C.S. Lewis on the Hidden Element of Storytelling

His writings intimidate me. Not by his shear volume of work; rather more by his creative approach to writing.

C.S. Lewis spent his entire life writing novels, theological non-fiction, poems, short stories, lectures, and he even wrote on the ‘subject of writing’ from his On Stories book. Any author today would do well to read about his theory of storytelling with words, or his ‘hidden element in writing’, or his theory of ‘indirect communications’. Check out this post by top blogger and intellectual, Charles May, as he describes some of Lewis’s theories on writing.

It’s all so far over my head. But, when I try to break down his theory of good storytelling, I think I get it. Who could argue that a good story is one in which the reader can practically participate in the story’s events, and sense that the characters are so real, the fiction becomes non-fiction. To do this, the author must not give the reader too much detail. Better to allow them to enjoy the journey than to make them stop, and start contemplating.

“Enjoyable” reading is a term Lewis uses often to describe the best writing. Enjoying versus contemplating. It’s not an easy concept to grasp, but I think Lewis is basically calling for good storytellers to emerge on the scene. He even believes that the best stories (with hidden gems) will be re-read and re-read for years to come.

“I absolutely loved this book. I read it so fast, I plan to go back through to savor it.” By Lisa H Powlett on November 26, 2018, Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. THE RECTOR.

Another Reviewer re THE RECTOR: “Totally an enjoyable book, well worth the time you spend reading!”

And, if you really want to delve into Lewis’s thoughts on writing, you might just like this lecture from well-known literary professor and Lewis historian, Michael Ward, from Great Britain.

Oh, almost forgot. I hope you’ll look for my article entitled “How to Write Cinematically“ in Southern Writer’s Magazine out next month.