Welcome to BrainBox, where we give you the lowdown on our What If subjects so you can stay ahead of the field and be the best!

People have told stories for as long as we have been able to speak. Often they were used as ways of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next in times before books were widely available. For example, a story might tell of a great leader, a dangerous journey or a terrible battle. Parents would tell their children, who in turn would tell their children and so on. Many stories that started like this still exist today, like the legend of King Arthur.

Another way of telling stories is with plays. Long before books and TV existed, plays were used to inform and entertain people. The Greeks built theatres and watched plays over 2500 years ago. Shakespeare, an Englishman, wrote nearly 40 plays in the 16th century that are as popular today as they were 500 years ago.

Early books had to be written by hand and were kept in special libraries, so not many people got to see them. However, when the printing press was invented, many more books could be made and many more people all over the world got to see them. Books quickly became the most popular way of telling stories. They're cheap, can fit in a pocket or bag and can be read nearly anywhere and at anytime.

Today, telling stories is more popular than ever. Books like the Harry Potter series entertain millions of people all over the world (and make the author very rich!).

Storytelling is not just about books, though. TV programmes and films are also ways of telling stories. TV soap operas are some of the most popular stories in Britain, with millions of people watching them every week. However, films are definitely the most popular way of telling stories, watched by hundreds of millions of people all over the world.

To get some tips on how to write a good story,
check out our Rough Guide to Writing Stories.
To brush up on your writing vocabulary,
visit the Instead of Said Machine.
To see how we did when we tried to tell a story in 60 seconds,
have a look at our What If Story.