This week: Fact or Fiction Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
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"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."
~ Mark Twain
I have always been fascinated by story. The strange, paranormal, true crime, incredible tales of survival, happenstance, and the miraculous. I especially love the ones that seem fictitious but turn out to be true.
In the late 90s, a television show came on titled Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. Each weekly episode contained five stories - some based on fact and others complete fiction - and my tween children and I would compete to see which of us guessed correctly. My children, who are all in their mid- to late-30s now, still remember this show and talk about how much they loved it.
The first season was hosted by James Brolin, but seasons 2-6 were hosted by Jonathan Frakes. The show was executively produced by Dick Clark and got a 7.9/10 rating on IMDB. The show tests the notion that truth is stranger than fiction.
I recently discovered that seasons one (1997), two (1998), three (2000), and four (2002) are available on YouTube. Seasons five (2021) and six (2023) and unavailable to stream in the USA, as far as I can tell. I've been unable to find them anywhere as they were produced for German TV.
You may be wondering, What the heck does this have to do with short story writing? A lot, it turns out. Real-life events are excellent story fodder. And as Beyond Belief: Fact of Fiction demonstrates, truth is often much stranger than fiction.
After binging all four available seasons on YouTube (it's as entertaining today as it was in 1997), I had the idea to write a fact-or-fiction-themed newsletter. In this issue, you will read six very short stories. Some stories are true and some are lies. Can you tell the difference?
Perhaps this week's theme will inspire you to write a short story that seems outlandish but is actually based on real events.
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Story #1: The Last Passenger
In 2017, Mia took a late-night train from Edinburgh to Inverness. The car was nearly empty - just her and an older man in a tweed coat sitting across the aisle. As the train sped through the dark Highlands, he struck up a quiet conversation. He asked simple questions: where she was headed, if she liked the Highlands. His voice was warm, but something about him felt ... off. His eyes were too still, his hands too pale.
At one point, he pointed out the window. “That loch out there - Loch Garve - they say it never gives up its dead,” he said softly. When she turned back from the window, he was gone.
Mia thought he’d gone to the toilet, but he never returned. Confused, she asked the conductor. He looked at her strangely.
“There’s no one else in this car, miss. You’re the only passenger in Car B.”
Thinking she must’ve dozed off, Mia let it go until she got to her Airbnb and unpacked.
Inside her coat pocket was an old, crumpled train ticket dated October 9, 1952. Same route. Same time.
She kept it, thinking it was a prank. But months later, while browsing a museum in Inverness, she saw a black-and-white photo labeled: Last Passenger of the Garve Incident, 1952. It was a picture of the man in the tweed coat.
No record of a “Garve Incident” exists online. But the museum? It burned down in 2018. No surviving archives.
Mia still has the ticket and swears the man in the photo is the same man she shared Car B with all those years ago.
Is this ghost story based on fact, or are we taking you for a ride?
Story #2: An Extraordinary Coincidence
In 1864, Robert was traveling from New York to D.C. via train. While waiting on a crowded platform, he leaned against a stopped train to allow others to pass. The train moved, and Robert fell onto the tracks. A bystander named Edwin, one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of his time, grabbed Robert by the collar and hauled him back onto the platform. Robert realized the man who'd just saved his life was a famous actor known for being one of the best performers of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
One of Edwin's friends wrote him a letter congratulating him for saving the president's son.
Robert's full name was Robert Todd Lincoln, and less than a year after Edwin Booth saved his life, Booth's brother, John Wilkes Booth, murdered President Abraham Lincoln, Robert's father.
Did this extraordinary coincidence actually happen, or have you fallen for a lie?
Story #3: A Doomed Expedition
In September of 1921, famed explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson went to Nome, Alaska, looking for an English-speaking native to join his expedition to Wrengle Island. A 23-year-old Iñupiaq woman named Ada Blackjack was recruited to be a seamstress for $50/month (equivalent of $905 today), an astronomical sum at the time. Stefansson would not personally participate in the expedition, but he hired a crew comprised of Ada plus four men: Allan Crawford, Milton Galle, Fred Maurer, and Lorne Knight. Ada was the only Iñupiaq aboard and the only woman.
Wrengle is a large, remote island located between the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea. It is 93 miles long, 50 miles wide, and spans 2,900 square miles. Wrangel Island is best known for being the last refuge of the woolly mammoth, where scientists say the animals lived until approximately 4,000 years ago. The island also hosts the world's highest density of polar bear dens, making it an essential site for the species’ survival.
The team members set out with a 6-month supply of food, and the ship dropped them off before heading back to the mainland. Stefansson wanted the small expedition party to lay claim to the island by living there for two years. He reasoned that game would be plentiful, and that the wild game plus their 6-month supply of food would tide them over until the resupply ship arrived.
The expedition ran low on food in 1922 when the resupply ship failed to deliver due to the extensive sea ice. In January of 2023, Allan Crawford, Milton Galle, Fred Maurer, and their surviving sled dogs raced across the ice to find help. They were never seen again. Ada stayed behind to nurse and care for Lorne Knight, who was sick with scurvy. He died five months later.
"Wrengle, Island. June. 23d. 1923. The daid of Mr. Knights death he died on June 23d I dont know what time he die though Anyway I write the daid, Just to let Mr Stefanssom know what month he died and what daid of the month writen by Mrs Ada B, Jack."
~ From Ada Blackjack's diary
Ada was stranded alone with the ship's cat, Vic. She scavenged for food, taught herself how to use a gun to hunt and protect the camp against polar bears, gathered her own wood, and made her own clothes.
In August of 1923, a rescue ship arrived. Ada and Vic were saved. Ada became something of a celebrity, but she never received full payment for her seamstress services or for any of the articles or books that were written about her amazing story of survival.
Is it possible that this story of a young woman being the sole survivor of an ill-fated Arctic expedition is real, or do we have you completely snowed?
Story #4: The Night Visitor
It started with the attic light.
Every night around 2:13 a.m., the attic bulb would flicker on, even though no one had been up there in months. Ellie, a recent divorcée who’d just moved into the 1940s colonial house in upstate New York, assumed faulty wiring. But the electrician found nothing wrong. “Might be on a timer or motion sensor,” he offered, though there were none installed.
Three nights later, Ellie heard footsteps overhead - slow, deliberate pacing. Her dog, Max, froze, ears perked, then growled at the ceiling. Ellie mustered the courage to open the attic door, baseball bat in hand. There was nothing but dust, boxes, and silence. She navigated the space, heart hammering, when the bulb snapped off.
Ellie woke in her bed the next morning, unable to remember what had happened after the attic light went out the night before. Confused and scared, she dressed and rushed to her car, determined to spend the day anywhere but in that house. As she riffled through her purse looking for her car keys, she found an old photo. It showed a family standing in front of her house, decades earlier. Scribbled on the back: “Tommy’s room, 1952.” Ellie noticed a faint figure in the attic window - a young boy. She took the photo to the historical society. The archivist went pale. “Oh, that’s the Monroe family. Their son, Tommy, died in that attic. Carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Ellie began sleeping with the hall light on. One night, she whispered, “Tommy, I'm so sorry about what happened to you. I know you're afraid, but you are free to leave this place now. It can't hurt you anymore.”
The attic light blinked once. It never turned on again.
The next morning, Ellie wended her way through the stacks of junk and boxes in the attic. She didn't want to be afraid in her own home anymore, and this was her version of exposure therapy. It's about time I cleaned up here anyway, she thought. She noticed something tall in the back corner, covered by a tatty sheet. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she padded forward, tentatively plucking the sheet away. It was an old Queen Anne Cheval mirror. "Thank you" was written on the thin layer of dust covering the glass. Ellie smiled, knowing this was Tommy's way of saying goodbye.
She never heard the footsteps again, but Max still refused to enter the attic.
Did Ellie really set Tommy's spirit free, or is this story just smoke and mirrors?
Story #5: The Dancing Plague of 1518
In 1518, Strasbourg was a city in the Holy Roman Empire. It is now part of France.
In July of that year, Frau Troffea walked into the middle of the street and began to dance. Mrs. Troffea continued until she collapsed from sheer exhaustion. After a bit of rest and recuperation, she resumed her frenzied gyrating. For days, she didn't stop, and within a week, three dozen townsfolk had joined her.
The authorities were alarmed by what was happening, but local physicians believed the affliction was due to "hot blood," prescribing more dancing to cure the strange phenomenon. A stage was built and musicians hired to play while the townsfolk continued to dance. Professional dancers were brought in to accompany them.
By August, more than 400 residents of Strasbourg were caught up in the madness. Many danced themselves to death from exertion, strokes, or heart attacks.
In September, the dancers converged on a shrine and prayed for forgiveness.
Historian John Waller believes the townsfolk likely fell under the spell of their superstitious conviction that vengeful Saint Vitus cursed them with a dancing plague.
Is this a case of religious superstition, mass hysteria, or simply a cursed plot from a writer's imagination?
Story #6: The Ride Share
Nina’s phone died just as her rideshare app was loading. Stranded outside the airport after a delayed flight, she sighed and headed to the taxi line.
The only cab left was hailed by another stranded passenger - an older man in a suit, checking his watch anxiously. “You heading downtown?” he asked. She nodded. “Let’s split it.”
They made small talk during the ride. Nina mentioned she was in town for a last-minute interview at a startup. She’d been laid off unexpectedly two weeks earlier and applied on a whim.
The man smiled. “What company?”
She named it. He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m one of the co-founders.”
She blinked. “Seriously?”
He laughed. “Seriously. You’re interviewing with my partner tomorrow.”
For the rest of the ride, they talked - not about résumés or qualifications, but about ideas, work ethic, and timing.
The next day, her interview was brief. The co-founder she met simply said, “Tom already told me about you. When can you start?”
Later, Nina would tell her friends: “My phone dying was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
One dead battery. One random taxi. And just like that, everything changed.
It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t planned. It was just life - unpredictable, unfair, and sometimes perfectly timed.
Is this story of happenstance based on truth, or have we taxied down a runway of deception?
* * *
Scroll down to find out which stories are fact and which are fiction.
Fact or Fiction:
Story #1: The Last Passenger - Fiction
Story #2: An Extraordinary Coincidence - Fact
Story #3: A Doomed Expedition Fact
Story #4: The Night Visitor - Fiction
Story #5: The Dancing Plague of 1518 - Fact
Story #6: The Ride Share - Fiction
Further Reading:
When John Wilkes Booth's brother saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son
Ada Blackjack: Forgotten Queen of Arctic Expeditions
The Dancing Plague of 1518
A Time to Dance, a Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518
How many did you get right? Have you used real-life events as the basis for a short story? Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive "REAL/FAKE" trinket. The image used to make this month's trinket was created by yours truly. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket in December when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
Thank you for reading.
"The truth is still the truth, even if no one believes it. A lie is still a lie, even if everyone believes it."
~ Anonymous
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic, I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
|  | Rockabee (E)
A tale of Rockabee, a town in the drop of Alder sap by the Giant's Grave in Cong, Ireland
#1227521 by Basilides  |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
The following is in response to "A Writer's Guide to Creative Ideas" :
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Morticia Wednesday Megan Rose  writes: We are allowed to write a crappy story. We learn from our mistakes. Some good info. The three rules of writing. It depends on the writer. I think writers make their own rules. This newsletter is helpful. I learned some lessons from this.
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S🤦♂️  writes: Everything you mentioned I have put into my Writing Blog here at WdC. Some people don't consider reading to be worthwhile, but here's something else:
There is no copyright on ideas. You might see an idea and think that you could do better. Invent new characters (they can be copyrighted), but take the ideas and redo them! One of my published books was basically Wyndham's Day Of The Triffids supplanted to the Australian outback. Read, take ideas, and do with them as you will!
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W.D.Wilcox  writes: Some good advice from a good author. Write On!
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BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  writes: A little of this, and a little of that.
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Jeff-o'-lantern 🎃  writes: This is a great list of potential sources of story ideas! Pretty sure I've used them all at one time or another. My favorite is using prompts and constraints, with "what if" questions as a close second.
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thereBdragons writes: former dragonlayd here, some good tips thanks!
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booksandbooks  writes: Thank you Shannon for an interesting newsletter full of ideas for writing short stories. I am going to print this out for reference. Look forward to your next newsletter.
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tj says Boris sent me  writes: I enjoy this newsletter and especially found this one enlightening. Most of, if not all, of what you write this week is information I knew back when I was in a college writing class. Funny how much we can forget over the years. Thank you.
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Wraithy WiԎchy of Woe!  writes: Very informative NL Shannon. "Give Yourself Permission to Write Badly" I do give myself a lot of permission to do that. Now, if only I could take the time and have the patience to revise it better. 
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Pol-TIGGY-st  writes: Lots of great advice in this newsletter! The one that spoke to me the most was 'Give yourself permission to write poorly'. I struggle with that - if it's not perfect from the start, I tend to abandon the story, which is why I have 30 (!) attempts for The Bradbury in my portfolio and not one of them is finished. I loved the Hemingway quote as well
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sindbad  writes: That was a very insightful and practical guide! I especially loved the section on Asking "What If?" Questions and the idea of using Constraints to paradoxically free creativity.
My Thoughts & Creative Endeavors
I've tried many of these techniques, but a few have been particularly fruitful for sparking a new short story idea:
1. Tapping into Sensory Overload (An Unlisted Idea)
While "Observe the World Like a Storyteller" is excellent, my specific variation is to focus on a single, overwhelming sensory experience and build a story around it. Instead of just noting an observation, I immerse myself in it for a few minutes and record the immediate feeling.
2. The "Wrong End of the Telescope" Constraint
I often use the constraint of taking a massive, global, or life-changing event (like an alien invasion, a natural disaster, or a major historical turning point) and telling the story from the perspective of the least important person in the least important location.
* Example: Instead of a story about the leaders fighting an alien invasion, I write about the janitor in the deserted municipal office complex who is primarily concerned with finding a new supply of industrial-strength floor cleaner after the aliens blew up his usual supplier. This forces the narrative to be about mundane human needs set against a backdrop of cosmic change, which usually creates unexpected humor or deep pathos.
My Favorite Idea: The "What If?" Question
The "What If?" technique is definitely my go-to. My current creative endeavor, still in its drafting phase, was born from a simple "What If?":
"What if a person could only see the world exactly as it was at the moment of their birth?"
* This question led to a story about a historian who is chronologically moving forward in time but perpetually sees 1983—the furniture, the fashion, the buildings, the weather, and even the people he interacts with—all appear to him as they did on the day he was born. The tension comes from his struggle to live in and understand the actual present when his own eyes constantly lie to him, making him question his sanity and his understanding of reality itself.
Thank you for the inspiring read! ..sindbad
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Citizen Journalist writes: I’m overwhelmed by stimuli to write creative and unique story starts, even jotting down dreams. It’s carrying stories forward without the necessary fact or imagine to fill that derails my process. I bailed on three efforts I started writing this month. I lack concentration, a victim of ADHD and more. But, no regrets. This process to write is all I need, though I fail repeatedly to fit in where writers commune. So, I help them with their works…I did…before betrayals. Another story I could write, have much of it documented.
I’m a journalist at heart, slapped in the face since a child with innocent questions. That just adds to story. What are they hiding? The things you don’t hear create opportunities to puzzle images together when lacking key evidence. Where is it? Why is it missing? It could sit right on your nose sometimes.
I survive stories, once locked inside myself, self-isolating as neurodivergent reeling from undeserved betrayal. Music, film and television gave me dialogue to communicate again. I have imaginary conversations everyday to pass the time. All helps inspire stories. It takes courage to step over that line to get closer to subjects. I’ll stop here.
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Short Stories: October 22, 2025 Issue [#13394]
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