Writing a good story takes some effort. You may have all the pieces you need, but if you put them together in a wrong way, things might not be as immersive as you imagined them to be. This is an ongoing issue that many new writers are faced with. In order to overcome that issue, having more knowledge about the subject is necessary. Even though there are many great novels which have their stories told in amazing ways, there are even more precise books on storytelling. These ones will help you become a better storyteller and in turn, writer.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
Murakami is a modern writer, one of the great writers, actually and he has a different approach to the process of writing. Sure, anybody can sit down with a computer in front of them and write but does it differently. The writing itself isn’t that much different, but the acts leading to it are.
In this book, he explores the connections between physical activity and storytelling, using his own experiences. Writing is usually not a very physical experience in itself, yet he finds ways of connecting the two and making storytelling even more interesting of a topic.
My Twentieth Century Evening and Other Small Breakthroughs – Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro is a name you hear very often today, especially after he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. This alone makes him a somewhat unique writer, as not many win a Nobel Prize and remain bad storytellers. This book covers his speech and lecture he gave upon winning the prize, as well as some other experiences that helped him write completely different books. This one can surely help any upcoming writer to become a better storyteller.
Daemon Voices – On Stories and Storytelling – Philip Pullman
When the title itself has to do with storytelling, then you know you’re in for a good read, especially when the book comes from a very good storyteller such as Philip Pullman. His series Sally Lockhart and His Dark Materials are great evidence of amazing storytelling and in this book, Pullman explores his own ways of weaving stories together. He spices it up by adding some literary history, to reach a much more definite conclusion on storytelling.
These three books are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the many possibilities you can explore when learning about storytelling. These ones are, however, notable as they come from living authors who were awarded multiple times throughout their careers. Likewise, hearing it from the authors themselves can point any aspiring writer in the right direction.