Storytelling

Yes, that's me. Despite my snowshoes I managed to fall up to my hip in a hole. Thank goodness there's no video of my trying to get out.

I am not the most graceful person. I am not athletic or flexible or coordinated. My favourite sport is swimming, because the water cushions me from myself.

It's important to know yourself, because then you can work on those areas you need to improve. But it is also important to know what you are good at, otherwise despair can lead you away from your goals.

I'm a writer, and have been most of my life. I'm confident in how I string words together to communicate clearly and creatively. I can describe events and settings by their sights, sounds and smells, and my dialogue is natural and unforced.

I don't know if I am a born storyteller. A good novel is well-written with a logical plot line and characters the reader can empathize with. A great novel is a great story, no matter how technically proficient the author is. Many critics panned The DaVinci Code because of Dan Brown's writing. Most readers didn't care (myself included), because it was a fabulous story.

So I'm working on storytelling. I'm reading books with a critical eye to how the author makes the story work (or not), why I am turning the pages (or not). I want to be able to write a story that readers will love, not because of the brilliance of my writing (if any) but because it is a terrific story.

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