Writers: A Challenge for the Storytellers

Dedication and effort will set you apart from the rest

You read my challenge to those who would call themselves “poets,” and you heaved a sigh of relief.

“Well, that lets me off the hook. I never claimed to be a poet. In fact, I’m just not that into poetry.”

You hear a low, wicked chuckle. Uh oh, where’s that coming from?

The lights dim. Suddenly, without warning, a spotlight flicks on. You are momentarily blinded, and you begin to sweat as its heat reaches you. The audience awaits.

You’re on.

Yes, you: You who would call yourself a Writer. There is no exit, stage left. No escape, stage right. There is no Deus ex machina to lift you to the rafters and let you squirm your way out of this one. Because even if you write ad copy, or technical manuals, you’re a storyteller. Or you should be.

You, who would become a better public speaker — you, too, must be a storyteller.

But will you take on my challenge, and become more adept at writing and telling stories?

Dear Readers-Who-Do-Not Write, please look away, now. If you are the sort for whom the play is ruined by seeing how the special effects are done, close the tab now, and run.

Dear Writers-Who-Are-Still-Learning-English, please feel free to join in the challenge! However, if you are still struggling with basic grammar and the mechanics of writing, let me send you over to the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab), and ask that you work your way through that, first. It is a marvelous resource — bookmark it:

The rest of you — still with me?

Good. What I propose you study, carefully, is the art of persuasive writing. No, damn it, not lying — though propaganda is, by definition, intentionally persuasive writing, it is not only good for telling bald-faced lies.

See? Not evil, per se — it just means to propagate an idea. To persuade the reader to support a cause — or not to support a cause. There’s simply nothing in it that says you cannot use rhetoric to lie to people, and propaganda has been used, effectively and maliciously, to do just that. Plato, himself a skilled rhetorician, saw primarily the evils inherent in rhetoric; however, Aristotle seems to have taken a more pragmatic approach — rhetoric is merely a useful tool, and its use or misuse the responsibility of the one wielding it.

Aristotelian rhetoric as such is a neutral tool that can be used by persons of virtuous or depraved character. This capacity can be used for good or bad purposes; it can cause great benefits as well as great harms. There is no doubt that Aristotle himself regards his system of rhetoric as something useful, but the good purposes for which rhetoric is useful do not define the rhetorical capacity as such. Thus, Aristotle does not hesitate to concede on the one hand that his art of rhetoric can be misused. But on the other hand he tones down the risk of misuse by stressing several factors: Generally, it is true of all goods, except virtue, that they can be misused. Secondly, using rhetoric of the Aristotelian style, it is easier to convince of the just and good than of their opposites. Finally, the risk of misuse is compensated by the benefits that can be accomplished by rhetoric of the Aristotelian style. (From https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/#means )

I suggest you use your skills for good, not evil.

When we read fiction or listen to a story, we are consciously aware that almost everything we are reading or hearing is either make-believe or told through the lens of the storyteller. Let’s not call it “lies,” because some of the greatest, most enduring truths can be told through fiction. But the characters we come to love, pity, and despise are inventions of the writer’s imagination. Whole cities, countries, civilizations, and planets — all made up. Pretend.

And yet, told well, these tales invoke a real, sometimes powerful, emotional response. They dwell within our own minds, and begin to play in our imaginations. This is where good writing shines: It communicates abstract ideas, as well as concrete ones, from one mind to another. It describes not only that which is, but that which might be.

And how does a skilled writer accomplish this? Through rhetoric.

The Challenge

1Read the following section and bookmark the links within it: Rhetorical Devices and Figures of Speech.

Rhetorical Devices and Figures of Speech

When you sit down to write, you probably do not consciously think about rhetoric, even if you use rhetoric in nearly everything you write, from emails to blog posts, from ad copy to short stories, from poetry to novels. Rhetoric has been taught, codified, modified, studied, and debated since ancient Greek and Roman times. It is ingrained in civic life, in politics, in writing. Even torture — psychological torture, certainly — might be considered a rhetorical device.

Rhetorical Devices

Rhetoric is a technique of using language effectively and persuasively in spoken or written form. It is an art of discourse, which studies and employs various methods to convince, influence, or please an audience. (From https://literarydevices.net/rhetoric/ )

While “literary devices” or “literary techniques” are almost indistinguishable from “rhetorical devices,” here, it’s helpful to understand the difference between the structure of a story — “literary elements” such as theme, setting, plot, and conflict— and the methods used by writers to persuade readers to go along on the journey with them, such as metaphor and simile.

For simplicity, I’d suggest focusing on the first of the two links, above, if this is new to you. It has more straightforward examples to demonstrate each term and its use.

Figures of Speech

Rhetorical devices include a number of “figures of speech.” You are, no doubt, familiar with some of them, having had them drilled into your head by middle-school grammar teachers, once upon a time. It may have been long enough ago that you struggle, now, to help a child or grandchild understand the difference between “simile” and “metaphor,” and have forgotten which Homer’s “rosy-fingered Dawn” represents, as it creeps in on little cat feet. But you use many of them every day, without even having to think about it.

A figure of speech is a phrase or word having different meanings than its literal meanings. It conveys meaning by identifying or comparing one thing to another, which has connotation or meaning familiar to the audience. That is why it is helpful in creating vivid rhetorical effect. (From literarydevices.net/figure-of-speech/ )

2Work your way through the list of literary devices. I started this, once, during the A to Z Blogging Challenge a few years ago. I will admit that it was both fun and exhausting! But it is also very educational, and will help you to stretch and grow as a writer, as you add new tools to your toolbox. For each literary device, write a story that demonstrates your understanding of the concept. Use, as one of your tags, the name of the literary device. Use whatever form of writing you please, but do not merely write a treatise on the device itself.

3“Show, don’t tell.” Whether you employ the device in a non-fiction story, arguing the merits of one political position over another, or in a short story or a poem, the chosen literary device should shine so clearly as to be unmistakably used towards your writing goal. If you have to point it out with a giant, neon sign, try again.

Award yourself one point for each literary device you have covered, at the end of a year. If you reach 52 or more points, proudly call yourself a “writer.” Not only because you’ve mastered a few of the literary devices, but because you cared enough about the art and craft of writing to learn more about rhetoric, and to work diligently at it.