The prevalence of narrative has recently seen a surge of interest. Everywhere you look, from marketing to the classroom, the concept of story is trending. Interesting timing for us, as a society, to be reviving the practice of storytelling precisely during a time when we are also focused on progress & innovation. Isn’t story a bit, well, you know… ancient?

The resurgence of story is not random, but something that has always been a part of who we are. Recently we have been reminded of it’s role in our lives.

 

 Research gives us at least two reasons story was relevant then & continues to be so today.

 

1. We are meaning-makers. We are constantly seeking to understand our world, & we primarily experience life in narrative.
   
2. We want to be participants. As an example, do you know what else is trending?  Content marketing as a new way of marketing that is distinct from classic advertising. We have become more sophisticated, not wanting to simply “be sold” a product, but wanting to know how it fits in the context of our story. Who is the seller, who is the buyer, what’s the relationship going to be over the long haul? 

For more about story in the context of marketing, check out this article . 

 

The Context of Story

Story is universal & unique. We all experience life in prose, & you have a unique story. Like all good stories, there are multiple elements. Examples include character, plot, & setting.

Like a choose-your-own-adventure book, we participate in the story’s development. There are also parts of our stories that we didn’t choose.

As two readers might interprete the same book differently, our perspective of our stories is influenced by family, culture, & religion. Our relationships & experiences, as well as our genetics work together to shape who we are & who we become. Psychologists debate nature vs. nurture, raising the question of which aspect is more significant, yet we know that both matter.

We also know that we communicate, develop & relate in the context of story. Each of these processes impacts the others.

 

So what’s your story?

What have you experienced?

Chirp’s Perspective

Literacy, Then & Now

 

 The content of this post is attributed to the article mentioned above, as well as this book.