{"id":4820,"date":"2026-03-27T02:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T02:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/?p=4820"},"modified":"2026-03-27T02:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T02:53:10","slug":"how-to-be-a-better-writer-conversational-storytelling-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-better-writer-conversational-storytelling-101\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Be A Better Writer &#8211; Conversational Storytelling 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Writing a captivating story that flows well and keeps interest from beginning to end is hard &#8211; But that&#8217;s only when we <em>write<\/em> them. If you tell someone a story in person, it&#8217;s much easier. And we&#8217;ve all got that one friend who can tell a story about <em>anything<\/em>, and make it entertaining. In today&#8217;s article, I&#8217;ll cover why that is and how to be a better writer by using conversational storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#verbal-storytelling-vs-written\"> Verbal Storytelling Vs Written<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#why-is-conversational-storytelling-effective\">Why Is Conversational Storytelling Effective?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-to-be-a-better-writer-5-conversational-tips\">How To Be A Better Writer &#8211; 5 Conversational Tips<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#1-write-to-a-specific-person\">1. &#8220;Write&#8221; To A Specific Person<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-read-your-draft-out-loud\">2. Read Your Draft Out Loud<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3-embrace-the-right-emotions\">3. Embrace The Right Emotions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#4-be-more-efficient\">4. Be More Efficient<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#5-trim-the-fat\">5. Trim The Fat<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"verbal-storytelling-vs-written\"> Verbal Storytelling Vs Written<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For many authors, the act of <em>writing<\/em> often becomes a barrier to <em>storytelling<\/em>. We feel the need to &#8220;perform&#8221; literature, insert descriptions that are sometimes filler, agonize over syntax, and slow the narrative pace to a crawl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversational storytelling, however, works well because it usually has a natural, efficient structure. It\u2019s built around what matters most, trims the unnecessary fat, and it gets to the point because the speaker can see the listener\u2019s engagement level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This natural, real-time narrative instinct is often strangled the moment we open our word processing software. On one hand, this is, of course, obvious &#8211; Talking is easier than writing and the story is often shorter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are some valuable tips and tricks for learning how to translate that innate, efficient style of verbal storytelling into your manuscript and creating more compelling characters and readable plots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-is-conversational-storytelling-effective\">Why Is Conversational Storytelling Effective?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans have been telling stories around campfires and things for millennia but we\u2019ve only been writing them down for a fraction of that time. Our brains are hardwired for oral narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversational style works because it prioritizes engagement over precision. When you are telling a story to a friend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li><strong>The Hook is immediate:<\/strong> You begin with the disruption. &#8220;You won&#8217;t believe&#8230;&#8221; creates an immediate need for resolution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Edit is brutal:<\/strong> You skip the boring parts. If a detail about the color of the sky doesn&#8217;t serve the story of the flat tire, you instinctively omit it to keep the momentum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Focus is emotional:<\/strong> You concentrate on how you felt. Embarrassment, terror, and humor are the emotional hooks that keep an audience listening.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, traditional writing often feels the need to detail <em>everything<\/em>, sacrificing pace and emotion in favor of description. This leads to the bloating that makes books feel slow and make our lives hard as writers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"how-to-be-a-better-writer-5-conversational-tips\">How To Be A Better Writer &#8211; 5 Conversational Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-write-to-a-specific-person\">1. &#8220;Write&#8221; To A Specific Person<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps the best writing lesson to take away from verbal storytelling is to assume your narrator is speaking directly to a specific person, like when you&#8217;re talking. Don&#8217;t write into the void. When you do this, it shifts the narrator\u2019s tone from a detached observer to an active participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of describing a room, describe the room through the eyes of a narrator who is there. This adds an immediate layer of character development that writing can lack if you&#8217;re not conscious. This is something G.R.R.M does well, which I covered in my <a href=\"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/fantasy-worldbuilding-like-george-r-r-martin\/\">Fantasy Worldbuilding Like George R.R. Martin<\/a> article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You May Also Like:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/first-person-vs-third-person-pov-in-fiction\/\">First-Person Vs. Third-Person POV In Fiction<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-read-your-draft-out-loud\">2. Read Your Draft Out Loud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you tell a story out load, it has a specific rhythm that mimics natural human breath. On the flip side, writing often uses more complex sentences that require more focus to digest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find your narrative voice, read your draft out loud. If you find yourself running out of breath, stumbling over phrases, or feeling silly saying a sentence, it may be over written. In other words, if it sounds unnatural when spoken, it will probably read the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-embrace-the-right-emotions\">3. Embrace The Right Emotions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When we tell stories to friends, we aren&#8217;t describing scenes; we are sharing an emotional experience. This where the emotional theme {the core feeling} that drives the narrative, is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You May Also Like:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/what-is-theme-in-a-story-8-mistakes-to-avoid\/\">What Is Theme In A Story \u2013 8 Mistakes To Avoid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This also applies to specific emotions. If a character is embarrassed, that should likely be the focal point of your description. This prioritizes the immediate feeling, making the story feel raw and honest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of a real life story where you were embarrassed. If you were to tell that story, those emotions would be most important. So, in times like this in your writing, don&#8217;t get distracted describing things that an embarrassed person wouldn&#8217;t even notice, as least without a very good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-be-more-efficient\">4. Be More Efficient<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It isn\u2019t just the voice that changes when you tell a story, it&#8217;s also the structure. Conversational storytellers have an excellent instinct for economy. We don&#8217;t tell stories about &#8220;the time everything went exactly as expected.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We tell stories about a disruption or a transformation. In writing terminology, this is the &#8220;delta&#8221;\u2014the change in state or emotion that occurs within a scene. If your scene doesn&#8217;t have a delta, you are &#8220;writing&#8221; (adding details), not &#8220;storytelling&#8221; (advancing the narrative).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything within a given scene should serve a purpose, just like when we tell a story to a friend. For a deep dive on this, check out my tips on How To Write A Scene, which features the advice of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nancy-lamb.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nancy Lamb<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-trim-the-fat\">5. Trim The Fat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is perhaps the biggest hurdle for writers and is similar to the tip above. In conversation, we edit in real-time. When we talk, we get real-time feedback on our listeners and that helps keep us on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Authors, however, can\u2019t see the reader\u2019s face. This leads to anxiety that the reader needs <em>more<\/em> information. Trust your reader. If a detail, subplot, or line of description does not lead to the immediate &#8220;point&#8221; or the emotional point of a chapter or scene, you might not need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> The only caveat being when you &#8220;seed&#8221; information early that will matter later. This is called <a href=\"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/how-to-story-seed-5-best-tips-for-writers\/\">Story Seeding<\/a> and does a lot for your story when done correctly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Writing a captivating story that flows well and keeps interest from beginning to end is hard &#8211; But that&#8217;s only when we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[443,874,44,30,39,38,873,17],"views":807,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4820"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4826,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820\/revisions\/4826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwriter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}