Why Stories?

[Linksquest]

This question has been bugging me for quite some time and i want to see what you guys think:

"Is Life So Devoid of Stories that we Must Write Our Own?"

In other words, Is life so boring that we have to write our own stories on paper for entertainment, read books of other stories people have written, and go to movie theatres and be entertained by the stories Screenplay writers have written?

[Arnobius]

Well the desire for entertainment is always around, so is interest in people who go to exotic places and do things we don't get to. Some places (I used to live in a rural area) have nothing going on.

[Azier the Swordsman]

I've actually pondered this for some time now. It's true that not many very interesting things happen in the average human life. (And by interesting, I don't mean going to Disneyland)

Think about it: How many humans' lives are really worth writing about? (Aside from famous historical figures) If someone wrote a book about YOUR life, would anyone want to read it?

Considering historical figures for a second.... even though their lives may be interesting to read about, keep in mind that 99% of their lives are actually completely skipped over. All you're reading about are their 'achievements' and major exploits. The rest of their lives would be too boring and mundane to bother wasting time writing about.

Even movies based on historical figures or events are tampered with quite a bit to make them more interesting.

Entertainment gives us a break from the mundane. We can forget about all our troubles, jobs ect. and get lost in other worlds, visit exotic locations, connect with characters we really care about.

I often laugh whenever critics complain about certain movies/games/books not being 'realistic'. Since when were they even remotely realistic? The stories themsleves are likely filled with more technical flaws than fleas attracted to a wet dog. You won't likely ever catch them because you don't know any better. It's all fantasy. And we enjoy it. Because it's not real.

We can idolize certain all-powerful characters who we wish we were really like. We can wish our own lives could turn out like the characters on the screen. Because it's not real and we want it to be.

We can enjoy different types of entertainment depending on our personal interests and needs.

A lonely person may be attracting to cheesy romance flicks, a thrill seeker might enjoy a creepy horror flick, ect.

In answer to the original question, my answer is yes.

Although I could survive without any entertainment, it definately helps. Entertainment can be a good stress reliever. (Unless you're a hard-core horror fan). Less stress = longer life.

[ShiroiHikari]

some people just have a desire to create. I am one of those people. I like to make up fictional characters and then say, "hmm, what if [something or other] happened to them? how would they react? what would they learn?" and so forth. I entertain myself with my creations more than I entertain others. it's just a hobby I guess.

[Debitt]

Creative writing is an outlet for people who are bordering on multiple personality disorder. Most writers I know are just a little bit whacky in the head.

[ShiroiHikari]

:grin: Creative writing is an outlet for people who are bordering on multiple personality disorder. Most writers I know are just a little bit whacky in the head.

hahaha, true, true. (I know -I'm- a little whacky in the head. (~ @.@)~)

[GhostontheNet]

This question has been bugging me for quite some time and i want to see what you guys think:

"Is Life So Devoid of Stories that we Must Write Our Own?"

In other words, Is life so boring that we have to write our own stories on paper for entertainment, read books of other stories people have written, and go to movie theatres and be entertained by the stories Screenplay writers have written?

I think stories aren't so much written to function as replacements for interesting events as they are to do something to the hearer, which is why one should pick their media carefully, for the question arises of what are you giving them permission to do to you?

[Kura Ookami]

:grin: Creative writing is an outlet for people who are bordering on multiple personality disorder. Most writers I know are just a little bit whacky in the head.

I think that's true. I like writing stories and such and im a bit wacky. But then who isnt?

As for the original question, we listen to stories better than anything else. Jesus used stories to teach everyone what He wanted to teach them. It's in our nature to seek pleasure often immediate pleasure so we like stories. Also stories can teach us things as well.

[Kaori]

Most writers I know are just a little bit whacky in the head.

Hey. I resemble that remark.

Actually, I don't know about multiple personality disorder, but writers in general do tend to have a rather high suicide rate.

some people just have a desire to create.

I would agree, and go one step further to say that our desire to create is one of the ways in which man most clearly displays God's image. After all, the first thing we learn about God in the Bible is that he created. In response to the original question, you could just as easily ask, "Is life so devoid of natural beauty that we must paint our own beautiful pictures?" I believe that although the creative urge can be, and often is, misused, it can also be both an act of worship and a way of imitating God.

At a very basic level, stories can sometimes serve an instructional purpose (Aesop's fables, for example). Beyond this didactic function, however, stories also have value in giving us a new perspective on ideas and experiences that we are familiar with. Also, they tend to distill common human experiences into a form that has coherence and meaning. Humans have a tendency to organize events into a conceptual framework of some sort--like remembering the events of a day that are important and forgetting those that are not. It's almost a psychological necessity; if we did not do this, our lives would seem like an accumulation of random events without any meaning. Stories do the same thing, but in a much more systematic way.

[Fsiphskilm]

Has a r

[Linksquest]

Jesus used stories to teach everyone what He wanted to teach them.

very true.

Creative writing is an outlet for people who are bordering on multiple personality disorder. Most writers I know are just a little bit whacky in the head.

AMEN! I am a writer as well, and this is very true. Sometimes we use our insanity to know how to make very sane characters!

And, yes. Writing is a very very entertaining way to pass the time. I just thought it was interesting that we often live our lives vicariously enjoying other people's lives and never really living our own: living our own stories.