Peter Pan and Wendy and the power of storytelling

Age three. Polka dot dress. The words of Peter Pan and Wendy flowing from my lips. I’m sure the fuchsia cover was what initially reeled me in, but the story kept me captivated.

After requesting that this story be read time after time after time, I finally had it memorized. It was a party trick, of sorts, for my parents; they’d ask me to tell the story and I could, upon command. To this day, I still remember a few lines. The Never Land was a wonderful place – an island in a nameless sea.

And that’s the thing about story. Story captivates. Story connects. Story relates. Story shares. Like my Peter Pan story from childhood, story is memorable.

Story is also how we build relationships. I remember long, late nights in the dorms in college, sharing our stories and backgrounds and growing all the closer for it. I treasure conversations over coffee and retelling the tales that make me, me and listening to the tales that made her, her or him, him.

Story has the power to make acquaintances into friends and friends into family. Story unites. Story tells us that we’re not alone and we’re part of a great big team.

March is Storytelling Month for Create.Compose.Communicate — that’s our free e-newsletter to help you become a better writer, if you’re new around here — and we can’t wait to share the power of storytelling. It’s a critical skill and significant tool for all kinds of writing: business and marketing, PR and advertising, blogging, social media and just writing as a hobby.

Melissa and I believe in the power of storytelling. You too? Or perhaps you’re a skeptic and a realist and think stories are for circle time at the library . . . in which case, all the better. Grab a seat at the table. Subscribe here — the first in our Storytelling series arrives in inboxes on Thursday.

PS — Melissa’s also sharing her story about story over on her blog, Inspiration and Rough Drafts. So go visit!

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