Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having a general historical value, which is the Odyssey.
For all the import and message of 'The Iliad,' it's ultimately a story that's meant to be heard, and the person hearing 'The Iliad' determines what it means.
It's hard to write a war story without thinking about the 'Iliad.' Because the 'Iliad' knows everything about war.
To tell a good story and to illuminate the world: the two things are completely linked. That is the point. That is what I've always wanted to do.
Once I have the story in my head, I write it down. The illustrations usually come last.
As a pastor, I've spent 30 years talking to people and heard every kind of story imaginable.
If I'm really immersed in a story, I try to finish it in a few days. If it's a longer work, then it would take a few months.
I run after good stories. If I did not like the story of 'Padman,' and if it was imparting the same message, I probably would not have done it.
In terms of 'Ray Donovan,' the story is so rich, the actors are so fantastic, the writing is impeccable. And it's such beautiful storytelling with complex characters.
The story of rural India is a lack of empowerment: perceived impotence. Villagers are being constantly threatened by an authority. The Bolero symbolizes empowerment.
My life is a lovely story, happy and full of incident.
No, I just thought of a story and wrote down what I saw. It was about two kids in Ireland who went around killing people. It was called Travelers, and it was made as an independent film.
'Mr. Robot,' in particular, signals the rise of a fresh post-Occupy portrayal of the wealth gap. No longer is the story of income inequity delivered via a well-meaning, crushingly earnest indie film by John Sayles or in a single laugh line on 'Roseanne.'
The Industrial Revolution was another of those extraordinary jumps forward in the story of civilization.
So many people have that story as to how they could have maybe won the Indy 500, which is for me the ultimate goal. I would imagine for a lot of people it's the ultimate goal. It's definitely high up on the list.
To be memorable and to have dramatic impact, informational detail must function actively within the dynamic of a story.
One of the things I find exciting about Joan of Arc is how clearly the story of her life reveals the creation of myth, a process in which every one of us is involved - every one of us who tells stories and all those who listen, each informing the other.
The story of the Jews in the Bible is replete with incidents of their ingratitude to God for His gifts to them: incidents that just as repeatedly merit and receive punishment.
I danced in a company of 'West Side Story' when I was very young. It was most of the original cast - Larry Kert, Chita Rivera - and Jerry Robbins directed. It was tough, a wonderful initiation for me.
Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their skeletons; everybody has their story.
