Stories have the power to captivate a reader – dazzle them into anger, or happiness or bewilderment. They grip the imagination, and can transport you into a different world.
“Stories are important, the monster said. They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth.” Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls
Still, we all have that one friend who won’t read a book or watch a film if it isn’t based in reality.
Why? Why does it matter if these stories are true or not? This blog article explores this very question.
True life stories are relatable
Reading a fantasy novel about a heroic knight, brandishing his sword and embarking on quests to save x,y or z can be thrilling escapism and enjoyable to read. But it doesn’t have much relevance to modern life.
True life stories on the other hand, give people something to relate to, no matter how extraordinary the story is:
‘This actually happened to someone, you know. This could happen to you or me’.
Take Penguin Lessons, a true story published in 2015, in which an adventurous young teacher befriends a penguin he rescues from an oil slick in Uruguay. After naming him Juan Salvador, he transports him to an Argentinian boarding school. A series of improbable encounters (such as a Penguin becoming a swimming coach) take place, as the bond between man and bird deepens.
Penguin Books (who are, fittingly, the publishers), tell us,
As a book, it appeals because although far-fetched and incredible, it actually happened. It gives you hope that something out of the ordinary could happen to you.
They inspire empathy
Sometimes it can be hard to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. We weren’t there – how can we know what they went through? How can we live through their struggles with them or share their joy?
‘Can you imagine what that would have felt like?’
By reading true life stories it becomes possible. Ideas and events remote from our everyday lives are brought close to home. We can trace the steps of that person’s journey right along with them.
This can cause a lot of emotion, in strangers touched by these true stories or from friends or family. By sharing these stories, it can give an insight into someone else’s life.
This reaction has been found in response to Story Terrace customers true life stories.
‘I’ve only let one friend read it so far…she could not speak to me, she emailed to say she was too emotional’. Trish Arundel, Story Terrace Customer.
They teach you about real things:
True life stories can teach you about things you know nothing about. This could be about a person’s experiences that you didn’t know they’d had, a place ‘I didn’t know that had happened there’, or an era that you weren’t a part of.
Take one of our customers – Teresa Samuels, whose testimonial you can read on our website here.
Her book, Into the Light, details the sudden change she experienced from a happy if somewhat impoverished childhood, to be cast adrift in the midst of the Sudanese Civil War. Her book is set against a backdrop of political unrest, and while it is her story, it is also the story of her country at this time.
Whilst Into the Light teaches you about Teresa’s life, it also gives insight into a wider area. True life stories have this power to teach us about people, places, the present and the past.
True life stories are important and it’s important that you tell yours!
