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Friday
Sep302011

Reality, what a concept

Word count: 274                                                                                                Reading time: 2 min

Recently a friend said that not everyone reads like I do. Apparently I demand a lot from novels because I want credibility. I don’t want reality to the exclusion of caricature or metaphor or other wondrous literary devices. I’m not looking for it in sci fi or fantasy. But in everyday garden-variety fiction shouldn’t the laws of nature and human nature be evident?

It’s late summer and daffodils are blooming in the garden. Really?

A 19th century schoolteacher with no income, other than her subsistence level job, is fired. Can she really afford to live on her own, in a hotel no less, for an indefinite period until rescued by a proposal of marriage?

A character goes to a big high school and finds a secret room where she can hide every time her demons overwhelm her. Is it possible only one teenager in an entire would test doors to see if they’re locked? That only one teenager would go places she shouldn’t? Can I believe that this room will remain undiscovered for the whole school year or until the climax, when the protagonist’s tormentor finds her there?

When I hit one of these road bumps, I usually re-read the earlier part of the book to see where I missed the essential detail. Once I’ve satisfied myself that it’s a simple continuity error, I never engage with the story in the same way again.

Do credibility issues suspend your belief in a story? If so, can you remember any really good ones? Or do you just read past structural weaknesses?

Lastly, where have all the editors gone?

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Reader Comments (4)

Thanks for a great blog MB! If it weren't for you and your keen mind, my own characters would be doing all sorts of nonsense.

Allison

October 1, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterAllison

Oh, how I would love to be an editor!

Like you, I get discombobulated when there are glaring lacks of continuity or big errors. It is hard to go on with the same connection to the story once that has happened.

I'm glad to know there are others who are picky about this too!

October 1, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLisa

You're not alone, Lisa. There are a few of us who sometimes grind our teeth as we read.

There are lots of excellent editors out there but I suspect the beleaguered publishing industry isn’t employing them like they used to.

Maggie

October 1, 2011 | Registered CommenterMaggie Bolitho

I could fill the page with errors my hard-working editors ratted me out on. All of which I appreciated. I feel they really had my back. Things like ... 'no, you are heading west if you turn up 13th and then take a left onto Haywood. (This is West Vancouver) And they are, like, in Toronto! Yikes - they must be sitting there with maps. Bless them. Also, apparently Obama got his Portuguese Water Hound in April. Also, if a character walks down an aisle and is squinting into direct sunlight ... and then she scoots back up another aisle ... well, there is no more bloody squinting. It's merely sunny out. Ha!

I agree that a person wants to get the details right. Whether you are reading or writing it - aim for accuracy at all costs!

October 19, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLynn Crymble

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