The great storytelling tradition

I am often reminded that our competitions are part of a great cultural tradition. You see, stories have shaped the world in which we live and helped inform the way we think, and continue to do so.

All across the world can be found great storytelling traditions dating back thousands of years. From Africa to Europe, North and South America to Australasia and Asia, with its Indian epic tales and the storytelling tradition in China dating back to 206BC, the telling of stories has been part of cultural development.

This train of thought was prompted by recent entries into the Global Short Story Competition from all over the world. Indeed, we have received entries from sixty-plus countries last time we added them up.

But why use the phrase ‘storytelling’ rather than writing? Well, a New York Times article reported that researchers found that the human brain, wherever it may be in the world, has an affinity for narrative construction, with people finding it easier to remember facts if they are presented in a story rather than as a list.

All we do is write them down.

John Dean