Reality Check

Yeah, I know a little about reality, and then again, I don't. How is that possible? It's not as much of a brain teaser as you might think. Realism is simply how far you are willing to suspend belief in a story. Vampires and shifters=suspension of belief, the world they live=reality. Yet when that fails, when it falls short and ends up being the next dent in your wall, then reality was not consistent. Consistency is what supports realism in writing. Within one book or a whole series. When it fails, it usually fails huge. Picture the breach of "RED OCTOBER" for spectacular.

Consistent realism is necessary in most genres. Make-believe 'home towns' in contemporaries, other worlds in science fiction, the wild and sometimes unexpected of paranormal and the magic and off beat of fantasy. There's more, but I'd be here all day.

Most who read romance know several authors have vampire series. Consistency within those series builds the realism book to book. If an author suddenly changes in mid-stream, it breaks the thread. Kind of like a skipped line on an old RPM. That's a vinyl record in case I just dated myself. *wink*

Realism is the background of the story that we, as readers, can connect with. Real life situations, locations, experiences. Reality is very important in any book, be it the background of the stage or the reality of the characters. I know Z and TJ have discussed the Alpha hero and the reality of their A personality quirks. My point, while probably a bit more convoluted--it can happen at 10 at night!--is simply, realism, reality, our connection to the story, can be any part of the story from the locale to the strength of the characters to their job.

What do you think? Where does reality have to be expressed? What can you forgive?