THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

Whatever we do in our mundane life, we usually do it for money. A few people dare to dream, can follow where the dreams lead. Some dare to face the ups and downs of life. At the end they emerge triumphant.  Celebrated American writer William Tanner Vollmann is one such writer who writes to nourish his mind.

"I worked as a computer programmer to earn money. I am a writer because I want to be," he explains. "I'm influenced by many writers. The more dead they are, the better I like them," he adds, tongue-in-cheek.

The Soviet aggression inspired him to visit Afghanistan in 1982 and write about the country. With insights into the craft of storytelling, he started writing about his experience with a group of Mujahideens heading for the front lines. His initial research for fiction and non-fiction projects began in the battlefield and that's how he penned his first non-fiction "An Afghanistan Picture Show, or, How I Saved the World."

He says, "I felt sorry for the Afghans when the Soviets were enslaving that country." However, he also criticised America for the current situation of the country and says, "I think it's a mistake, like all other Afghan wars. The Afghans will win, as they always have before. In the meantime, the Americans will create more and more hatred and thus will be punished themselves, unfortunately."

In the nearly two decades of his career, he has produced a number of masterpieces. Many of his writings deal with the margin of war, poverty and hope.  And North America takes the central position in most of his writings.

From the beginning of mankind, storytelling is the only existing form that has been able to grab people's attention from every walk of life. Irrespective of age or culture, most people usually find stories more interesting when the narrative connects with their lives. In many cases, a short story can be more enlightening than a thousand words. And a powerful word can bring a story alive, enabling us to imagine the little details and intricacies. "I try to make all my books different and I try to make my sentences as beautiful as possible," he concludes.