Every Story Needs a Storyteller

I've always viewed the world in terms of stories.

For example, I have created handmade cards for years, and I can’t seem to stop myself from arranging things, even on a flat piece of cardstock, to tell a story. This is the first card I'd ever had published in a national magazine, and it's actually several unrelated stamped elements I reorganized, to create a story that amused me.

This week at the Romance Writer’s Revenge blog, Marnee posted several classic paintings and invited us to write a story to go along with them. When I saw the details of the people in the first painting, I didn’t create a story so much as one just appeared. Now it’s hard for me to see the picture without envisioning that particular story, and where it’s most likely headed.

I won't pretend that I understand the alchemy that takes place in my brain when it views certain things and then turns it into a narrative. I just know I am grateful for this trait, and for the unique stories this combination of magic and voodoo has produced so far.

But I'll admit there are times when I wish the stories entrusted to me could be different: the kind that are listed in Publishers’ Weekly announcements, followed by the words “nice deal”. It’s hard not to feel envious of the writers who have hooked up with stories that are then paired with enthusiastic editors, and, ultimately, devoted readers.

At the same time, I wouldn't want to be mismatched. It would be horrible to be stuck with a story that didn’t fit right, even if it seemingly contained all the right elements. It would be akin to getting someone else's takeout order, and doing your best to make things work with the moo goo gai pan when your heart is really set on the pad thai that got away.

The story that manages to find its way to me is usually a quirky one with a witty, charming hero and a slightly outrageous heroine. It's as if there's a story matchmaker that puts us together, believing I am the best one to nurture these characters until the story becomes what it was meant to be.

I am the storyteller this story needs.

While I might wish my stories had a more predictable future ahead of them, I'm also filled with awe that I am given the chance to cultivate these tales. I've laughed and cried with numerous characters, I've discovered my writing voice, and I've experienced life in ways I never would have expected, just by typing the ideas constantly swirling through my brain.

It turns out these are the stories this storyteller needed.

Comments

[Quantum]

Donna, what a fabulous gift.
Actually I think this tendency to see stories in pictures reveals the child within!

I have been struggling for almost a year now, in spare time, trying to teach reading to a child with learning difficulties. The book we are using has stories together with pictures which interpret the stories. We fight our way through the stories using phonics, but as soon as we get to the pictures the child comes alive and tells me all about what is happening and which bits are funny. I'm the teacher for the words then she becomes the teacher for the pictures!

Some people definitely are good at visualising and the associated intuitive interpretations, thinking particularly of applied mathematics here. Others are better at analysing with logic, though most have skills in both camps. If you were a scientist I reckon that a large chunk of you might well fit into the former category.

My thought for the day! *smile*

[Donna Cummings]

Q, I love how you and your student are teaching each other. :) Is it getting any easier for the child with the reading? I was thinking the other day about people who don't like to read, and maybe it was because they couldn't visualize the words, or something similar.

And you're right about me being in the "intuitive interpretations" category. LOL It made law school a little tougher for me, because LOGIC is king there. It's not that I don't have logic, or can't be logical -- it's just that I get there via a different path. :) Kinda like being a pantser vs. a plotter.

Thanks for your thoughts of the day. I always really enjoy them. :)

[Melissa]

I love this post. :) I get that awestruck feeling too when ideas come from some mysterious place, and I'm smiling at the idea we're CHOSEN by a story matchmaker as the best storyteller. How cool would that be? Talk about a confidence booster! I can just imagine a "story matchmaker" letting a writer know they'd made a match. Better yet, is to hear that the characters chose us first as the one they want. :) What a great way to look at the uniqueness of our stories.

[Donna Cummings]

Melissa, it IS a confidence booster to have a story matchmaker know that we'd be the best writer for a particular story. And I really love the idea that the characters choose US--it will make me a little more compassionate (maybe!) when the hero and heroine refuse to cooperate. LOL