"The mystery of storytelling"; TED Talk by Julian Friedmann

[InvictusCobra]

As someone who has a bit of a "dream" of writing, I saw this on my Recommended box in YT, watched it and thought it might interest some members of the forum. So here you go:

 

 

Feel free to discuss it and share your opinions on his points.

[Wonderfullyevil]

As an aspiring writer, I do feel crushed and at the same time understand where he's coming from. I'm too sleepy right now to elaborate. For now, I'll just say that I do write for my ego.

[monkeysrumble]

That was actually a pretty interesting TEDTalks. I feel like that he does bring up a lot of good points and ideas when it comes to writing and I would have to agree that writing is mostly about the audience as much as I don't want it to. It seems like it mostly depends on where you're writing, when you're writing and how you use language to communicate ideas. You can be as creative as you want but if you can't express your ideas then nobody will care. And expressing creative ideas through writing is really damn hard. 

[Darklord Rooke]

I’d recommend listening to writers talk about this process rather than agents, writers are in the business of storytelling while agents are in the business of selling stories. A subtle difference which affects mindsets and procedure.

 

1- Storytelling is more about the audience. This tends to be an agent’s point of view, not a writer’s. That’s not to say that some writers don’t think about an audience’s reaction, I’m sure they do, but it’s hardly compulsory or the most necessary thing to write a story. I don’t think writers like Douglas Adams who wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy sat at his desk and thought “I need the audience to feel more fear.” 

 

Writer’s tend to talk about being faithful to characters, it’s AGENTS who need to try and think how an audience would feel to imagine if a book would sell. And this is part of the problem with the book industry at the moment, and what has led to the destruction of the mid-list author - the industry's endless search for a profit. Mid-list authors who have a faithful fanbase, are being pushed out of the industry and have their careers killed due to the habits of the giant publishers and retailers. One very successful author had his book rejected with a rejection letter saying something like this: “This is a very well written novel, and a terribly good story, but we just don’t think it will sell.” It’s almost time for a new way of doing things methinks.

 

Publishing today is a business, dominated by stockholders and profit margins, run entirely according to the hard, cold numbers. Investors in the major megacorporations that own nearly all of the New York majors want profit, and lots of it. In a business that traditionally makes maybe 4-6 percent profit in a good year, today’s stockholders are demanding 15-18 percent. Gone are the days when a publisher could nurture a writer with potential through several lackluster efforts. Today’s editors can’t afford a single flop.

 

Publishing used to be almost a family business. Often a publisher would see talent in a new young writer and support that writer for many years, printing book after book that didn’t sell, trusting that eventually the writer would ‘break through’ and make it big. The publisher was the friend and champion of the writer, willing to risk again and again for a writer [the house] believed in. Those days are long past.

 

 

Jeff Kirvin, “What’s Wrong With Publishing,”

 

http://www.salon.com/2004/03/22/midlist/

 

If you listen, he talks about the Hollywood and European film industries, the difference between the two and why Hollywood movies sell more. There’s a problem with this. As a writer if you go chasing the things which you think will mean your book sells more, instead of writing what you’re passionate about, then your stories may be not very good. “Quick, write romance they sell more than fantasy” well you can get away with that only if you like romance. Short scenes? Only if that’s your style (of course lengthening scenes with useless info-dumping tends to be frowned upon.) 

 

2 - Storytelling can’t be taught. It can be, to an extent. I’ve seen it happen. I suppose he means the act of storytelling rather than writing. The art of writing tends to refer to the tools needed by the craft and developing your own style, this can very much be taught, I suppose the art of storytelling is more about the writers applying that to a story in an interesting way. If you have the tools though you're well on your way.

 

3 - Writers need to study human behaviour. Bang on. Writers tend to study how people behave, because characters and how they act is the pillar of your story. If you’re a writer a lot of the times you’re an amateur psychologist as well. Writers always talk about this, John Marsden used to jot down interesting things people say, and would recommend constantly listening to people’s conversations around you.

 

4 - Criticism. As a writer you will experience this all the time, any creative person gets heaped with criticism. If you don’t have a thick skin it’s really not the industry for you.

 

TL;DR Listen to authors talk about how to write, agents are in the business of selling your stories.