I have always loved a good story; its embedded in my DNA. It's also part of my life growing up. I was lucky to have watched an iconic movie the first time I was allowed in a movie theater. The big screen brought out the best out of Star Wars. The sound effects and music added that extra punch to make it a one of a kind experience. But, at the core of it was a good story. Something made the audience want to find out what happens next. The excitement of the moment, the adrenaline during dog fights in space, the anticipation of secrets unraveled slowly, methodically. Yet, it didn't seem fake, not contrived and manipulative. It's natural, free-flowing, believable.
This is what a good story should be. And from that moment in my malleable mind during my childhood, I have learned to appreciate a good story. I was obsessed.
There are no perfect stories; only because the audience is involved in this matter. A good story connects with an audience, brings out joy and sadness, sorrow or pain, inspiration and, sometimes, the motivation to act. To do something because you were inspired by an essay, touched by the sincerity of a love letter, resolved to commit to a cause because of a powerful documentary. These things happened to me at different points in my life and I'm certain that some of you were also influenced in one way or another to be something above and beyond what you are today because of something you have heard, watched, listened to on a podcast or the the radio while caught in traffic going to work. Or on a happy drive going to the beach with loved ones.
Stories have been around since we began to record history. From the cave paintings, to the Greek classics, from the Renaissance to the Beat Generation. Different eras, yet all of the share the same thing: a story told differently, they all represent a literary movement, but share the same essence. The telling of a story might be different but in essence it is the same. It seeks to convey something from the author to the reader. It connects and unites the author and the reader, the reader with other readers, readers with the story. It's all the same, whether it is fiction or non-fiction, we can find ourselves immersed, bewildered, hanging by every word and sentence. Until the climax. Until our desires are met with the final resolution from a conflict that was set in the first few pages of a novel or a poem. It doesn't matter if it is one hundred pages or ten thousand long. As long as we enjoy reading and becoming transformed into a different person. For better or worse, in richer and in poorer (hopefully, richer 😄), we can be changed forever be the twists and turns of a beautiful story that we've been blessed with at some point in time. And I will end here.
Thanks for reading these ramblings of a madman, smitten with love for a good, nay great story. I've said that there is no perfect story, but it won't stop me from searching until I can search no more.
So cheesy. LOL. Anyways, I'm grateful to see that you've found your way up to the end. Have a nice weekend.
Love and peace,
@juanvegetarian