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Tell Me Why
Why do we tell some stories over others?
The city cut down a tree in front of our neighbor’s house today.
I’m not sure why the tree was cut down. Perhaps it was sick? All I know is a team with big machines and trucks spent the better part of the morning cutting down the giant tree.
Now it’s just a stump, which I guess a different team comes and removes? Again, I have no idea how any of this works. But this stump got me thinking about the why behind some of the stories I tell.
My hope is people who read my work are left with something.
I hope people are challenged to think or act based on what they’ve read. I don’t want my readers (that’s you, by the way) walking away asking, “why was that written?”
Ok, a moment of confession, the now-dead (previously dead?) tree down the street didn’t trigger this question. I’ve been pondering why for a few days. It even popped up in a conversation recorded for a future episode of my podcast, This Week In Writing.
Simon Sinek, in one of the best TED Talks¹, says start with why.
I remember an author saying when they tell a story, they always ask why. Why is this moment in the character’s life worth telling? I’m not sure where or when or who I heard this from, otherwise I’d cite the…
