The Cambridge dictionary defines 'storytelling' as: "The activity of writing, telling or reading stories", noting the distinctions between celebration, which also includes dance and song, and film, which combines skilful storytelling with striking visuals.
With its roots in fables, folk tales passed down the generations and tales told in pictorial form, storytelling has always been the backbone of our communication. It is our way of entertaining, imparting knowledge and wisdom, and generally making sense of our world. As cliched as it might sound, it has always fascinated me. The way we animatedly described the monster under the bed to our parents after a nightmare as children, or recount the day's events to loved ones, report on world events, or share anecdotes with friends, we might not consciously think about it in this way, but these are all forms of storytelling.
And in some respects, I guess i'm just trying to take in as many stories as possible. Growing up we were always encouraged to use our imagination and to keep learning, and for me reading presented a glorious way to combine the two.
I grew up on Roald Dahl, Malorie Blackman, Enid Blyton, Janet & Allan Ahlberg, The BabySitters Club, Anne Fine, Jacqueline Wilson the list goes on... and as a child, I was fortunate to have parents and family members who were excellent at bedtime stories (doing all the voices of course). Grimms Complete Fairy Tales, "Not Now Bernard", Spot the Dog and such like all fuelled my imagination until I was old enough to visit the magical land of the library and select six adventures of my own choosing.
In the days before binge-watching TV (think early 90s when most people had 4 terrestrial channels and a VCR if they were lucky) parents would often remind their children (usually whilst they were entertaining) that they occasionally were to 'be seen and not heard'. A gentle invitation to learn to quietly entertain yourself so that the adults could get a few minutes' peace (something I know still resonates with all parents today). For me, this just presented further opportunities to have my nose in a book, head off on adventures, and thus a bookdragon was born!
Funnily enough, although the genres have changed, my reasons for reading remain much the same as they were back then. For me, reading allows you to travel - to other dimensions, mindsets, times, places. It's an opportunity for you to walk in someone else's shoes, for the author to tell you their story. I read when I want to silence the world, when I need a moment to think or pass some time. I read to wind down from the day before I sleep, to look through the eyes of another and to see the world through a different lens. I read to imagine, provoke- thought, to heal, but first and foremost, I read, simply because I love it.
And let's be honest, escapism is a major factor here. In the age of global gloom and digital overload we all need our ways to switch off and head somewhere else for a while, and this is mine...
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