(A couple of scrawly notes on the desk.... )
"There is so much more yet to put into words, because if I can't see them on the page I can't make sense of them."
"Seek out good writing. You'll know it when you see it. If you don't then you're stuffed as a writer. Good writing makes you want to DO good writing."
"WHY do we write fiction? - make up stories? - fabricate something with a beginning and a middle and an end that's meant to communicate. But communicate what?"
This last one - I'm actually tempted to Google up the question, see what the Cyber Gods have to say about it, about our eternal obsession to make up stories. Maybe I need to be a touch daring and have a go before I check what the experts say, go out on a limb with my own slant on it. Okay, here goes....
Primitive people, around the fire, told stories to help make the Great Unknown out there less threatening, by coming up with their various notions of what the hell it was all about. Which evolved into Religion.
But they also needed to recount the heroic stories of the past, to inspire each other, but especially the next generation of hunters and warriors. Which evolved into Myth and Folklore. And I guess there was, and still is, a grey area where Religion and Myth blur together.
And without TV and Facebook to amuse them I'm sure the whole entertainment factor came into play, long dark nights over a community roasted caribou and all that, any accomplished Storyteller would be, not just damn popular, but essential. Storytelling would be a great socialising tool, helping to bind the tribe together, and I'm sure often used by some to underscore Rules and Ethics and all that. Steer the group towards something better. (Or maybe something a touch more self-serving?)
And that's what I reckon we're still doing. "Telling" fictional stories for the benefit of the tribe, telling them to variously entertain, titillate, stimulate, enlighten, amuse, uplift, whatever, but always intending to elicit a reaction, otherwise we think the story is just boring. (I guess that's a reaction too, but the one we all try to avoid at all costs).
Okay, that's enough, now I'll see what the boffins have to say. A quick selection....
Why are stories important to
humans?
We construct internal narratives
to help us make sense of the world. Storytelling is a fundamental part of being
human. Stories let us share information in a way that creates an emotional
connection. They help us to understand that information and each other, and it
makes the information memorable.
Why do our brains like stories?
The first is that the neural
activity in our brain increases fivefold. Stories illuminate the city of our
mind. Essentially our brains run on electrical pulses, and when we hear stories
our brains light up. Neuroscientists have this saying that neurons that fire
together, wire together.
Why are humans obsessed with
stories?
Stories have been used to
educate, entertain, and inspire, and have played a critical role in shaping
human beliefs, values, and culture. One reason why humans are so drawn to
stories is that they provide a way to make sense of the world around us.
There's heaps more about human storytelling, so you could do worse than have a browse. And click on the picture above, it's worth a bigger version.
Cheers.....
Trev
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