“Good” here is relative to the rest of my skill set. I’m pretty good at doing research and presenting information. I’m rather decent at taking an idea and elaborating for 400 words. In a pinch, I’m okay at being humorous. But I’m downright dreadful at telling stories.

Isn’t that just the cat’s meow? An aspiring writer who can’t tell stories. It’s something I know I desperately need to get better at. See, when I need to explain something, I’m in my comfort zone. I may not be the best (I’m not), but I can do that stuff all day! Where I have trouble is taking a character – be it myself, someone else, or a fictional character – from point A to point B, fully understanding the nuances of their personality, and walking a reader through that journey.

Some of you are very good at this! I read your stories – about yourselves or characters you’ve created – and I think “Wow, that’s so enthralling!” A good story entrances you. Each line makes you want to read the next one. The flow keeps you…

Going, so that you can’t put the book down or click away from the page. That’s what I need! It’s not a want. That storytelling ability is a must for anyone, it seems, who wants writing to be their full-time gig. It leaves me with one question.

How? How do I get there? Well sure, “practice” is the easy answer. But more specifically, how can I practice storytelling while keeping consistent with my current voice? I’ve got options.

I could practice photojournalism on a small scale. It’s more work, but how difficult would it be to add a bit of personal and geographical context to the concepts I’m already writing about? I could turn posts into more journalistic pieces. Instead of discussing a way to be more productive, I could track the journeys of the research participants that lead to the results I’d otherwise be preaching. I could scrap everything I currently do, and only write short stories.

I don’t know what the right decision is for me at this stage. Perhaps I will soon. Storytelling is a skill that no true writer can go without. It’s a necessity. That’s why I desperately need to get better at telling stories.