Stories Save Us

“In the words of novelist James Carroll, ‘We tell stories because we can’t help it. We tell stories because we love to entertain and hope to edify. We tell stories because they fill the silence that death imposes. We tell stories because they save us’” (Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, p.273).

How can our stories save us? They save us when we have an urgent, deep need to express ourselves creatively and we do so willingly . . . completely. Sometimes, it’s as simple as write or get sick . . . emotionally, or even physically. If certain emotions need written words in order to express themselves accurately or to personify themselves in a story, then set those emotions free. Characters in a story can say things we need to say but don’t because of repression, suppression or even oppression.

A Need to Write

Why do you need to write? Perhaps your calling demands it. Do you feel a restless energy at night that doesn’t let you sleep until you write? That’s your deeper self playing hard ball with you. No writing, no sleep. The Self may send more varied symptoms your way if you continually resist your writing. You may ask, “Is my writing that important?” The Self values your creative expression.

Stories are Generative

But what about the world? Does it value my writing? What if your writing is part of the tapestry that sustains the world’s story? Creativity is generative. Creativity expands what it touches. Your writing can expand your world and possibly the world. Feed the world with your creative stories.

Photo Credit: Photo by Bart at Flickr Creative Commons