Years ago I was with a friend. We’d traveled to Oberlin College in Ohio to listen to a storyteller perform on stage there. We’d never seen him, but he came highly recommended. As we sat in the auditorium, a janitor came out and set a chair in the center of the stage. Then he returned with a cushion and a lamp. He plugged the lamp in and turned it on and off a few times, testing it. As he was bent over he looked out at us and gave a little wave. A few people laughed. He told us that no one ever tells him anything and he wondered why we were there. Someone called out politely that there was a storyteller who was going to perform, hopefully soon. He looked at a few people in the front row and mumbled that his father used to be a good storyteller. That when he himself was growing up, for better or worse, he was the cause of his father having stories to tell. He then apologized and said he’d be moving on as soon as the show was ready to go on. He said, ‘But there was this one time when my parents had a big party at their home and he’d ended up trapped on top of the roof’. We were five minutes into his story before we all realized that he was the story teller.

Isn’t that how we’d like all our stories to be. Told so seamlessly that the reader’s imagination is one with the story and they never noticed the transition from reality to fiction. Of course we all have a story. Some of us have many stories. Some of us even say that one day we are going to write a book about that story. But most don’t actually ever sit down to write it. And if they do, they soon learn that having a story is much easier than writing it. To write it we must learn the techniques to communicate an extended story through the written word. Some basic techniques like:

• Showing instead of telling.
• Writing reactive scenes.
• Distinct character voices.
• Writing thinking and talking scenes.
• How to write dialogue.
• How much backstory to include.

A rare few gifted authors seem to have an ear for how to manage the written word when writing their story. People who just sit down and start to create their story without much thought given to how it will progress or end up. They surprise themselves as they put words down on paper. Again, this is rare. For the most part, just like in all the arts, natural talent is a plus. But people still need to learn about the technique and methods of their craft be it music, writing, art, or acting. Knowing these techniques can give you a better sense of confidence and control as you write.

So where does a person acquire this knowledge. You can study writing and literature in University. With a little effort you can find undergraduate, graduate and even doctoral degrees available in writing. Doing that though can require a big chunk out of your life. So locally there are writing classes offered by adult education venues. Though in my experience these mostly provide an opportunity to write in a group and get feedback on your story. Not much emphasis is provided on learning writing techniques. These courses mostly just want you to get comfortable writing. Which is of course, a good thing.

Then there are books on the craft of writing, as many as you can afford. Steven King’s book, ‘On Writing’ is often quoted as a good beginning book. If you are fortunate, blessed even, you may find a mentor. Someone who for the price of a cup of coffee may pass on the methods of turning words into a well written and moving novel. But I think mostly that could only happen in the movies (or in a novel).

So what I did a year ago was to start blindly searching YouTube for short (5 to 10 minute) tutorials on the craft of writing. I probably spent a month trying to weed my way through the multitude of orators who had a laptop and a camera to record, then publish their thoughts on writing. Over time though a few of these instructors begin to stand out. Not only because of the quality of the knowledge they presented, but also because of there personalities. I found a half dozen presenters who I both felt comfortable with and were talking about the aspects of writing I needed. I would watch their video through once. Then I’d watch it again a second time and write down the key points of a particular video. Then I’d type up my notes and collect them in separate notebooks to reference later.

So if you are writing the novel you have in your head, and find yourself losing your way too many times – maybe watching a few straightforward instructional videos might clear your path to success. Here are the links to a few specific YouTube presenters I like, and a random video presented by them. (Click on title to show link.)

Ellen Brock ‘How to make thinking and talking scenes interesting’

K.M. Weilland ‘Bringing your character’s emotions to life through action’

Vivien Reis ‘How to eliminate the passive voice from your writing’

Derek Murphy ‘Plotting basics: The ordinary world’