“Once upon a time…”
It has happened to everyone, at least once in a lifetime, to come across the incipit par excellence of great stories. These are words that immediately bring to mind a good book, a comfortable sofa, and an extraordinary journey. Words that perhaps clash with today's world, always in such a rush! But despite this, storytelling is carving out an important space for itself in modern narration.
In this article, we will look at what storytelling is, its meaning, and above all, why we love stories so much. Let's get started!

What is storytelling?

Storytelling: tool with extraordinary potential. Through the discovery of its secrets, you will be able to manipulate human beings, to check it lie, influence it the will... How do these words make you feel? Have you ever looked at the storytelling with these eyes? Clearly we are joking, but let's try to go a little deeper.

A small premise before we begin. The entire article starts from the assumption of considering us, human beings, responsible for our actions and our decisions, without attributing a positive or negative value to the tools we use in the course of our lives.

That said, what does storytelling mean? A famous dictionary defines storytelling:

“the activity of writing, telling, or reading stories.

Is that all? One of the most cited and used words of our era, reduced to a meager and unimaginative definition?

It might seem reductive to you, you're right, but that collection of verbs, seemingly put together without much effort, hides a world of imagination and true magic.
We have always been lovers, and as such vulnerable, to the power of stories and tales, to the charm of extraordinary characters.

Why do we love stories?

What drives us, since the most ancient and remote times, to need it?

The possible answers are numerous and a whole address book wouldn't be enough to be completely exhaustive. For this reason, Here we will try to delve into only one, my favorite absolutely: we love stories for the inseparable bond What alloy stories Ed emotions.
I repeat, this is a purely subjective choice, there are numerous publications that explain very well the reasons for our connection with stories and in case you do not find yourself in any of those read, could you try to give yourself a personal explanation. What do you think?

Let's think about this together for a moment: what are the stories that strike us the most?

Generally, the unforgettable stories, the ones that leave us breathless and leave a mark on our souls, are also the ones that made us to move more. This argument applies both to those emotions that we consider pleasant, both for those that we avoid due to the unpleasant sensations we experience.
It sounds like pure science fiction, but thanks to the emotional burden generated by history, it is as if this comes marked and saved in a secure location, in a dedicated part of our memory where it will not be forgotten.
Stories make us laugh and make us cry, they keep us in suspense, make our hearts beat fast, make seemingly tight or out-of-place clothes comfortable, and open up unknown universes to us. In short, they allow us to travel with our minds.

Learning to tell stories

So is storytelling a natural talent? Either you have it or you don't?
Let's take it one step at a time.

Like every art, because after all that is what we are talking about, even that of telling stories it has rules, of standards, so that what we tell can be more captivating, compelling and, of course, evoke strong emotions. This will not prevent us, at a later stage, from overcoming these rules, from transgressing them by breaking predetermined patterns.
All of us, with a little practice, can become great storytellers!

I know, I'm already starting to feel it, here it comes back that voice in the head, what we commonly call the “Imposter syndrome”. To be clear, that voice that ends up communicating to us (always at the least opportune moments) the our inadequacy and to remind us of our failures.

Let's try doing something different then: Let's accept it! Let's lay down our arms and stop fighting, let her vent, once illuminated and brought out into the open, she won't be so scary anymore.
The psychologist Luca Mazzucchelli in one of his many videos he said that the fact of hearing this voice and of feeling like impostors“ it should have given us a major confirmationto be on the side of NON-IMPOSTORS. If we were truly impostors, in fact, would we really be asking ourselves that question?

Try writing a happy ending!

The harder test it does not lie in learning the rudiments of the art of storytelling, but rather in knowing how to master it.

What emotion guides me? What is my goal?
What emotion do I want to evoke in the people around me?
Do you intend to help them get lost in a fantasy world?
Do I intend to convince them to complete an action?

They are all necessary questions, some essential ones, before giving our story to the world. With words, images, and sounds that you decide to summon, you will be able to to excite, to bring moments from the past back to the surface, to awaken memories, and so on!

So what do we do? Do we throw in the towel?
Certainly not, let's try writing a happy ending!
Let's go beyond fear. Let's get past the initial climb. Let's go see what's... a little further on.
In a fast-paced world, punctuated by commitments, calls, and meetings, writing stories, to narrate the deeds of heroes or “extraordinarily normal” people, to excite, can still represent a hope, an antidote, a light able to brighten up even a rainy Monday!

If we think about it, this can be a great way to leverage our skills and, after all, our effort will be worth it.

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