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# Tell Me Why
- URL: https://justincox.com/blog/2020/09/tell-me-why/
- Published: 2020-09-24T17:45:55.000Z
- Updated: 2023-06-17T00:17:30.000Z
- Description: Why do we tell some stories over others?
- Author: Justin Cox
- Tags: Craft, This Just In, Life

The city cut down a tree in front of our neighbor’s house today.

I’m not sure **why* the tree was cut down. Perhaps it was sick? All I know is a team with big machines and trucks spent the better part of the morning cutting down the giant tree.

Now it’s just a stump, which I guess a different team comes and removes? Again, I have no idea how any of this works. But this stump got me thinking about the **why*behind some of the stories I tell.

My hope is people who read my work are left with something.

I hope people are challenged to think or act based on what they’ve read. I don’t want my readers (**that’s you, by the way*) walking away asking, “**why was that written*?”

Ok, a moment of confession, the now-dead (**previously dead?*) tree down the street didn’t trigger this question. I’ve been pondering **why* for a few days. It even popped up in a conversation recorded for a future episode of my podcast, [This Week In Writing](https://anchor.fm/writingcooperative?ref=justincox.com).

Simon Sinek, [in one of the best TED Talks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF%5FVuA&ref=justincox.com)¹, says start with why.

I remember an author saying when they tell a story, they always ask **why*. Why is this moment in the character’s life worth telling? I’m not sure where or when or who I heard this from, otherwise I’d cite the source. But the question is valid; if we have a story to tell, there should be a reason we share it.

As I stretch my muscles in the [blognasium](https://medium.com/justincox/atrophy-b6c303259684?ref=justincox.com), many anecdotes from the past are randomly popping into my brain. They’re all great stories, but I keep running into **why* they should be told.

Again, I want to challenge you to think or act, so is telling a story for the story’s sake enough? I’m honestly trying to figure this out.

Perhaps the act of creating is enough of a **why*. I wonder if Picasso fretted over why he painted a whole bunch of blue things. Maybe he did, and that’s why he stopped? I don’t know. This might be a bad analogy, but I’m sticking with it.

Writing, telling stories, getting the words out of my head might be reason enough to tell them. Maybe I’m over-thinking all of this. **Ok, I’m probably over-thinking all of this*. Telling a story elicits feelings in the reader. If you are challenged by the piece, then great, I’ve done what I set out to do. If not, then hopefully you received a moment of respite from the otherwise chaotic world.

Providing peace in chaos is a pretty solid why.

### \_\_

1: The TED Talk is also one of the poorest quality recordings you’ll find in their catalog.