Because readers are accustomed to far-out premises that stretch reality all out of shape, most won’t blink an eye at a story that features any number of unbelievable phenomena.
But that doesn’t let writers off the hook. If you don’t do your darndest to make these unbelievable characters every whit as believable as your readers’ own lives, they won’t find your stories convincing—and they’re going to put them down.
Convincing Details Are the Key to Making the Unrealistic Seem Realistic
So how can you help readers suspend their disbelief in the imaginary world of your stories—whether that world is another planet, another country, or even just small-town Americana?
The key isn’t so much writing realistic fiction. In fact, readers love unrealistic fiction (just think of enduring cult classics such as Star Trek and Indiana Jones).
Specificity Creates Suspension of Disbelief
Rather, the key is creating a world so explicit in detail readers can’t help but believe what you’re telling them.
Reflex by Steven Gould (affiliate link)
Steven Gould’s well-crafted science-fiction thriller Reflex, which features protagonists who are capable of teleporting, masterfully uses details in every aspect of the story—whether it’s the food selection in New York City or the physics of teleportation.
Readers never doubt the existence of so specific a world. Via his deft descriptions and use of telling details to enliven his story, Gould presents a convincing background to his complicated tale. This allows readers to worry about more important things—such as his plot—rather than doubting the plausibility of his setting.
