About This Blog

I’m a writer who is interested in almost everything. More specifically, I’m interested in stories. I believe narratives shape what we do, who we are, and what we think. There are tales we tell ourselves: I’m shy; I’m outgoing; I couldn’t do that; I can do anything; I’m adventurous; I’m bad; I’m naughty; I’m good; I’m crazy.

Society and cultures create myths and archetypes, influencing people. Religion, history, philosophy, and the sciences, hard and soft, recount their stories. From these, we create meaning in our lives, or we shape our personalities. Sometimes we are conscious of embracing a narrative, but often we are not. Life experiences may contradict the myths we’ve been taught, and we fashion a new construct of the world.

Children watch life unfold around them and begin creating their own accounts. “If I nag mom long enough, she gives in, and I get what I want.” “If I keep quiet, dad won’t notice that it’s past my bedtime.” Mothers and fathers spin tales for their children, “Don’t talk to strangers.” “Be careful crossing the street.” “Eat your food. Children are starving in Africa.”

The journey of life is a personal story. In a way, we write our lives as we live. Our reactions and our attitudes shape us and determine the plot and events. One person might be destroyed by an illness and give up. Another with the same illness might plunge forward, creating a positive from the negative. Novels, histories, biographies, as well as sciences and arts reveal aspects life. Some people learn from these, others don’t.

Consider this: we read or see Macbeth, not because we like hard language, but because the play tells us something about life. We see a good man tempted, give into the temptation, and become a monster—his descent into hell warns us of the consequences of giving in to our baser nature. We experience this vicariously and safely from our seats.

This blog is about stories.