What Makes a Good Story?

If it’s stuck inside a paperback, even the most incredible story can have its impact hindered by its label of ‘fiction’. That’s what makes unbelievable true stories so frightening.

Suddenly anything is possible, and everything you know to be true is under question.

So, what are some true stories that caught my interest?

Rachel Nickell

In 1992 that the body of a young mother was found, Rachel Nickell.

As the media increasingly built pressure on the investigators to solve her murder, the police became more desperate.

But desperate enough to name an innocent man as the killer?

British readers may be particularly interested in her story as she died fairly recently, lived in London, and her murder reveals great flaws in the British police of the time.

Although the story has been well-documented, providing good resources to write about, there may be limited angles I can take to bring something new to the story that hasn’t been explored before.

 

Joyce Vincent

When Joyce Vincent was discovered dead in 2002, sitting in her London flat opposite her TV, forensics made a shocking discovery: she had been deceased for over two years without anyone noticing.

The television was still on when she was found.

Like Rachel Nickell, Vincent’s story may resonate particularly with British readers. Despite this, the mysteries of her life may leave readers unsatisfied with too many unanswered questions and lack of action.

Genie 

Disney films teach us that Tarzan and Mowgli we able to grow up in the wild, and go on to happily learn English and sing the bare necessities.

 

But what if a real child was raised without human contact, would they really be able to fit back in with society?

In 1970 we got our answer, in the form of a timid teenage girl from the US.
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A famous case, even readers who are familiar with the girl known as ‘Genie’, they may not be aware of the fascinating details. Although British readers may find less relevance with an American girl, readers may find the internal (and external) conflict in her life intriguing and informative.