The golden guideline for storytelling no one talks about

I had the pleasure of attending a brilliant semester-long creative writing course when I was an undergrad. During this time, I learned several lessons about writing and the elements distinguishing good writers from average ones. Of all these, one guideline stood out from the rest. This is a guideline that our instructor repeatedly reiterated, and for a good reason. Over the years, I’ve realized the importance of the guideline and its aptness, irrespective of what you write. I call this ‘the golden guideline for storytelling.’

The golden guideline for storytelling

No matter what you write, be it stories, poems, comics, etc., when you are trying to tell a story, there is a guideline that helps make your writing more engaging and enjoyable. I call this the ‘golden guideline,’ and I state it below –

(¹At this point, it is crucial to clarify what I mean by ‘Don’t waste the reader’s time’ so we are all on the same page.

We’ve all read books where –

1. The writer describes too much, leaving no room for imagination. (And I believe one of the joys of story reading lies in immersing ourselves in the story.)
2. There are characters/ chapters in the story which serve no purpose whatsoever and exist to make the text longer. (These are the chapters we speed-read and not care about these characters. I have come across characters I couldn’t care less about and yearn for their arcs to be over so I can move on to the main plot. Mini story-arcs are great, but they should contribute to the overall narrative.)
3. The writing style is so complex that you’ll have to spend much more time than usual to understand what is going on, often for no reason. (I get irritated if it turns out the author was just flexing his language repertoire.) “The Gracehoper was always jigging ajog, hoppy on akkant of his joyicity” is not a sentence I want to read when I want to unwind.

As long as I enjoy the overall experience of reading, I never feel like my time was wasted. However, when I read books containing one or more of the three elements above, I subconsciously develop a little ‘distance’ from the book, as opposed to being immersed.)

)

The people of today’s world are busy (sometimes real busy, sometimes pseudo busy). Consequently, few appreciate a story with unnecessary elements that add to the reading time without contributing to the story itself.

The following are 6 suggestions/literary devices you can consider using to help refine your writing:

Before we dig in, note that these aren’t ‘rules’ set in stone. There are always exceptions. These are just suggestions I recommend you keep in mind as you write. As a writer, the final decision is obviously up to you.

1.) Chekov’s Gun –

Chekov’s Gun is a dramatic principle/literary device that suggests that details within a story or play should contribute to the overall narrative. So, for example, if a writer directs enough attention to a gun hanging on a wall, it should either be fired or used as a red-herring somewhere along the story.

2.) Avoid excessive use of red-herrings

A red herring can be used as a literary device to mislead or distract the reader from a relevant or important question. However, AVOID PEPPERING YOUR TEXT WITH RED-HERRINGS since, beyond a point, they only irritate your reader.

3.) Avoid excessive use of adverbs

Using too many adverbs is sometimes perceived as lazy and insulting the reader’s intelligence. Here’s what legendary author Stephen King has to say about adverbs –

4.) Write shorter sentences

The Flesch readability index suggests that less than 25% of your sentences can be longer than 20 words (My SEO tool warns me about breaching this limit as I write this.) One of the best ways to avoid awkward writing is to remove every unnecessary word. When we’re trying to explain something, less really is more.

5.) Avoid being ‘The intrusive narrator‘ often

The intrusive narrator: Also known as an omniscient narrator, this third-person storyteller is more than just a mere chronicler of events: they also editorialize, providing personal insight into characters and situations. (This is a big one and almost all writers do this.)
Limit the number of times you summarize events as the intrusive narrator. Provide space for the reader to delve into and figure out the world you have created as a writer. Summarizing everything is telling (of ‘show not tell’) and leaves little space for imagination.

6.) Simplicity is the key to brilliance

“Employ a simple and straightforward style”

Mark Twain.

Avoid using passive voice and unnecessarily difficult words. A complex sentence doesn’t necessarily indicate your brilliance.

To further illustrate this, consider the comparison below –

Conclusion

At the end of the day, as a writer, you have the creative freedom to write the way you want. You might want to deviate from these suggestions for a particular effect. Ultimately, the idea is to grip the reader’s attention as they navigate the world you’ve built. If a reader thinks of your story as a laborious reading exercise rather than a fun journey, this ‘grip’ starts to break down.

For this reason, try not to waste the reader’s time¹ and enthrall your audience with your fantastic writing skills!!

For instance, I prefer – ‘Have a nice day’ to ‘Receive my good wishes for a favorable 1440 minutes’ 🙂

Which point did you like or dislike the most? If you have ANY comments, criticism or recommendations about the ‘guideline of storytelling’, hit me up at reachthetaciturn@gmail.com or leave your comments below. I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, The Taciturn.

You can also follow me on twitter @philosophy_mail.