships, space battles, and so on of this series. And the hybrid storytelling variant mixing visual, plot, and character is how I create my best work.
There are more than 4 ways to tell a story
These 4 story options are what I love to work with. But there are many other means for storytelling out there.
This includes working with symbolism and metaphor, perspective-based, style-based, and more.
Lots of options can be combined. But good storytelling evokes imagery, imagination, and can draw the reader to want to read more and see where it’s all going.
Perhaps a room of trained monkeys at keyboards or an advanced AI can tell stories. But they are not you and me. When we have stories to tell – and we take the time and effort to tell them – that’s what matters.
I love to share the visions, characters, and plots I create in my imagination with the world. That’s because I believe even fictional stories can positively impact the world at large.
Creativity and imagination are the playgrounds of visionaries. You never know when something you did might have an incredible, positive impact on the world.
How do you tell your stories?
Thank you for being part of my ongoing journey, for joining me, and for inspiring me and my craft.
This is the one-hundred and thirty-fourth article exploring the ongoing creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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