Telling Stories: An Idea As Old As Time

Many writers start out by hearing people tell stories. Watching stories on TV or in movies. And then telling stories. That’s how we learn the power of storytelling growing up.

We don’t know who told the first stories, but we know it happened a long time ago. Even before cave paintings. Why not? I made up stories before I knew how to write. Why wouldn’t prehistoric humans make up stories before they knew how to make cave paintings?

A Gorgeous Cave Painting from the Chauvet Cave Showing a Group of Rhinoceros. This Was Painted About 30,000–32,000 years ago. (Source: Wikipedia; Screenshot from the film “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”; public domain.)

We do know that storytelling isn’t ready to go away.

Telling Stories to the Air Around Me

Before I knew what writing was, before I knew what an author was, I knew about stories. My mother and father both read picture books to me. Are You My Mother? and Harry the Dirty Dog and so many more. I’m sure they got sick of that darn bird and that danged dog. Even if reading the same story to kids over and over does improve their reading abilities. (I’m living proof!)

As much as I loved hearing those tales over and over again, I guess a part of me got a little bored, too. Because before long, I started telling stories to myself. Even before I truly realized the power of storytelling.

When I was about five years old, my mother put me in the car to take me to the grocery store. (This was in the olden days, so no seat belts for me…