how to tell a good story, and how to sell a good story

In terms of end results, selling and telling are one and the same thing according to Donald Maass, author and agent of Sci Fi.

This entry is gratefully inspired by Sara Douglas Australian's bestselling fantasy writer and premier storyteller.


HOW TO TELL A GOOD STORY.
The best books around don't describe in detail. They don't have to. Instead, they make use of my reader's imagination.

Our imaginations embellish the bare facts, so use this in the same way a good film maker does to your advantage by giving Prompts.

Prompts are hints that force the reader to work things out for themselves. Instead of explaining it to them as if they were five-year-old children, a good author consciously gives the reader prompts that propel the reader's imagination to create their own vast landscapes.

A bad writer is one who constantly describes, or who constantly tells the reader what they should see. It is the difference between manipulating your readers and allowing them to actively read, between an experience of rigid picturing and flexible envisioning, and, ultimately, between a mass market paperback and a classic and timeless novel.

It is THAT important. Your readers have active, intelligent imaginations. Make them use them. They will literally love you for it.