6 Storytelling Tips From a Writing Coach

Many people can write well but few have mastered the art of storytelling. A great storyteller will have readers so captivated they cannot put a book down. Over the years I have taken numerous writing courses and attended conferences to get better at my craft. One of my favorite classes was a short story class taught by Lori Bryant Woolridge.

Lori is an Emmy-award winning television writer and her books have appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list. (I love her book Read Between the Lies, about a young woman who can’t read.) Lori is a certified life coach who specializes in working with creative people. One of her strengths is helping writers learn how to outline a story and develop a plot.

I was able to write my first short story while taking her class. Of course, if I am truly honest, when I saw all her comments, thankfully she didn’t write them in red, I wanted to hide. When I got over the shock I carefully reviewed her feedback and started making changes. I had my classmates on the edge of their seats when I read my short story, Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide, at the last class.

Lori has been teaching since 1997 and there are a few things she has says she see often that prevent writers from finishing their books. She was happy to provide some tips she shares with students and clients to help them complete their manuscripts.

#1 Plot and Outline Your Story
Writing a book is like running a marathon. A successful runner trains for the big race. Many writers start out with a basic and rough character sketch expecting that to get them to the finish line. This poor preparation results in many authors getting only to chapter 5 or 6 before getting stuck and eventually abandoning their manuscripts. Lori recommends that aspiring writers outline and plot the story before sitting down to write. This prework will help the writer get through to the end of the manuscript. As a coach she has worked with many writers who have multiple unfinished manuscripts because they didn’t plot, understand their character’s motivation or have an idea where the story was going.

#2 Make Characters Relatable
Characters don’t have to be likable but they do have to be relatable. Writers can do this by making them unique and/or intriguing through their personality or hobbies. The quirks a character has can make them relatable to readers and keep these readers interested in the story to read a book to the end. A writer should make sure they don’t break trust with a reader by having the character do something that is not in line with what they have established in the book. When people read a book they are focused and invested in it. A reader can’t multi-task when reading a book. Once a writer hooks a reader into a character they should make sure the character’s actions are believable. It is never a good thing for a reader to get into the middle of the book and feel the characters’ actions aren’t credible.

#3 Invest in the Craft of Writing
When writers take classes or attend conferences they produce more polished material. Readers have expectations when they pick up a book. They don’t want to see sloppy writing, typos and messed up grammar. All genres have certain rules, and writers need to know them. A good writer can bend the rules to their advantage when necessary. The reader is guided by the writer, unlike other forms of entertainment. The writer sets up the scene and describes the characters and setting in the story. A good writer guides the readers and doesn’t allow the reader to go off on tangents.

#4 Start In the Middle of the Action
Many aspiring authors have a hard time starting their books. It is best to start in the middle of the action or what is called in film as the medias res and then bring the readers up to speed throughout the story. Doing this raises questions with the readers as to why a character acts or reacts in a certain way. These questions will keep readers interested in the book.

#5 Know When to Write and Know When to Edit
The successful writer has a healthy self-confidence in their work. An aspiring writer who doesn’t have confidence won’t finish their manuscripts. The first person who believes in the story is the writer.

Editing is another important aspect of writing making the ability to self-edit important. A writer also has to be able to let go of their ego to take suggestions or edits especially if they are dealing with a traditional publisher. The only way a writer can grow is through the self-edit and editing process. Self-publishing does not eliminate editing because ultimately the reader is also going to have opinions on the book as well.

#6 Make a Commitment to Write
An aspiring writer has to understand their style and what works for them and set goals accordingly. Most writers have a job to pay for living expenses so this means finding time to write. Lori likes to say that a writer has to have their butts in the seat producing content. This can be accomplished in several ways. A writer can set time limits such as writing for 30 minutes daily or have page and/or wordcount limits. They also must practice consistently and set realistic goals in order to complete their manuscripts.

I hope you have learned something from this article. Feel free to leave me a comment if you want me to cover another topic.

Candace Waller is a Christian fiction author. Her novel What Goes Around Comes Around can be purchased on Amazon.

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