Tale as Old as Time… Why We Love Stories

 

When we were little, even before we could read, stories enthralled us. Children will sit on their beds, knees tucked up to their chests, and listen as their parents wove a tale filled with knights, magic, honor, and love. When we finally learned to read, some of us would spend all day in a comfortable chair with a book. Others said that books were boring, and they went out to live their own story.

Why do we love books so much?

Now I know not all of you reading this love books, and that’s ok. That just means you are into living your own story, instead of reading someone else’s. there are three reasons why people read books

1. To learn about something.

That’s what the manuals, text books, bibliographies and so on are for.

2. Because stories trigger our imagination.

Novels can be fiction or fantasy, but usually they require some amount of imagination for them to seem real. The incredible ideas, animals, and people found in books that can’t be found in the real world are what draw some people into the book. They want to discover new things, new adventures, exciting things other than real life.

3. Because, to them, life isn’t exciting enough. 

Books offer worlds where mystery, treason, adventure, and excitement can be found by the bucket load. To someone who thinks all their life is, is homework, work, and more boring, reading a book sounds more exciting. Now I’m not saying that they read books instead of live their lives. No! not true at all. Instead, they are the type of person who enjoys escaping reality for a little bit, and will settle down with a book.

So why don’t some people read?

There’s a simple answer to this. Either they don’t have as vivid of an imagination, so the stories aren’t as real to them (they sound too fake to even try to imagine).

Or…

They are content living out their own life. They would rather be out doing stuff, than reading somewhere by themselves. This doesn’t mean that people who read books aren’t content with their lives, they just like to experience something new every once in a while.

Now, writers are a completely different breed of people. They would like to “change their fate” *says with Irish accent.* Ok, not really, but in someways, they like to dream up other ways they could live their lives if, say, superpowers were real, or aliens walked the Earth, so on.

I might just be making a generalization based on myself and family, but this is my point of view. I know I love reading and writing, though it doesn’t completely consume my time. When I write, I imagine myself as one of the characters, and base their personality off mine. This helps the story in two ways.

1. The story moves faster

Since I am now a part of the story, I want to find out what is happening to me!

2. The characters are more relate-able

Since I base a character off myself, I but myself in their shoes and write based on what I would do. This makes the character more “real” and relate-able.

Ok, I know I wrote a little bit too long. I hope that didn’t stop you from reading the whole thing…    : )

Hope you enjoyed,

Lara