Author, Writer, or Storyteller
I always considered myself a storyteller.
As a story teller develops his skills he may choose to venture into writing. The question may linger, however, what defines the level at which one can call themselves a storyteller, writer and even author. The dictionary has well defined meanings for each but there is some vagueness and overlap that may confuse people trying to discover who they are.
It is much like when three skilled professionals are together. The only thing any two of them would agree on is that the third one is doing it wrong. The profession does not matter and whether or not you want to call yourself an author or a writer is no exception.
Classifications or titles are not something that matter greatly to some people, but it can be a nice distinction for a boost to one’s ego. I think it is human nature to desire a title which you achieved by accomplishing something.
I always considered myself a storyteller. Very early on in life, I found it easier to tell my stories than to write them, probably because I did not know where the commas go. That can be a defining issue, one that will almost assure you of not gaining status as a writer.
A storyteller can be a writer and vice versa, but they don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Storytelling is an art, writing is a skill, and being an author, well, maybe that is a combination of the two.
I began as a storyteller, creating my own stories to tell. I craved the attention it drew and delved further into it by using filmmaking as a medium to tell my stories. My filmmaking skills were not as good as my storytelling skills, and I found it extremely expensive at the time. I did have some success as mentioned in my first newsletter, but I needed a low budget medium to share my mind. Writing was the cheapest means I could find. Did I then consider myself a writer? Well, the answer was no. I still felt like a storyteller. In college, I enjoyed the extra attention I received in short story writing classes from my professors, and the letters I wrote back home to friends and family got great reviews. I was a bit of a celebrity for my homesick entertainment.
At that point, I wasn’t fixated on where the commas go or whether or not that word was actually in the English dictionary. If it looked good and sounded good, I went with it. Some people referred to me as a writer, perhaps because I was entertaining. I still did not feel I was a writer, possibly the quintessential storyteller at best.
Let’s get back to the reason for this letter, because now it gets a little tricky from here. Some say a published writer can call themselves an author. Others, well, they believe once you write something formally suitable for publication regardless of their success that they can then call themselves an author.
It sounds quite prestigious, the title of author. What do you do for a living? I’m an author. Of course, it would help your case if you say it with a certain amount of panache, otherwise you may sell yourself short. But what I have discovered in my travels and success or lack of success as a writer is that it looks a lot better on a resume if you own a sweater with elbow patches or even possible, if your budget allows, a tweed jacket with those same elbow patches.
I’m not saying that the clothes make you what you are today, but those elbow patches just may open doors for you. It would also help that you know where the commas go.
