Why Stories Are Important in a Time of Crisis – by Madelaine Couch

The world is feeling particularly wild at this moment – global politics, climate change, conflicts across continents. It sometimes feels we are on a tipping point, about to fall into an abyss. A friend recently said to me he thinks humans are either going to wipe each other out, or transcend into a new consciousness in our lifetime – he’s a psychotherapist. I’m often left wondering if there’s some truth in his comment. People are stressed, frightened and overwhelmed. Humankind is in need of a healing balm. So, where do we turn?  

We turn to stories. Short stories, novels, graphic novels, films. Stories at their core are a place we go to make sense of the world. When we cannot make sense of things, we use stories to help  guide us. Narratives, characters, plot – they offer us another way of experiencing life and the world around us. Throughout history, writers and artists have created from their life experience and shared their wisdom with others. 

I started taking my creative writing seriously about ten years ago – pitching to publishers and literary agents in the hope of getting published. I began pitching a picture book manuscript, which got rejected. Then I wrote a memoir, which over the course of a few years got rejected. Next came a YA novel, which so far has also not found a home. I was naive at first, thinking I could just write and get published within a few years. I had no idea about the reality of the writing path that lay ahead. I developed a love of the short story and short story writers – Haruki Murakami, Alice Munro, Raymond Carver – and began to hone my craft. Through relentless reading, listening to hundreds of hours of interviews, and writing my own stories and essays, things started to look up. I began to see my work published – in newspapers, online, and longlisted in writing competitions. It felt good, hopeful. Like all this effort wasn’t wasted. I now know, it’s never wasted. 

But something else happened in the last decade. I became less obsessed with focusing on publication and more fascinated by what writing stories is actually all about. Throughout history, people have always told stories. Our ancestors sat around the fire telling stories to one another. People read fairy-tales to children, and I read countless books to my little girl now. Why do we do this? I’ve come to see the power of storytelling as a balm for the heart. It’s a place to find solace in our suffering. When the world went into lockdown, the arts were a place of healing for many.  People read, they watched films, and listened to radio plays. Stories were a space for us to feel less alone – to make sense of our pain.  

I’m pretty sure books have saved me more than once in my lifetime. And they will continue to do so. Writing is an act of love – to our readers. It is taking the time to go inwards, excavate our life experience, and blend that with our imagination to craft something meaningful and magical. In a world that is full of chaos and suffering, storytelling is an act of courage. Writing is an act of hope  – and one that I will continue to do until I cannot hold a pen anymore.  

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