“Story” is a thread that runs through our lives. Every person has a story, interweaving with the lives of many other people’s stories. Together, they form the stories of companies, communities, countries, etc.
Stories dominate our culture. It’s the most popular pastime. Television, movies, books, video games. Even The advertisements that sell you more entertainment or products use a story. I’m not really going anywhere specific with this, I’ve just been thinking about the power of story. At night when my wife can’t sleep, I’ll tell her a story. Sometimes I make it up, and it’s some whimsical fantasy quest or a romance. Other times I just retell fairy tales or movies with weird twists. The point is, the escapism of story puts her right to sleep. It channels her busy mind into the focus of story, calming her thoughts down until she can drift right off. Story can teach, reveal, and inspire, it can terrify, mystify, sell - and sometimes, the most important thing it can do is distract, calm, relax. Someday I’m going to be a father, and I plan to read to my child in the womb and as much as I can manage throughout childhood. Story is just too important to ignore. And I believe, too, that an appreciation of story breeds a better appreciation of life. I can deal with struggles and pain better when I know it’s just part of the central conflict for my character arc. My flaws and failures make me a compelling character and help me grow and develop. I want to constantly nurture that appreciation in myself and, as a writer, use my gifts to help my wife nurture it in herself. And I want to foster that appreciation in our child someday. So anyway, go out there and remember life is a story and you’re writing it. You’re the main character - treat them with mercy, but, also just remember that sometimes they have to go through some stuff to become the character they need to be in the end.
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AuthorWriter of words. Author of stories. Pyramid of gnomes pretending to be a human. I talk about writing and books and stuff. Sign up now to receive updates!
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