If you’re new to this site, thanks for stopping by. If you already know me, I hope you’ll find something new that you didn’t see or know before.
It’s been said that the writing life is a lonely one. I don’t agree. Not in this age, anyway. I can’t count the number of friends and colleagues I’ve met over the years just by sharing my love of writing through the internet, writing courses, clubs and author events. Each and every one of these friends brings something new to the discussion, and I welcome them all.
One thing everyone shares is love of a good story. It goes back to the days when cave dwellers sat around the fire at night, recounting interesting things they’d seen and done that day. This led to cave paintings (I guess you could call these the first illustrated stories). Publishing and distribution have evolved a bit since then. Nowadays, we can download words with the press of a button, or listen to an audio version with digital technology.
But story telling hasn’t changed. I doubt it ever will. That’s because all stories tell us something about ourselves – and we humans just love to hear about ourselves. That’s not all. Storytelling comes in a much wider variety than we tend to think. Theater, opera, ballet, songs, movies, documentaries – they all tell stories. When you think about it, storytelling is even more expansive than that. For example, much of advertising – radio spots, television commercials, print and digital advertising – tells us something about contemporary culture and attitudes. Just compare ads from fifty years ago to today’s ads and you’ll see what I mean.
I admit my first love is fiction. A good tale, short or long, can change the way we feel and perceive. A well-written tale can touch us in ways almost nothing else can. My favorites are the ones that make you think. It doesn’t matter if it’s science fiction or horror or a love story or hardboiled literature. Some stories are only meant to entertain; if they do, that’s terrific. Some only seek to provoke thought, and if they do that’s terrific, too. But when a story both entertains and provokes thought … WHAM! That’s storytelling at its very best.
I try to entertain and provoke thought with all my writing, and I hope I get the job done. If I do, I’d love to hear from you. If I don’t, I’d still love to hear from you. That’s what good friends do. So feel free to contact me anytime through my Contact Me page with your comments and questions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Michael Cormier