SWRT 229 | Narrative Storytellers

November 11, 2021

person typing on MacBook Pro on brown wooden table during daytime photo

Alida and Kathryn dig into narrative storytellers on this week’s Story Works Round Table. Have you ever written a story with a storyteller as narrator? That’s a narrator that is not invisible, like the typical authorial narrator, and is not a character, like a first person narrator. But this narrator is full of personality and can be as opinionated as you like. Key to a narrative storyteller is voice. Developing a storyteller’s voice that evokes a sense of being present, of hearing the story is essential to creating a storyteller experience for the reader.

VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

What is a narrative storyteller? (0:23)

How is Kathryn using this narrator and why? (1:05)

What about being in your characters head? (2:37)

What is appealing about a storyteller narrator? (5:00)

Adding a layer, and a voice! (6:10)

How is the narrative landing on the reader’s ear? (8:53)

The importance of the voice. (9:58)

The narrator looping in the reader. (13:15)

Would you describe your narrator to your reader? (15:05)

What about revealing who the narrator is? (18:30)

Helping to keep the story short. (21:25)

Does this lend to more narrative exposition? (22:15)

Let me tell you a story! (25:25)

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

Things we mentioned:

The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group.

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Two of her short stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She is the author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series. Alida lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her Golden Retriever, Seva the Wonder Dog. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com