On Experiencing Story

In many ways, storytelling stands as our oldest tradition. Since the advent of communication, stories have been shared, imagining nomadic peoples recounting tales of successful hunts, instructing future adventures, and providing entertainment. I like to believe it encompassed all of these aspects.

From oral traditions to recorded storytelling, we witness events of the past depicted in paintings on walls—perhaps even the imaginative creations of wall artists. Our ability to experience stories took another form as the Greeks presented us with a semblance of modern storytelling through Homer's recording of The Iliad and The Odyssey. This technological advancement enabled wider distribution and consistent expression of the narrative.

Theater and recorded stories became our primary means of entertainment and storytelling. Despite the replacement of theater by movies and television programming, and handwritten books by the printing press and e-books, the essence of experiencing stories has remained largely unchanged for decades, if not centuries. While we now have an abundance of movies and shows, featuring awe-inspiring special effects that transform stories into visual fantasies, the fundamental mode of experiencing stories remains unchanged.

However, the past twenty years have introduced a new and unprecedented medium: video games. It is difficult to find an equivalent method that allows us to interact as characters, manipulating environments with the goal of achieving objectives. Many games offer hours upon hours of immersive experiences, captivating players for months or even years.

We currently find ourselves inundated with an overwhelming amount of entertainment and information. I worry that we may eventually grow weary of this overstimulation and seek different mediums to fulfill our desire for meaningful storytelling. This is not to diminish the value of any particular medium; we acknowledge that within movies, books, plays, video games, and even cave-wall paintings, there exist both exceptional and lackluster examples of storytelling. I do not intend to pass judgment on our current storytelling experiences.

However, I do believe that engaging in actual storytelling can enhance our appreciation for the craft. While we consume content incessantly, engaging in creative endeavors can offer respite from this deluge. If you are a writer, you understand that your closest connection to a work is one that you have created. This connection can deepen our understanding and appreciation of different stories.

If you were to walk into a bookstore and randomly throw a rock (which I do not encourage), it would likely strike a book that adheres to a familiar storytelling structure. Genre-based fiction follows certain conventions dictated by publishers and expected by readers. Thanks to Aristotle, we recognize the three-act structure and the importance of a twist or revelation at the end. Stories tend to follow prescribed patterns, and if they deviate, they either fail quietly or succeed remarkably.

Given these established models, it is reasonable to expect that writing a story is another means of experiencing that story. If you were to write a mystery novel, you would likely develop a greater appreciation for the genre. Seeking the ultimate fantasy experience? Write an Epic Fantasy. Discard any concerns about being published or read. Spend time with your characters and settings. Build your own world. Engage in an experience that movies, television series, and perhaps even books cannot replicate. Completing such a project instills a sense of pride and offers a unique encounter that no published work can match.

Write a story purely for the sake of experiencing a story.