I have recently discovered the writings of Arthur W. Frank. He is a professor of sociology at the University of Calgary in Alberta. As a professional chaplain, I am intrigued with his exploration of narrative as a primary way that human beings make sense of illness, injury and other life traumas. My main work in healthcare is to provide a safe space for patients and families to share their experience. It can be compared to what happens when the first pages of a novel capture your attention and before you know it and an hour has passed and you’re the better for it.
Regarding my interest in good stories, Professor Frank says that narrative is not something that belongs only to writers and authors. All of us constantly create meaning out of the stuff of life. Each of us is creating a book that says powerful things and deserves to be preserved. This explains the wonder that children have in hearing the stories of their elders and the satisfaction that seniors enjoy when others want to hear them. Some chapters are not easy to relate or to hear, but they are essential parts of the whole. An accomplished author is one who is skilled not just at creating plot, setting, and characters, but who crafts stories that touch readers’ own stories. Likewise, an effective counselor is one who listens in a way that helps the counselee grasp more of the tale he/she is creating.
I am four pages into his reflective memoir The Wounded Storyteller. I’ll let you know where it takes me. Until then, check out his website where he posts his reflections on life and work.