Elliot Kessler

Stories are everywhere. We read, watch, and listen to them. We record, we write, and we tell them. They entertain us. They bring us joy and connect us with imaginary people someone made up in their head. None of it is real, and it often brings in make-believe, unrealistic elements that make the stories even more enjoyable.

But why do we find fiction entertaining? What is it that we enjoy so much? How does it benefit our society?

Fiction isn’t practical. You can’t use it. You can only experience and enjoy it while the story is being told. It isn’t a tool you can use to build or fix something. It’s an art that’s used to make people feel.

So, what’s the purpose? If we can’t use fiction to be more productive, and if stories are often seen as a waste of time, why is our society so spellbound by these made-up characters and events in these made-up worlds with made-up rules?

Why write stories at all?

Emotions

Stories are emotional experiences. Humans are emotional beings, so longing to experience emotion and bask in every level of existence God has given us makes sense. Stories are a way of delivering this emotion to people. Stories make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We feel inspired to change ourselves. We might feel the need to look inward and change what we believe, or we might feel the inspiration and strength to conquer any challenge we might face.

Emotions are a huge part of storytelling. There are stories that do well short-term but don’t have much emotion, sure. But it’s the ones that stir something within us that last. There’s a reason the opening montage of “Up” is so memorable. There’s a reason that the music track “Time” by Hans Zimmer makes people tear up.

Stories shouldn’t be consumable. They shouldn’t be enjoyed once and then thrown in a dumpster. Stories should be memorable experiences that are enjoyable and entertaining but also emotional and felt by the audience.

Empathy

Feeling empathy and attachment to a character is very special. It helps us to practice empathy in real life and see life from the perspective of others. Writers and storytellers come from many different backgrounds. Some come from poor families, others from wealthy families—some from physically challenging environments, some from emotionally challenging environments.

These backgrounds give people unique perspectives on life. They see the world differently, and stories allow us to see the world through their eyes and experience their perspective. We generate empathy and understand how others experience life, which is beautiful.

If you see the world as a colorful place teeming with joy, you might be shocked by others who see the world as a dark, desolate wasteland filled with sin and greed. It may intrigue you, and you get drawn into stories written from that pessimistic perspective. You might begin to understand how pessimists think and how they see the world. You can glimpse their mind and see how you can help.

Stories are a unique way to communicate ideas and perspectives on life. It can help us understand people who are different from us and help others understand us.

Entertainment

Stories are also just fun. They’re entertaining and exciting. “The Clone Wars” (2003), the “James Bond” series, and “Indiana Jones” are enjoyable simply because they’re cool. This isn’t wrong. Fun stories are amazing.

This doesn’t mean good stories are only the fun, roller-coaster ones. Some of my favorite stories are slow and somber. But stories created for the sake of entertainment can easily be just as enjoyable as those made for deep, thoughtful meditation.

As I said earlier, stories shouldn’t be created as consumable content. It defeats their purpose. Even if a story is written for fun, it should still have some meaning. Whether that meaning is intentional is entirely up to the storyteller, but the best stories are about something and not just a thing that happened to someone once.

For a difference between the two, look at the first two “Indiana Jones” movies. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is about good and evil and how good will prevail while evil is judged. “The Temple of Doom” is about Indy accidentally wandering into a death cult and leaving. Both are very entertaining movies, but one is significantly better, with only one difference. The first is about something more than the events occurring throughout the story.

Conclusion

There are a lot of reasons for fiction. These are only some that I think of when writing stories. I always do my best to go into a project to serve others and give them some fun while spreading biblical messages.

Stories are essential for society, which is proved by movie studios spending hundreds of millions of dollars on shows and movies. Human beings love stories and will always love stories. So, why not write your own? Get out there are share your perspective of the world. I’m sure plenty of others out there would love to know what you have to say. I, for one, can’t wait for what you have in store.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.