Story
Story is the plot and characters.
Your story is the characters, their strengths and flaws, and the journey they are on. Your story is the reason you wrote this particular story, and why it’s important for others to read it. It is the journey that you’d like the reader to take with you.
Story is the details of the story itself.
Storytelling
Storytelling is the narrative of the story.
In contrast to the story, storytelling is how you describe the story to the reader. It is the tone and style of you as a writer and the world your characters are embedded in. Storytelling is the flow of your narrative, which means you need to present the story with a consistent and unique narrative.
Storytelling is how you tell the story.
Writing Prompts
Below are a few writing prompts to help you understand story versus storytelling, and explore new ways of crafting great prose.
What story do you feel compelled to write?
How will your storytelling enhance the reader’s experience of you work?
Is the goal of your work to entertain or teach? (Then practice writing a chapter of your book for different audiences.)
Story versus Storytelling
I hope that you enjoyed this blog post on the difference between Story and Storytelling.
Please comment below if you have other prompts or tips to share with other writers.