It (Never) Happened To Me!

[giantrobot1]

I love reading the IHTM threads,and I enjoy the way they're written. A few paragraphs of high-strength high-strangeness.

It seems that they'd make a good form of very short story, so how about some fictional IHTM?

I'll give it a go after I've thought about it a bit more - hopefully it will still seem like a good idea later.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd guess - without trying to be disrespecful to anyone on here - a fair percentage of IHTM stories *will* be fictional, in that they happened but only in the posters imagination (especially true of dreams)....which is the same as a story in a way..

That doesn't make anything less valid however.....

 

[TulipTree]

It's funny you say that GiantRobot. I feel the same way about the anecdotal format of story telling. If it were an actual story form, I wonder what the rules would be.

1. Short of course, a few paragraphs at most.
2. First person narrative (second person doesn't have quite the same impact unless it involves an immediate family member).
3. Scene setting is essential: year, type of building, experiencer's age(s), night/day, season.
4. Epilogue: There should always be an "ever since then" or "even now" in the closing to give the reader a feeling that the event had a continuous impact on the story teller's life.

 

[Anonymous]

There have been a few I would love to see in movie form or televised story form.
I always love when they show things like that on "Unsolved Mysteries" and other television shows and documentaries on the paranormal.

I do like the idea of some fictional storytelling.
Of course as with all stories there's typically an element of truth to it, which coming from people who write in their experiences on this forum could provide some real interesting stories.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd guess - without trying to be disrespecful to anyone on here - a fair percentage of IHTM stories *will* be fictional, in that they happened but only in the posters imagination (especially true of dreams)....which is the same as a story in a way..

That doesn't make anything less valid however.....

Two contradictory sweeping statements there, Invay!

Where did you attain the enlightenment to be able to discern that a 'fair percentage' of the IHTM stories are fictional? If they are made up to entertain, they are not exactly 'valid' are they?

Most of the accounts (not 'stories'), are remarkably mundane, and are as much a puzzle to the writer as to the reader.

People post them to see if they are alone in their experience or if it is a known phenomenon. In my case it was a series of hypnogogic experiences which were definately NOT fictional. I got replies from people whose hallucinations were indentical to mine, which is why the IHTM Board is so fascinating.

Speaking for myself, I am aware that I write my accounts in 'story' form, which is why they could be seen as fictional. I am guilty of overdoing the descriptive stuff because I am trying to convey the feelings that made this experience something out of the ordinary.

 

[TulipTree]

Most of the accounts (not 'stories'), are remarkably mundane, and are as much a puzzle to the writer as to the reader.

People post them to see if they are alone in their experience or if it is a known phenomenon.

Well said, Augusta.

 

[_Lizard23_]

People post them to see if they are alone in their experience or if it is a known phenomenon.

While I agree I think this is only one reason people post IHTM stories, or more generally, report paranormal events.

We have seen on this board how some people post an IHTM as a form of advertising for a book or an event they wish to publicise.

I personally do believe people relate personal tales of the supernatural like this to attract attention sometimes, or for a joke, or because they want to see how gullible other people can be, or because they are seeking an outlet for their creative abilities, to see their name in print, as a bet etc etc etc or for any number of other self-gratifying reason that have nothing to do with real experiences they have had.

I don't want to point to any particular posts or posters or other paranormal tales specifically- it would merely be my own uninformed opinion in any case - and I really don't mean to offend or cast aspersions on anyone here but though your own motivations maybe quite simple and honest it doesn't mean everyone else's necessarily are. Besides I am one of those forteans who finds hallucinations and hoaxing and psychological motivations just as if not more fascinating than nuts and bolts and spooks and polts etc ........

In any case I think you have been a little harsh on Invay whose post, I thought, seemed to be suggesting that some accounts are probably of illusory material and are therefore already 'stories', conceptions and confections of the mind, and I do not see what is wrong with expressing this opinion. It looks to me from your reply that you ridicule him/her for making this assumption, which he/she clearly states is a 'guess' then tell us your own assumptions as though they were plain uncontestable fact.

In my opinion, not 'well said'.

 

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by lizard23


In any case I think you have been a little harsh on Invay whose post, I thought, seemed to be suggesting that some accounts are probably of illusory material and are therefore already 'stories', conceptions and confections of the mind, and I do not see what is wrong with expressing this opinion. It looks to me from your reply that you ridicule him/her for making this assumption, which he/she clearly states is a 'guess' then tell us your own assumptions as though they were plain uncontestable fact.

In my opinion, not 'well said'.

If Invay had been as tactful as you, then I would not have resorted to criticism to defend those who post on IHTM. 'Illusory material' sounds rather kinder than a 'fiction that only happened in the poster's imagination'.

We can indeed delude ourselves that what we saw or experienced was a Fortean Moment, but his/her inference is that many accounts are TOTAL fabrications.

Those posters who are flogging books are transparent, everyone else gets the benefit of the doubt from me. You will have to tell me which ones you judge to be written by wannabe writers, jokers, fraudsters, egotists and those having a bet.

As for attention seekers, guilty as charged. Dull old world without us!

 

[Anonymous]

A story is something derived out of the authors imagination. A dream is also driven by the imagination and therefore is not 'real' in the sense that something physical and verifiable happened....its to all extents and purposes fictional, although I agree that the contents of dreams are very interesting and are definately 'on-topic'....

I would class hallucinations in the same category, as I would premonitions and so on. Please understand I am not attacking these sorts of things, simply pointing out that to some extent a number of the postings here are fictional in that sense.

Someone who saw a chair fly across a room or heard a strange noise whilst out walking the dog however, is different as these are actual physical experiences (although probably with mundane reasons)

I think its also worth remembering two things with IHTM accounts - firstly, many happen after a significant period of time and often gaps get filled with 'false' memories. Little details which try to piece things together than didn't happen...this is just human nature and the way the mind works and secondly, a lot of accounts are from when people were children. Once again, childrens imaginations are usually over-active and often the mundane seems much more odd/sinister than it is.

I'll reiterate though - I'm not knocking IHTM, the posters here or indeed questioning the validity of ANY account on here. Simply trying to say (badly it seems) that there is little difference between a 'story' and a 'dream'

And thanks for sticking up for me Lizard!

 

[Anonymous]

It's funny you say that GiantRobot. I feel the same way about the anecdotal format of story telling. If it were an actual story form, I wonder what the rules would be.

I think that you've pretty much got the form down there, Tulip Tree. It's interesting to see how many of the IHTM pieces fit that structure - I certainly feel that those IHTM entries that I have read frequently shared a common format, although there are certainly those which do not. I've not actually studied this, but it does seem that people structure their pieces along the same lines as other pieces within the same type of text. I think that there are also similarities between IHTM entries specifically and short biographical anecdotes in general.

I think that I could phrase that better, but does anyone else feel the same way?

 

[Anonymous]

Fictional Format

Concerning the structure of the format the accounts are written in I think it's simply a natural translation of the spoken word into the written word.
If I'm writing a letter or post I'll select my words and sentence structure in a way that expresses the feeling and impact that I want to communicate.
It can indeed seem like a fictional account if you were to compare it to the more prosaic pattern of daily speech.

BTW,this is NOT the way I speak when speaking aloud to people.
I choose my words for a broader audience than if I were speaking to friends or other people I'm familiar with.
When you're talking with someone in person there's often an intuitive sense that helps someone understand what you're point is as well as visible emotional cues which can communicate awe,confusion,disbelief,skepticism etc..
There's also the opportunity to instantly clarify if someone doesn't quite get where you're coming from.
When writing however,you must indicate everything to everyone with a few printed symbols.

 

[Bannik]

A story is something derived out of the authors imagination. A dream is also driven by the imagination and therefore is not 'real' in the sense that something physical and verifiable happened....its to all extents and purposes fictional, although I agree that the contents of dreams are very interesting and are definately 'on-topic'....

I respect your opinion, Invay. I wasn't offended by your post and I appreciate your being able to share a "rational" explanation without sounding condescending in tone (at least not to me).

That said, I have always had an intuitive sense many of my "dreams" and "hallucinations" happened, at least to the extent that anything actually happens. They may not have happened at any given point in time or space (what does?) but they happened alright. Those dreams may have been the result of someone or something's imagination at work (what isn't?), but I have difficulty believing it was mine (I'm not that imaginative ). Of course, when you've had the type of experiences I had as a kid it tends to skew your entire outlook on life, so I apologize for taking this thread off in to something of a Gnostic direction.

Great thread, btw, GiantRobot, even if it didn't go exactly the way you expected (which, on this board, is to be expected ).

 

[Anonymous]

'Offended of Suffolk'

If you peel away Invay’s pre-emptive apology, he is still saying that some accounts on IHTM are fictitious, and NOT just those concerning dreams.

Sorry if my defence of the IHTM Poster was a little too robust, (for some of you). I used to be a newspaper reporter, hence the combative style!

Verbal skirmishes apart, this is an interesting thread. We might all be able to agree that the format we seem to naturally fall into is as old as the hills.

"It was a dark and stormy night........."

 

[TulipTree]

Re: Fictional Format

Concerning the structure of the format the accounts are written in I think it's simply a natural translation of the spoken word into the written word.

Yes, that's what makes the anecdotal format so great, it's as though someone is actually just sitting at the table with you, sharing what has happened.

I didn't mean to imply, by the way, that most of these accounts weren't true. When I used the word "story" I was thinking that a personal account is really just a personal story. I don't believe everything I read in IHTM but then, I don't expect everyone to believe my own ghostly experiences. That's life in a skeptical world.

IHTM is great because it brings experiencers together. Sometimes it can bring closure when someone with knowledge can explain the event, or when someone else can say they've seen something very similar. Closure is nice and so rare in paranormal experiences.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: 'Offended of Suffolk'

If you peel away Invay’s pre-emptive apology, he is still saying that some accounts on IHTM are fictitious, and NOT just those concerning dreams.

Sorry if my defence of the IHTM Poster was a little too robust, (for some of you). I used to be a newspaper reporter, hence the combative style!

Verbal skirmishes apart, this is an interesting thread. We might all be able to agree that the format we seem to naturally fall into is as old as the hills.

"It was a dark and stormy night........."

Augusta.....I don't have a clue what you are talking about. I didn't give a pre-emptive apology (I've nothing to apologise about!), I simply tried to clarify what I meant as you didn't understand my initial point. So no need to "defend" the IHTM poster, as nobody was attacking them - and in fact, I am one.

And you are right. I didn't just mean dreams - I meant anything that is purely 'in the mind' as it were.

I also appreciate not being spoken about in the third person. Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

losing the plot....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Invay
I'd guess - without trying to be disrespecful to anyone on here
....
That doesn't make anything less valid however.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Invay, a pre-emptive apology is one which is added as a disclaimer just in case our views are not acceptable to others, (see quote above). That's what I was referring to.

This is deadly dull stuff. Fancy a pint? I'm buying!

 

[Anonymous]

meh....odd definition, but you are right - deadly dull

i'll take you up on the pint