To wonder why people dramatize a story when retelling it?

[Orangedots]

Listening to someone retell an event that a group of us enjoyed together.

They’ve embellished it somewhat and I’m not entirely sure why. To get sympathy? To make it more dramatic?

I mean things like if the journey took 3 hours, they tell everyone it took 4. Waited 30 minutes for food, told everyone It was an hour wait.

These are just vague examples as don’t want to be outing, but this person does this regularly. When asked about it they deny it or query others accounts.

Anyone else do this and if so, please can you explain why?

Makes it sound more exciting

30 min wait for food. Yeah can accept that if it’s really busy but an hour? That would annoy me

I guess it just makes it more interesting or something?
People want to keep others attention, so a few bits thrown in to spice up the narrative keeps others wanting more.
Plus people will always add to stories too.
I always try to ' read between the lines' personally!

Blame hennie pennie, chicken licken, cocky locky, they've started it.

Yes, a, er, relative by marriage. A short queue in traffic is "We are at a standstill." It's never raining but "a monsoon".

I don't know why. I think she likes all the oh dear, how terrible for you type stuff.

Because alot of every day stories are a bit boring and repetitive

To cater to the audience , I’m in a CEV group on Facebook and they entertain themselves by sharing tales which are so far fetched they are unbelievable to anyone sensible

My sil does this all the time.
Latest one was that she's had bailiffs knocking at her door at 7 in the morning.
What had actually happened was a letter in the post from a collection agency chasing a bill for the previous house owner

I've listened to the same story from someone I know fairly well about a terrible camping trip she had. Over the years a few things have changed, the story has grown bigger.
I think it's funny ( also depends on who her audience is regarding how embellished it becomes!)

If they told the truth would it be worth retelling?

Just for entertainment probably. Sometimes I find myself doing this and I’m not sure why. I suppose I worry my stories will be boring so I exaggerate. There’s certainly no harm intended.

I do this too. Not flat out lies but embellishment.

“It almost gave me a heart attack”! = something mildly shocking happened that I wasn’t expecting.

It's how you tell a story. You add details which make it more compelling.

Also, inconsciously, we may not remember everything as it was. Memory isn't accurate and can be tampered with.
A friend of mine told me a childhood memory years ago, and up until recently, I was sure that it actually happened to me.

Eventually, your memories are just such as the last time you remembered them.
If I tell you a story, I will tell you how I last recalled it. Details will change overtime.

It's just the way some people express themselves. Not something to get worked up over in the grand scheme of life, I don't think.

Sometimes because they want a particular reaction to the story. Sometimes because storytelling is a form of entertainment and they want to please the audience.

If the embellishments don't cause any harm or distress to anyone, and aren't in any way malicious, I wouldn't be bothered by it.

Ack
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!!

To make it more interesting?
Who wants to listen to boring crap about a half hour meal, unless it's a witness statement who cares?

My ex did this a lot. Everything was over dramatised. If he stubbed his foot, he would say I smashed foot. If food was hot it was absolutely boiling. For him it was to get sympathy, it wa ms tiresome

Cos most people are dull as fuck

Unlike DH who nearly kills himself at least once a week (true story).

Some people love a bit of drama so embellish

Do you think all memoirs are entirely factual?

It's pretty well known that James Herriot's stories, wonderful as they are, didn't all occur exactly as he related them. And Stephen Katz (not his real name), who joined Bill Bryson on the Appalachian Trail, has described Bryson's book about the experience as "mostly fiction".

And nobody should have been surprised in either instance. It's obvious reading these books and others that things wouldn't have occurred exactly, literally, as they tell them.

But they're a great pleasure to read.

My DM does this and I loathe it. Just tell the truth ffs!
It's normal to make it more dramatic as she is a complete drama llama or to make herself look like a victim.
Everyone knows she does it but I'm the only person who calls her out on it, then she goes round telling everyone that I'm mean and horrible.

@DrSbaitso

Do you think all memoirs are entirely factual?

It's pretty well known that James Herriot's stories, wonderful as they are, didn't all occur exactly as he related them. And Stephen Katz (not his real name), who joined Bill Bryson on the Appalachian Trail, has described Bryson's book about the experience as "mostly fiction".

And nobody should have been surprised in either instance. It's obvious reading these books and others that things wouldn't have occurred exactly, literally, as they tell them.

But they're a great pleasure to read.

Unless your name is Henry Charles Albert David.

(gets coat)

My mum used to call some stories ' shaggy dog stories'. No idea why!

My DH does this all the time. I often hear him telling people about things that have happened to us and he totally over eggs everything and makes it all a big drama. I do pull him up on it though.

My late in-laws were also the past masters of the ' embellishment tale'
They looked after ds1 for a day once , he was six months old ( it was a genuine emergency)
This turned into ' a week ' over time.
Dh's sister was potty trained at just 'over a year old ' ! ( yeah , right )
Memories can become vague!!