Are Good GM's good writers/storytellers?

[MonsterMash]

I agree with the other posters saying not necessarily, and with storytelling there are different types, e.g. being able to spin a yarn verbally or writing a story or an adventure are all different skills. If someones good at spinning a tale verbally I'd think they'd do things like portray NPCs well, probably be able to improvise stories well, but not necessarily develop a strong background setting.

More writerly types might be able to design a setting well, develop NPC backgrounds, create plot hooks, but be poor at the mechanics of running a session or dealing with unanticipated events.

 

[StalkingBlue]

Good Storytelling skills assist Good DM'ing skills, but the two skills are not interdependent. The ultimate extension of storytelling is railroading; the ultimate extension of DMing makes for a lousy play-by-play story.

Henry has put it better than I could.

 

[Waylander the Slayer]

Does anyone have any instances of when good writers/story tellers sucked at Gming?

 

[StalkingBlue]

Does anyone have any instances of when good writers/story tellers sucked at Gming?

Hm, I've never had a writer DM. I know people who have though, some have been happy with it, while others have experienced the most stifling railroading 'in the interest of the story arc'.

Speaking as a DM who also writes:

Dunno whether I'm any good as a storyteller or writer, that's for others to say. All I know is that when I write a scene or story, I often get better results when I let the characters have free rein for a bit than when I press them into my plot.
(I agree with you that King's On Writing is a very useful book btw, although it still doesn't make me want his actual stories.)

But I also know that in the final analysis I'm the one who decides where the plot goes. I decide on which cool scenes to include or to throw out, I decide which of all my possible endings I'll be using, heck, I decide what character's POV to tell the story from!

When I run a game, I think differently. The story isn't for me to tell, it's for all of us to create together.

I guess I do use similar techniques for presenting a location or encounter as in writing, for fleshing out NPCs and giving them quirks and motivations of their own insofar as their potential for the game warrants that, and although I tend to run fairly combat-heavy games I get dissatisfied and bored unless the combats I run make sense to me, at least behind the scenes.

But Whether my players ever find out about any meaning I give things is another matter. Sometimes PCs investigate in-game, sometimes players ask me to find answers. If not, I live with it. I'm not 'telling' a story, I'm presenting an environment for my players and me to create one together.

I also don't aim at forging a plot arc (through planning, guiding play or whatever) that would hold up to scrutiny as dramatic development in the sense of a story. I hate playing under DMs who do that (and I've encountered them, although the ones I've experienced weren't even good at telling a story) - so I try to not do it to my players either.