Question: What is the difference between storytelling and lying?
For the answer I’m turning to an interview with Diane Setterfield, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Tale, Bellman & Black, and my favorite, Once Upon a River.
Setterfield when asked about the difference said this,
“Storytelling is a way of telling truths. Lying is an attempt to conceal the truth.
Storytelling done well benefits the community. Lying benefits the liar.
Storytelling is a gift, where lying is an act of thievery.
Storytelling invites the listener or reader to apply his or her own intelligence. Lying is an effort to keep him or her in ignorance.
Storytelling is a mutual engagement with negotiated rules. Lying is one-sided exploitation.”
Question: What do you think about that?