How To Improve Your Storytelling Ability In 3 Steps

[Joshua Lee Sutton]

One of the most praised rap skills is the ability to tell stories through your music. Some of the greatest rappers of all time have classic storytelling tracks in their discography. Slick Rick's "Children's Story" put storytelling in rap on the map. Tupac's "Brenda's Got A Baby" was a career defining hit that detailed the struggles of teen pregnancy.  Kendrick Lamar's breakout album "Good Kid Maad City" told a vivid and intricate story of a good kid growing up in a dangerous environment. In this article,I'm going to give you three steps to improving your storytelling ability.

 

1. Develop Characters

 

In order for the listener to care about your story, you have to develop interesting characters. When it comes to developing characters, you must add personality traits and a purpose to give the character meaning. Also, showing growth in characters as the story progresses is another important aspect of effective storytelling.

 

2. Create A Great Storyline

 

The next step in creating an effective story is creating a great storyline that connects with people emotionally. Craft a story based around something people can relate to in their own lives or something that has a message behind it. For example, writing a story about trying to find success with all odds against would be a relatable tale to tell. The relatability  or message behind your story will be key to it's success among listeners.

 

3. Listen To The Classics

 

The final step you should use is listening to classic storytelling tracks. Go listen to storytelling tracks by Nas,Kendrick,Slick Rick,and Immortal Technique to get a good understanding of how a story should be conveyed through music. Learning from the best is the quickest way to get better.