"Above all, a well-imagined story is organized around extraordinary human behaviors and unexpected and startling events, which help illuminate the commonplace and the ordinary."

Tim O’Brien describes the essence of storytelling. (via 1st BOOKS)

Kurt Vonnegut explains drama →

We love to read big, dramatic stories because our own lives have so little drama in them. We try to make our lives fit into a dramatic arc, but it’s a tough fit. On the balance, I’d rather live a less dramatic life and find my drama in movies and books. (via Big Contrarian)

"‘The cat sat on the mat’ is not the beginning of a story, but ‘The cat sat on the dog’s mat’ is."

John le Carré (via slowrain)

"Stories are not merely structured dreams, but items from the land of imagination and desire, and no matter the horror, nihilism, or cynicism of the events and characters within them, those stories originate from the same place as hope. Could it be that the act of telling a story itself is an expression of hope, regardless of what the story contains? Could it be that the act of imagining is, no matter its darkness, no matter its despair, an act that springs from idealism, even joy? The assumption of the storyteller is that someone will hear the story, that someone will receive the tale. The assumption of imagination is that things can be otherwise."

Matthew Cheney is reading through the Sandman books, and here he meditates on Sandman #4, “A Hope in Hell.” I can’t wait until he makes it to Season of Mists and Brief Lives.