Write Better: Tips and tricks

What is Suspension of disbelief?

You may here writers talking about this all the time, especially if you are submitting your work for editing or critiques. Sometimes it can feel very murky or difficult to sort out, especially in fiction.

Here are some common comments editors, readers, and others will leave when a writer fails to suspend disbelief:

I don't believe this would happen.

I'm not really seeing this going the way it does.

There's no way that's possible.

This doesn't make sense. Why would they walk two miles to the mall when the MC's best friend just arrived in a limo?

Based on what we know and what's happened (that Sally literally just got told spiders infested the fruit), I don't believe she'd stick her hand into that bag of grapes.

After receiving comments like these, many writers often throw their hands up, stomp their feet, and reply with a version of

1. "It's a STORY. A story. Made-up! Obviously it's not real." And then trot off to rant somewhere about stupid readers not understanding the premise of a story.

 2. Or if it did happen, they'll argue that it did because they saw it/experienced it/googled/etc.

3. Or if it's a question like (why walk when you have a limo?) they'll type out a response explaining the situation (well, the limo was a rental and the driver took off, and the best friend likes to be a regular kid every now and then and not famous). So there. Problem solved!

Except it isn't.

Those are valid arguments, but they miss the mark.

Most stories require some stretching of the imagination, but there's a difference between convincing readers to go with the flow, and having them shake their heads in disbelief.

Your job as a writer is to make things sound like they COULD happen in YOUR story. In the words that they are reading.

Maybe in the real world things don't happen this way 9 times out of 10. Or ever.

That's where suspension of disbelief comes in.

What you want is for readers to say: okay, that can't happen, but I don't care (or better yet, for them not to realize it can't happen until the story is over and they're looking for problems, a la Cinema Sins in the above video; Jurassic Park is a fantastic movie that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, for, you know, DINOSAURS).

The writer needs to convince readers that whatever is happening in your story, CAN actually happen in your story. And you've got to do this IN your story. Not in the comments. Not in your head.

For example, you can't step through a brick wall and access Platform 9 3/4 in real life. But when you're reading JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels, absolutely you can. As a writer, she did her job in making the average reader press pause on a "hey, whoa, NO" reaction and kept them reading. In Harry Potter's world, readers feel like this is something possible. They're willing to suspend their disbelief.

That's what you're looking for. Possible.

What are some examples where people suspend disbelief?

If you're still looking for a way to describe suspended disbelief, look no further than magicians. Magicians want you to see magic. Their secrets (little strings and slight of hand, secret compartments, etc) are how they get things done. Setting up their secrets and doing a good job of it is what can make the average viewer 'believe' in magic. The audience know it's a trick, but they're willing to go along for the ride.

Or the ending to Jaws, with the scuba tank and rifle. Was it going to explode like that in real life? No. Even Jaws wasn't the most realistic, but Spielburg has you captured and in the moment, and we believe it (in the movie). Heck, some people are terrified to go in the deep end of a pool, after seeing that movie!

Speaking of terror, people suspend disbelief all the time- not that we call it that. You know the house is empty and it's just you inside, and the cold temperatures are making the house's old frame contract and crack, but then the sun goes down and a low creak has you turning all the lights on and grabbing a rolling pin. You know there isn't a scary clown murderer in your closet. But in the moment you kind of sort of believe there could be.

Remember: Just because you say it's so, doesn't mean it is.

A lot of suspending disbelief is in the setup. Sometimes it's big (lining chapters with hints and explanations), sometimes it's little (a tiny sentence). In Harry Potter, JK Rowling has established a lot about magic and how it is and isn't visible- and by the time we get to the platform, we're ready to watch them walk straight through the wall. 

When people say they don't believe something, it's usually because it wasn't set up enough.

Depending on what they aren't buying into, your fix might be big or small. Let's look at our three writer reactions. This can help determine what your issue is.

1. It's a story. This is usually due to a larger problem, where you might have to go back in a few chapters and lay foundation and groundwork (for example: in chapter 7, Lucy is blessed with fire powers after rubbing a genie's lamp in her grandma's basement. Your reader doesn't believe that grandma would have a lamp  and that Lucy would instantly master her powers. --> You might need to hint at grandma's travels or mention as she obtains her powers the knowledge that flows through her, the control, etc.)

2. It can happen because it *has* happened. That's nice, but if this is the basis of your argument, it usually means that you didn't explain it or detail it well enough. It has to feel possible in your story, not just in real life.

3. Why do that? Let me tell you why. This is the easiest fix, usually, because in explaining the answer to the reader's question, you've just zeroed in on what's missing or unclear in your text. Establish that in the text itself, and you'll fix that problem (such as deleting the part where she knows about the spider infestation, or by mentioning that she gets thrills playing games with death).

What about readers who go crazy picking at every little thread in my glorious tapestry? Sometimes things are explained fully and there's that one person who skims or doesn't read well or forgot what happened since you last updated/they last picked up the book.

How do you know if you should include more info, or if they're just not that great at reading?

Give readers the benefit of the doubt. Remember, if one person has a question, they are probably not the only one. Check your work. See if there isn't a way you can make things more clear or set them up better. There is nothing wrong with strengthening your narrative. In fact, you'll wind up engrossing more readers, more deeply!