Storytelling ...
Is not just how you say something, but what you say.
Is not defined by a genre or type of writing, but by a reason for writing.
Is not written so much as it is reported, experienced, told and shown.
Is not detached and distant, but intimate, immediate and present.
Is not about information so much as the meaning of that information.
I like that -- makes me think. I want a copy of that handout!
ReplyDeleteI like that! I would say storytelling is not about information so much as "the meaning others see in that information."
ReplyDeleteYou can be trying to convey one meaning, but people's experiences determine the meaning they perceive. And that's a story.
joan, that's interesting. i think that, ultimately, you're right that people bring their own experiences, perceptions, etc. to everything they read. but i think first the writer/editor team has to figure out what the story means and write to that. if they succeed, the reader gets it, and the reader's own experiences deepen the meaning, or personalize it; and the story, done well, can make the reader see the story or topic in a new way that adds to his or her life experience.
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