Stories are found everywhere in life. Newspapers, magazines, neighborhood gossip, and phone call confessions all have aspects of narrative. We have a clear desire to tell stories but why do we want to experience them. Why do we listen to breakfast tales of the night before? We have to get something out of the experience otherwise we would have told them to zip it eons ago.
We are endlessly curious people. Anything that interests us we want to know. Tips and tricks, tidbits and trivia, we want to know all there is about what we want to know about. One thing we all have in common as a passion is life itself.
Stories are an impactful way for both the author and audience to casually experience parts of life we do not know about. We hear all the important parts without having to deal with the boring parts or the consequences.
Subject Matter
At some time in our lives we have all had friends that were nothing like us. Why did we continue being friends for so long? One reason is they told us stories about their world that let us explore it without the baggage of actually being there. We revel in the yarns we hear from a promiscuous friend about weekend trysts and clandestine affairs. We do not condone the behavior by listening. We are just being a friend. You live vicariously through the stories you are told.
Characters
There are fascinating people on this planet you would never want to get to know in a social setting but would mesmerize you in a story. Serial killers are dangerous to be around and stories about them gives us a chance to be around them and stay safe. We simply listen to those that have been around serial killers and we can glean the important information they have uncovered without the chance of a gruesome death.
Actions
Most of us are limited in the things we can do or see in our daily lives. Most will never be in a firefight in a war zone. Through the power of stories we can live and breath the act of firing an automatic rifle and rumbling along the desert in an armored tank. There is something compelling about experiencing actions we are not able to see or do in everyday life.
Analogy
Some subjects are touchy. If told plainly many stories can incite hate and violence. Storytellers can use analogy to tell the essence of a story using alternate characters and settings. The ideas and arguments can be presented without rancor or offense being taken. It is hard to do stories about how the major world powers feel about giving money and modern technology to more "primitive" peoples without calls of racism and cultural imperialism but you can do so in a fantastical space opera with ease.
As we work hard on the craft of writing we cannot help but wonder why anyone would want to read it and are we writing something they would care about. People want to experience the world but sometimes need a little help. If your stories are important to you, then somebody will appreciate the insights.
