A recent episode of Hidden Brain podcast (NPR), Spoiler Alert! The Psychology of Surprise Endings, was a fascinating dive into why we love plot twists and we actually derive satisfaction from being fooled. It discusses two long-time favorite films, The Sixth Sense and The Unusual Suspects, and gives us insight into the ever-popular unreliable narrator.
Tag: Storytelling
In lieu of a reading recommendation this week, I offer some unfocused thoughts about book abandonment. Many readers seem to think that it is a virtue to finish every book they start, even if they aren't enjoying it. I used to think so myself, but as I have gotten older and more aware that time … Continue reading Some thoughts about immersion and book abandonment…
The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination as a collection is something of a hodgepodge, but there are many valuable nuggets to be mined, so it's a worthwhile book for any aspiring writer to consult from time to time. The personal essays in the first section, "Personal Matters," are … Continue reading Writing advice from Ursula K. Le Guin
More great stuff from Margaret Atwood! Brain Pickings shares a short animation that accompanies Atwood's meditation on how technology shapes storytelling. Worth watching.
Raising Teenagers: The Mother of All Problems - NYTimes.com by Rachel Cusk. Ignore the headline--this is an amazing essay about the stories we invent for ourselves and our families. We are all storytellers. Sometimes we forget that our children our storytellers too, and have the right to tell their own stories of their lives, rather than … Continue reading Telling family stories
Telling stories is as basic to human beings as eating. More so, in fact, for while food makes us live, stories are what make our lives worth living. -- On Stories, Richard Kearney To be a person is to have a story to tell. -- Isak Dinesen Once the necessities for survival are taken care … Continue reading Why are stories so important?
