Why do we write stories?

In the first page of The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, the narrator strikes the reader with this proclamation:

HERE IS A SMALL FACT
You are going to die.

Wow.  Such an uplifting beginning to a novel, right?  Well, it does begin to answer the question:  Why do we write stories?  We should write our stories because someday we will die.  In the end, all we have is our stories, and without our stories on paper – most of them will be forgotten.  We get our stories on paper to write ourselves into existence:

This happened
I lived through this
This is what it felt like
My story is my proof

We are immersed in stories, and even make life choices because of them.  Stories are like prescriptions, preparing us for life’s challenges and struggles.  Stories show us what courage and strength is – and how we can become our very best.