What’s the story?
I love a good story, whether it comes from a book, a movie, or Lake Wobegon. It doesn’t even have to be true, just good. But true AND good is a nice extra.
Stories stick with us. “Episodic memory”, they call it. Next time you have to remember a list of things try making up a story about them. See how much easier they are to remember. If you set out to create the world’s best story builder and story “rememberer”, you’d probably be headed toward creating the human brain. Imagine that! We have a built-in Story Processor enclosed in a shock resistant, water proof, case. Maybe stories are that important.
You remember that book you finished reading a while back, the novel you thought was really good? I bet there were times in the middle of the story when things were getting complicated. The characters were in peril. The outcome was in question. Wasn’t it reassuring to feel the pile of unread pages in your right hand? The story’s not over. This isn’t where it ends. There’s still time.
David Hamilton
