Another thing that got forgotten was the fact that against all probability a sperm whale had suddenly been called into existence several miles above the surface of an alien planet.


      And since this not a naturally tenable position for a whale, this poor innocent creature had very little time to come to terms with its identity as a whale before it then had to come to terms with not being a whale any more.


     This is a complete record from the moment it began its life to the moment it ended it.


     Ah...! What's happening? it thought.


     Er, excuse me, who am I?

     Why am I here? What's my purpose in life?


     What do I mean by who am I?

     Calm down, get a grip now...Oh, this is an interesting sensation, what is it? It's a sort of...yawning, tingling sensation in my...my...well I suppose I'd better start finding names for things if I want to make any headway in what for the sake of what I shall call an argument I shall call the world, so let's call it my stomach.


     Good. Ooooh, it's getting quite strong. And hey, what about this whistling roaring sound going past what I'm suddenly going to call my head? Perhaps I can call that...wind! Is it a good name? It'll do...perhaps I can find a better name for it when I've found out what it's for. It must be something very important because there certainly seems to be a hell of a lot of it. Hey! What's this thing? This...let's call it a tale--yeah, tale. Hey! I can really thrash it about pretty good, can't I? Wow! Wow! That feels great! Doesn't seem to achieve very much but I'll probably find out what it's for later on. Now, have I built up any coherent picture of things yet?


     No.


     Never mind, hey, this is really exciting, so much to find out, so much to look forward to, I'm quite dizzy with anticipation....


     Or is it the wind?


     There really is a lot of that now, isn't there? 


     And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming toward me very fast? Very, very fast. So big and flat and round, it need a big wide-sounding name like...ow...ound...round...ground! That's a good name--ground!


     I wonder if it will be friends with me?


And the rest, after a sudden wet thud, was silence. 
-Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy


    The above passage from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (from now on, HHGTTG, because my fingers beg for mercy), does not really illustrate excellent storytelling. In fact, the five-book "trilogy" of which this first titular volume is a part lacks what most would consider to be traits of "good storytelling," such as some sort of profound social commentary, revelation of a universal truth or of a characteristic of human nature, or even the seemingly-necessary convention of plot. Granted, HHGTTG was initially a BBC radio broadcast, which accounts for its light and casual nature, and the collection of novels were adapted from radio and a plethora of other media, contributing to the utter lack of plot consistency or even sense. But somehow, despite the novels' shortcomings in the sanity area, they're still considered classic (in some circles) and still enjoyed by many. That's where the quoted passage above comes in. It's not quoted because it immerses the reader in a rich and vivid scene, because its characters are particularly relatable (though the existential crisis sperm whale is in a place where really all of us have been at some point, without a doubt), or because it conveys some deep and grandiose message that the reader can reflect upon later or post as a Facebook status to impress their friends. It's quoted because it's hilarious. Like the rest of the books, the combination of ridiculousness, improbability, and that oh-so-lovable dry Brit wit dangling loosely from the already loose plot lines are what make HHGTTG a good story. By the end of the five novels, story lines have been thrown about and abruptly ended and characters have been forgotten, but the book is closed with a smile because, hey, that was an enjoyable read. That's what good storytelling is to me, something that will brighten my day just a little bit, even at the expense of a sperm whale or two.