Stories and Why They Are So Interesting

Storytelling derives from gossiping, because in the olden times stories where not written down, rather they were told from memory, often mixing up details and fabricating others. Even today, gossiping is a form of storytelling; someone is doing something of interest that others feel they need to let everyone know about, but the reason the gossip spreads so quickly is due to either the person performing the action, or the action itself, which interests people immensely. Storytelling is proportional to gossiping because even a true story, is not entirely true, rather some parts may be factual, while others are fabricated to intrigue the readers. The article states that a writer can be seen under three different spotlights: a storyteller, a teacher and an enchanter, all of which tell interesting stories to readers, but with different intentions of the stories. The storyteller is a writer that is going for pure entertainment, like a gossiper, but the gossip is completely made up. The teacher is like a fabulist, a story that teachers a moral to the readers, he or she is trying to teach the readers some overarching moral or lesson by the use of an interesting story. For example, "The Boy who Cried Wolf" that is a fable that teaches kids not to lie or else when something bad does happen, others around them will not believe them. Finally, the enchanter is a writer that tries to demonstrate to the readers the power of oneself and the magic of his writing style. All writer fall under one of these categories despite the varying subjects of their works. Stories are interesting to the readers because they tell a story about something that could either never happen, or is fascinating and thus touch on our imagination, or they tell a relatable story that allows for the readers to relate to them. This article breaks down the elements of a great story and allowed for me to think about why I find stories interesting and what types of stories fufill my interest the most.