And it was the idea that you can do a play - like a Shakespeare play, or any well-written play, Arthur Miller, whatever - and say things you could never imagine saying, never imagine thinking in your own life.
James Earl JonesRead
Any good story can galvanize a person, make him/her think about things a different way, reassess their own motives and needs, but that's never my intent. That's an unintended consequence of me just trying to entertain, to write what we used to call 'ripping yarns.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
Stories can profoundly influence thought and self-reflection, even when that isn't the author's intention.
Raymond E. Feist suggests that while storytelling has the power to impact readers by prompting them to reevaluate their perspectives and motivations, his primary goal as a writer is simply to entertain. This highlights the dual nature of storytelling, where entertainment can lead to deeper introspection as a byproduct.
Themes
StorytellingEntertainmentInfluenceReflectionMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a writing workshop to emphasize the power of storytelling.
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