Storytelling to me is…
Stories become a part of our life since infancy and stay with us to the end. Over the years the nature of the stories changes, from the mythical or fantasy stories your grandparents tell you for entertainment to the ones you read for inspiration or simply for the sake of pleasure. We all consume stories and the good stories are the ones which always stay with us for a long time.
If you ask any writer established or amateur about the process of writing, there is little possibility of getting similar answers. The art of storytelling like any other form of art doesn’t come with a specific set of rules. The most important thing to storytelling is the perspective; no two perspectives are the same so if your perspective is different it can never be a repetition. There are some components which can make for an effective storytelling.
Realism is necessary to any form of storytelling whether fiction or non-fiction, there needs to be some element of reality in the story, be it through the plot, setting or any other aspect. The audience should be able to have some connection to the story and by keeping things realistic this part is taken care of.
The next important aspect according to me is the characters; they are the heart of the story, literally. The characters are the ones through which we explore the story so the characterization has to be accurate. The characters should be grounded in reality; the characteristics of the characters should be relatable. When the characters are ideal, it is hard to find common ground with them or feel connected to them because they are far too high on a pedestal.
As a storyteller, it is necessary to spend a fair amount of time on the creation of the plot and the characters because they are most important and often the most difficult part of storytelling. There is no need to follow any other perspective than your own. Every person has different reactions to different situations and interprets the scenarios differently; this individuality must be maintained in storytelling.
Inspiration can be taken from anywhere – folktales, myths, classics etc. Personal life experience itself gives a pool of ideas to draw from and I think it can become the most natural way of storytelling as it is close to the heart. With a sprinkle of imagination and words, a whole new world can be created through storytelling.
Books and blues 