What is a Story

When I first read that question in class I was like: seriously? I might come from a different school system, but still I might have been able to read for long enough, in order to actually knowing what a story is. A story is a book or a short text..story. Right?

Ceci n'eat pas une pipe. This is not a pipe.

Do you recognise that? Who knows this? And who knew this before the fault in our stars?

Essentially, the drawing of a pipe is not a pipe itself, so neither is a book a pipe..eh story.

A story is at least one characters and something happens to him or her or them. One of these characters could for example be one of my German friends, who just entered a relationship and I will tell you she was devastated.

Why? I was single at that time, had a crush on one of my classmates so why was my original response: be freaking happy for gods sake.

Well I don't know how it's gonna end. I am going to be heart broken and cry.

Yes you will, I said. Actually everything has an end, relationships, happy hours, life. So why don't we just all commit suicide. Not really happy about that response as actually went out for a couple of mins, later I (being a good responsible friend, followed her out)

Sweetheart, why do we read books? Look at Romeo and Juliet it's a terrible ending although it was hugely successful. According to you this should be something nobody would wanna read about. Frankly we might all just as well kill ourselves.

It's not about the ending, it's not about knowing the ending, ask all the people here who are closing their ears going like Llalaalaaaa when it comes to GoT spoilers. It's not about the ending, it's not about the beginning either, it's not even about the characters, it's about the story. The ups and downs and successes and losses. And it's not that we wouldn't just not appreciate the ups without the downs, we frankly wouldn't notice and it would be terribly boring.

So what does that mean?

Live! Guys I tell you this is the only thing I ever want. Live your story. Imagine your life is a book, imagine the parts that have already been written and then imagine all the blank pages. Isn't that great?

And it also means: be in the moment. I don't know how many people have given a Ted talk about this, but seriously. Even in that particular class you hate. That's like reading a book going like, yeah whatever can something please happen. A good book is when you enjoy every single sentence, a book that becomes more and more beautiful. And the good thing is you hold the pen for your stories. You don't only hold the pen, but you are the reader and writer at the same time, because you'll be the one interpreting the story too. And I'm sorry for another John green reference, but you have a choice in this world, in how to tell sad stories. And you can make them funny. You can make them sound like a lesson you've learned. It's up to you and isn't that great? And you get to experience every second of it, not just the universal studies version of it.

Live it. Be in it. You'd never read a book thinking about something else, that wouldn't be the point. Be there. In that second. Live your story.

What you'll remember about a good book is not the ending, it's the plot the story including the downs and ups.