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I just finished a book and mentioned it in the "what are you reading" thread, and this was my conclusion:
Some authors are good storytellers, but not necessarily good writers.
Some authors are good writers, but not necessarily good storytellers.
When you get an author who is both, that's like hitting the literary jackpot.
I think a lot of the very commonly known, uber-prolific authors fall into the first category. They can weave a great story, but they aren't great writers. I would put someone like Stephen King in this category. One "brain-candy" author I read a lot of is Jonathan Kellerman. His paperback psychological mysteries are interesting and intriguing stories, I stay up late to see what will happen next, and I typically finish the books in 2 nights. Great storyteller, not so great a writer. He even makes grammatical errors, which drives me crazy. But sometimes I just enjoy the story so much, I can overlook it. I really don't read other mystery writers, but I like the way Kellerman can have all these loose ends, which he interweaves, and he's able to tie them all up by the end. But he doesn't use beautiful language, or paint vivid pictures with words. He actually falls into that trite 1940s detective voice, like "the sunset was as red as a betrayed woman's anger." (I just made that one up, but it's typical).
Then you have good writers. Authors who not only use proper grammar, but who can:
write dialogue that's realistic and genuine, and doesn't sound stilted ("...he said" "...she replied")
use imagery in a way that's like painting a picture
use imagery in a way to make an astute social commentary/criticism
string together words and tie them together like a fine jewelry maker
go off on descriptive tangents, but in a way that the reader doesn't mind, because the writing is so beautiful
use a voice or point of view that is unique, or that rings true to the way our thoughts wander and jump when the events around us are happening
in books that involve history or science, they are extremely well informed, and you can tell that meticulous research went into gathering that info and weaving it meaningfully into the plot
use symbolism in a creative way--not the basic simile or metaphor, but even in the way the book is written, and how characters' small actions correspond to a larger theme in the book
If you look at a lot of the "classics" you find a lot of great writers, but some are great storytellers, and some aren't. For example, I love Jane Austen books, but if I really examine her stories, she's just telling realistic stories about the social circles she moved in. The way she wrote about those stories was an intelligent, critical, and wry/humorous way, so in my opinion, she's a good writer. But the stories? Ho-hum.
Some modern authors I've decided were good writers AND good storytellers include Kurt Vonnegut and Dan Simmons, Margaret Atwood, maybe some others.
Some modern authors who I think are good storytellers, but not-so-great writers include Dave Eggers (The Circle) and Jennifer McMahon (all her books).
Some modern authors I think are good writers but so-so storytellers are: Hillary Mantel (the stories really happened, so she didn't really have to make them up, but her style of writing is great), and maybe Donna Tartt (Only wrote 3 books, and I've only read 2, but even though her writing is outstanding, I'm on the fence about how good the actual stories were, if I strip away all her writing style.)
I love when I can find a good writer, when I can savor every word, re-read sentences and paragraphs just because of the impact they made on me, and it's like I roll around in the words naked, the way my dog rolls around in an interesting smell
Anyway, I'm sure there will be lots of authors over whom we agree and disagree. But please share your thoughts:
Which authors are great writers AND great storytellers?
Which authors are great storytellers but not-so-great writers?
Which authors are great writers but not-so-great storytellers?
Which are neither?
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Although I don't remember it all, I remember that I absolutely loved Donna Tartt's The Secret History. I'm wondering if, when you read that one, it will elevate her to a great story-teller in your view.
I said I was on the fence, because I loved the writing, but was frustrated by the story in The Little Friend. It was a mystery, but all the loose ends did not get tied up. I know she said in an interview that it was on-purpose, because that's how life is, but my response is "then don't write mysteries." Then The Goldfinch was a wonderful book, but when I figured out I could tell the whole story in a few lines and it's not even a really interesting/intriguing one without all the beautifully-crafted writing, I wondered. Again, her writing is outstanding. Yeah, I have to read The Secret History soon.
Thanks for coming to my thread that apparently went over like a lead balloon
I will have to really pay attention now when I am reading. I think subconsciously about stuff like this (although not so eloquently as you) when I'm reading. As I am reading Allegiant right now, I'd put Veronica Roth in the good storyteller category. I can say one of my favorite authors is Kim Vogel Sawyer, and she for sure fits in the storyteller category, but as I haven't read one of hers in a while, I can't say for sure about the writer part. I'd put Diana Gabaldon in the storyteller and writer category.
TracySam's breakdown of good storytelling vs. good writing is spot on. Look on a story like a car. The story is the engine. It makes the car move. The quality of the writing is the paint job, chrome, leather seats, etc. The best cars have a great engine with all the finest accessories. Same with stories. But if you have to choose between an ugly car with a good engine and beautiful car that's just going to sit in your driveway, you choose the one with the engine. Same with stories.
Most critics (especially in the New York Times review of books) care only about the writing. They want good prose, moving imagery, and themes that can be debated over caviar and champagne. That's all well and good, but there are critical darlings out there who are masters of prose that put me to sleep. A.S. Byatt comes to mind. Beautiful prose. Absolute snore of a storyteller.
Elmore Leonard is a fantastic storyteller, and no one on earth wrote better dialogue. But he believed in such a "bare bones" philosophy of writing that his books have almost no description. It's so sparse at times that I've had to re-read entire paragraphs to try to work out exactly what's going on.
Jane Austen was a great storyteller and masterful writer. But she only wrote one story in her life, then just filed off the serial numbers, changed the character names, and rewrote the same story all over again several times. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jane Austen never wrote a book that wouldn't have been greatly improved by a few duels, an occasional horse chase, or even a pirate attack.
Stephen King is a great storyteller. His writing was pretty rough when he started out. 'Salem's Lot is a great story, but some of the writing in the book is giggle worthy. Mostly he suffered from just trying too hard. But he's improved a great deal over the past few years. Since the mid-90s, I'd say Stephen King is a great storyteller and has actually turned into a good writer.
Richard Adams. Great storyteller. Good writer.
I keep trying to like Flannery O'Connor. So far, I've failed.
What drives me crazy are authors that you can tell are writing with an open thesaurus. They are trying to show how highbrow they are. Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian comes to mind. I think there is probably a great story in there somewhere. Unfortunately, it's buried in the most pretentious trying-too-hard prose I've ever read. Here's one of my favorite examples: The last item was a little ivory envelope, sealed and unlabeled. I set it aside, heroically, without touching the flap. Never in the history of humanity has the act of setting aside an envelope been an act of heroism. Not even when chasing vampires. That's just sheer, silly melodrama.
Thanks for coming to my thread that apparently went over like a lead balloon
Definitely NOT a lead balloon - just a balloon that is requiring me to think too hard to pop off a quick response. I have spent the last day thinking about (and sometimes trying to dredge up the name of, or author of)books that I have read recently and how I would categorize them.
An example of a good storyteller, but not necessarily a good writer might be Jodi Picoult. She can really tell a tale with interesting twists after clearly describing the setting and establishing her characters. The problem is that it is all so packaged (and too often recycled) and is not necessarily woven together with any finesse.
Wallace Stegner, author of Crossing to Safety and The Spectator Bird (and others), is a masterful writer and uses words to make images that are unique, yet meaningful, and deeply add to the story. However, his story telling is slow, deliberate and sometimes dull. To me, that worked in his favor with Crossing to Safety as the slow progression of days to years to lifetimes of the characters was the essence of the book, yet it didn't work so well in The Spectator Bird, which though beautifully written, was a snooze.
Then there are the books that are neither well written or good stories. See The Trial of Fallen Angels for an example. Dreadful.
I read nonfiction and nobody can write nonfiction like Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone." I think "reads like an exciting novel" or words like that really tell the truth about his storytelling ability. After all, the story is about Level 4 viruses...
"A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction."
I said I was on the fence, because I loved the writing, but was frustrated by the story in The Little Friend. It was a mystery, but all the loose ends did not get tied up. I know she said in an interview that it was on-purpose, because that's how life is, but my response is "then don't write mysteries." Then The Goldfinch was a wonderful book, but when I figured out I could tell the whole story in a few lines and it's not even a really interesting/intriguing one without all the beautifully-crafted writing, I wondered. Again, her writing is outstanding. Yeah, I have to read The Secret History soon. Thanks for coming to my thread that apparently went over like a lead balloon
I've been thinking about this thread a lot, actually, even if I haven't responded.
I understand exactly what you mean, but no books have come to mind. I think that may because for many years I have refused to finish books where the writing was poor, even if the story was good. It only takes a bit of hackneyed dialogue, or, heaven forbid, one "could of" instead of "could have," for me to give up. I may be missing out on some great stories, but I just can't keep reading if I don't respect the writing.
Also, the writing doesn't necessarily have to be beautiful, as it was in The Goldfinch, but people have to behave and talk like real people, and not like characters in a Lifetime movie.
I agree! Stilted, artificial, or overly dramatic dialogue really annoys me.
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