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| The Storyteller |
I’m
sure you could take a college class or attend a lecture about this topic, and
I’m not a teacher, but I’ve been thinking about this lately and I wanted to
share my thoughts :)
Why
storytelling is important (at least to me :)
Stories provide a safe
way to confront personal demons. There is something so cathartic about a
character fighting through the same thing you are. There is something about the outside looking in that makes the right thing to do easy to see. Personally, I like this
fight to be abstract. I can’t begin to tell you how hard I cried thinking about
two small hobbit battling against a power they logically couldn't beat.
Stories challenge our
prejudices.
We all have prejudices. They are built into our psyche as a way to keep us
safe. I love reading books that begin with a character I’m not particularly
fond of and then the author turns my world upside down and changes everything I
know. I remember feeling this way after I read To Kill a Mockingbird.
Stories provide a needed
escape.
You can bury yourself in Angry Birds or worse more destructive kinds of escape,
but reading is the perfect retreat. Not only do you get away, but you are
working your mind and learning too. Now that is my kind of multitasking. This
last year I read over 80 books and next year I’m setting a goal for 100. I need
books—they are my oxygen.
Mark
Twain said—“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t.”
To
that I say…AMEN!
-Angie
What do you think? Why
important is storytelling to you?
10 comments:
Yes! Yes. I love this post. If I can't get storytelling from others, I've always created my own in my head. Only in the last two years have I begun to write them down.
really great post! I"m going to send a few people I know over here to read this. Thank you!!
Love this post! I agree with all of your thoughts. And I find that if I don't get some reading time during the day, I get cranky. :)
Hmm, I want to set a reading goal, too. I haven't counted up how many books I've read this year yet. Not as many as I wanted to, I'm afraid...
I don't think I have much more to add to what you said. I truly love to read because it is an escape, and very cathartic when you find a character dealing with the same trials as you. I love it.
And I'm love the quote by Twain. Fabulous!
For me, storytelling is a release. When I'm doing the storytelling, it releases all my creative energy and helps me deal with the frustrations of life. When I read a great story, it lets me escape for a little while. I'd go to the crazy house without either of these outlets!
I concur. I read/write for all of those reasons and I am seeing the 'love of reading' and hearing stories grow in my own kids which is fun. I think it's a tool and a gift to be able to read and use it in our lives. Great post!
Mark Twain's quote is incredible. I believe reading is good for the soul, the mind, and the heart!
My sister reads self help books all the time and she asked me what I get out of reading fiction. Everything you said is pretty much what I told her. And I get my self help from seeing a character overcome something. It encourages me that I can do the same.
so not just a hyper cleaner, but also a hyper reader! thats awesome! i need a pinch of your enthusiasm!
I love stories.
LOVE THEM!
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