By Kayla Cagan, Author of Piper Perish and Art Boss
On Twitter this Friday (9/21/18) from 4-5 PM PST, Kayla will take your questions and discuss why our stories matter, even when we think they don’t. Log into your Twitter account during our chat hour and use the hashtag #KTChat or @mention @KaylaCagan and @SCBWISOCALLA to join the discussion! If you aren’t on Twitter, leave questions in the blog comments before we chat!
How do we, as writers and readers, make sense of the world when it no longer feels like it makes sense to us? When facts are questioned and questions aren’t answered, do words matter? More importantly, do stories still matter? And what are we doing to make sure we are sharing the stories that can make a difference in a reader’s life?
Reading and writing books are the most valuable arenas of space and territories of time we can occupy to process the noisy world around us. When readers tweet that they lost track of time because they were reading, what they are doing is engaging with a story that was necessary for them. In Brené Brown’s book, Rising Strong, she states, “Neuroeconomist Paul Zak has found that hearing a story — a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end — causes our brains to release cortisol and oxytocin. These chemicals trigger the uniquely human abilities to connect, empathize, and make meaning. Story is literally in our DNA.”
Simply, we need to read and tell stories not just to survive on a personal level, but to thrive as a world community. At first glance, some stories might appear as quiet or common. Maybe they even seem unimportant. The question may be asked: Why this story? Why now?
Process fascinates me, in part because I find it challenging. It’s tempting to focus on other things that start with p: publication, perfection, panic, pretzels (snacks, help, right?) and, of course, the desire to polish off a manuscript and be finished.