What’s more important for telling a great story – talent or craft? What if you feel like you’re lacking talent? Can you still become a better storyteller or is it a lost cause?
In this article, we’ll take a look at an essential element of storytelling that’s usually missing from the lists but in reality, should feature on all of them – Story Craft.
Story Craft is how you skillfully combine storytelling elements into a cohesive and engaging story. Without craft, all you have is words on a page, paint on a canvas, or noise leaving your mouth for no apparent reason.
- What Is Story Craft?
- How Can Story Craft Help You?
- How to Become a Better Storyteller
- Stories Need A Storyteller Who Understands Story Craft
- Get Sketches & Storytelling Delivered to Your Inbox.
What Is Story Craft?
Story Craft is the skill and expert ability to tell a story well and keep your audience engaged throughout. At its core, it’s an understanding of the fundamentals of story structure and the art of creating a compelling narrative that flows along a momentous arc from beginning to end.
Story Craft consists of a wide range of skills and techniques such as developing well-rounded characters, crafting an engaging plot, establishing a believable world through setting, adding tension and stakes with conflict, and combining these elements to convey the Keystone Message at the foundation of your story.
It also involves a range of creative tools and techniques for storytelling such as using dialogue to reveal character and move the plot forward, sensory details to immerse the reader or viewer in the story world, and symbolism and metaphor to add depth and complexity to your narrative.
How Can Story Craft Help You?
As a storyteller, your primary goal is to make your audience feel something – empathy, excitement, inspiration, wonder… Learning Story Craft will enable you to create an emotional connection with your audience that has a genuine impact on them.
Story Craft combines imagination and creativity with skill and experience. It’s honed through practice and a commitment to continual learning and growth.
Whether you’re a seasoned storyteller or just starting on your journey to become a weaver of worlds, there’s always something new to learn about this endlessly fascinating art form with limitless potential.
How to Become a Better Storyteller.
Story Craft is your key to becoming a better storyteller and it’s built on experience – the best way to gain experience is by doing.
I didn’t want this article to be another ‘how-to’ guide or roundup of random writing tips to the exclusion of other storytelling formats. Instead, I’ve focused on methods you can use to improve your storytelling regardless of the medium you choose.
Find Other Storytellers.
Finding a community of like-minded creatives can be a huge step in the right direction when you’re looking to improve your storytelling. Hubs like this one here at Sketches & Storytelling can be useful sources of information and a place to connect with others.
Join me and other storytellers on a journey into the world of storytelling – bringing stories to life, one page at a time.
Learn Story Structure.
Honing Story Craft begins with developing a solid understanding of story structure. This begins with learning about the essential elements of storytelling and how to introduce conflict, build tension, and resolve your story in a way that satisfies your audience.
Once you’ve grasped the underlying principles of story structure, you’ll be able to create well-paced, engaging narratives that captivate your audience.
Study The Masters.
By studying the work of masters both old and new, you’ll gain valuable insights into effective storytelling whilst expanding your story repertoire. By immersing yourself in the works of masters, you can analyse their methods and styles to learn how they meet the various challenges that arise throughout the process.
If there was ever a shortcut to learning a new skill fast and understanding it well, studying the masters is it. Read classics, watch acclaimed films and TV shows, visit art galleries, the list goes on…
Know Your Audience.
To truly connect with your audience and tell a story they can resonate with, you first need to know them. Once you’ve identified your audience and understand their preferences and interests, you can create stories that leave a lasting impact on them.
There are many ways you can use your story to reach your intended audience including through the tone, underlying message, themes, and characters.
Understand Your Motivations.
Understanding your motivations will help you stay focused and infuse your stories with authenticity. This means taking some time out to reflect on why you want to tell stories. What drives you to do so? What messages and emotions are you hoping to convey?
Having a firm grip on your intent will guide your creative decisions and keep your storytelling aligned with your vision and values.
See Stories Everywhere.
Stories are all around us, all the time. As a storyteller, it’s your job to spot them and keep a record, from the mundane to the extraordinary.
Another fun facet of this is spotting a three-act structure in every story, even when people have conversations and relay events (tell stories) they do so in this format intuitively.
Keep Your Focus.
Keeping your focus will help you create cohesive and impactful stories that resonate with your audience.
Keep your Story Keystone in the forefront of your mind throughout the creative process. Try to avoid getting sidetracked by unnecessary subplots or excessive details that don’t serve the central narrative.
Find Your Voice.
Every storyteller has a unique voice and perspective, you only have to take a look at witness statements for the same event to realise this little fun fact. Explore and experiment to discover what makes your style unique.
Try not to get caught up on ‘style’ and don’t try to imitate others. Embrace your individuality and tell the stories you wish already existed for you to enjoy.
Hone Your Empathy.
Empathy is the key to a story with emotional resonance that leaves a lasting impression. You need to understand the emotions and experiences of others to be an effective storyteller.
You can practice empathy by putting yourself in the shoes of others (not literally) to explore their emotions, desires and struggles to gain a deeper understanding of the human experience outside of your own.
Take Experimental Risks.
Experimenting and taking risks fosters growth and innovation, leading to unique and memorable storytelling experiences. You could spend a lifetime learning story structure and analysing what’s been done, but great original stories often involve taking some risks and pushing boundaries.
There’s always room to step out of your comfort zone, experiment with different formats, genres or narrative techniques, and challenge conventional norms.
Collaborate With Others.
Collaboration is a way to fast-track your learning and gain new insights, spark new ideas and gain experience that elevates your Story Craft.
Seek opportunities to mix with other storytellers – focus groups, workshops, online forums, creative exchanges – bounce ideas off one another and see things from different perspectives.
It takes courage to share your work with others and be open to critiquing, but it’s essential for identifying areas for improvement.
Expect The Failure.
Failure is an inevitable part of the creative process for all of us. Embrace it as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. It’s easier said than done but developing the resilience to use failure to your advantage will help you become a better storyteller.
Not every story you create will succeed, but it’s ok. Failed stories provide opportunities to analyse what went wrong and learn from the mistakes, applying the lessons you learn to your future endeavours.
Keep On Practising.
Have you ever heard the expression ‘Practice makes you worse’? Hopefully not. We all know that consistent practice is the best way to hone any skill and Story Craft is no different. The more you practice storytelling, the more comfortable and confident you’ll become.
Take every opportunity to tell your stories, even if it’s small accounts of what’s happened in your week. The more you tell stories, the more your storytelling abilities will flourish. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone either, challenge yourself and own your skill.
Never Stop Learning.
Embracing a path of lifelong learning requires a growth mindset and humility. This will help you continually evolve as a storyteller and become a master of Story Craft.
Stay forever curious, keep seeking out new knowledge, and explore different mediums for telling stories. Attend workshops, conferences, and online courses, read industry publications, and stay up-to-date with news and trends.
Share Your Knowledge.
A large part of becoming a great storyteller is giving back to the storytelling community. This skill has been passed down from generation to generation since the dawn of mankind. It’s the way of the storyteller.
Share your knowledge and experience with others by joining online forums, participating in workshops and events, or offering to mentor aspiring storytellers.
Stories Need A Storyteller Who Understands Story Craft.
As we’ve seen, you can’t have a story without craft. Well, not a good one at any rate…
Whilst some storytellers seem to have a natural talent for captivating an audience with a compelling story, even the most skilful among them will testify to the hard work and practice it takes.
The methods in this article can help you learn Story Craft and become a better storyteller, but you get out what you put in, to truly excel in this art form you’ll need to put in the time and effort required to hone the craft.
It’s a continuous process that requires ongoing learning, growth, and self-reflection. By continuing to put in the work and showing up, you’ll develop your storytelling skills and the ability to create powerful narratives that resonate with your audience.
Great stories have many components, building blocks that you can’t tell a good story without and even if one of them is missing, your story will fail to capture your audience. Story Arc is just one of those ingredients. See my guide – The Essential Elements of Storytelling – to explore the others.
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