Storytellers & Writers

One thing I have been learning, both as a writer and as an editor, is that a storyteller is not necessarily a writer. And a writer is not necessarily a storyteller. Now, a writer must tell a good story but that does not make them a good storyteller.

Where have I noticed this? Watching author presentations; reading stories from beginning writers that have worked with children for years; visiting classrooms where a teacher may be one or the other but not both. Now there are skills on both sides that can be learned. An author I met once took clown classes so that she would feel more confident and more physically expressive in a classroom. And writing is a skill that can be refined and developed at any level.

I think it's always worth exploring the "other side" of this tandem. Because when someone is both, its SO much fun!