In the world of fiction, suspension of disbelief is when readers set aside their skepticism to engage with a story's improbable or fantastical elements. This willingness is crucial because it allows readers to dive into the narrative without constantly questioning its realism or logical consistency. For authors, achieving this relies on establishing a coherent internal logic within the story.
For example, readers can accept magical powers in a fantasy novel if the story sets clear rules and limitations for those powers. Famous works like Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Martin’s Game of Thrones series excel at this. They create richly detailed worlds with consistent rules and believable characters, enabling readers to fully invest in the magical realms and epic adventures they present.
So, in this blog post, we'll explore how you can encourage readers to suspend their disbelief, identify common mistakes that disrupt a story's reality, and ensure your fiction remains believable.
Encouraging Suspension of Disbelief
For a story to feel believable, its events and character actions need to align with the reader's understanding of the world, based on their own experiences and observations.
Even in a completely fantastical setting, there should be an internal consistency that makes the story intellectually satisfying. This means that the sequence of events, character motivations, and outcomes must make sense within the context of the established fictional world (and our own world, if not clarified as different).
So, how can you encourage your readers to suspend their disbelief?
Crafting Compelling Characters: Develop well-rounded characters with complex backgrounds, clear motivations, and realistic behaviours that are engrained into the story. A character’s backstory provides context for their current choices, allowing readers to understand their behaviour and thus not question it.
Creating Immersive Settings: Create vivid, immersive settings that transport readers into the story's world. By crafting an engaging backdrop that feels tangible and lived-in, you can enhance the reader's sense of reality, encouraging them to suspend their disbelief and fully embrace the imaginative aspects of the story.
Consistency in Plot and Logic: Even the most imaginative stories require internal consistency. This means that every event and character action should logically follow the rules established within the fictional world. When these rules are broken, it can lead to moments that feel implausible.
Building Emotional Connections with Readers: Engage readers emotionally by creating relatable characters and situations. When readers care about the characters and their journeys, they are more likely to overlook minor implausibilities and stay invested in the story. High stakes and deep emotional arcs make the narrative feel real and personal.
Balancing Realism with Fantastical Elements: A successful story often blends realistic details with fantastical elements. While magic or advanced technology can exist, they should have limitations and rules. This balance helps ground the story, making the extraordinary feel believable within the context of your fictional world.
When Suspension of Disbelief Goes Wrong
A little while ago, an author online couldn't understand why readers had picked apart an inconsequential detail in their novel, despite those same readers wholeheartedly believing in the magical elements. This is a case of when the suspension of disbelief has been broken.
Consider an urban fantasy where a character possesses magical powers. The story establishes a world where magic exists, and there are clear rules governing its use. Readers can accept the existence of magic because the narrative provides a consistent and logical framework for how magic operates within that world. However, if the same story suddenly describes the character speeding through a school zone without facing any consequences, readers might take issue.
Even in a world where magic exists, readers rely on their inductive knowledge about the real world to assess anything that the author doesn't explain. Speeding through a school zone is universally recognised as dangerous and illegal, and in the absence of any magical justification or alteration of traffic laws, this action would seem reckless and implausible. It breaks the internal consistency of the narrative, thus disrupting the suspension of disbelief.
But, wait!
Interestingly, some inaccuracies in fiction are so commonly portrayed that we accept them without much thought. For example, the idea that characters can be knocked unconscious for extended periods and then wake up without any lasting effects.
In reality, prolonged unconsciousness typically indicates a severe medical issue requiring immediate attention. However, in movies, TV shows, and books, characters often recover from such situations with little to no consequences.
The repetition of this trope across various forms of media helps in suspending disbelief. Audiences have seen it so often that they subconsciously accept it as a narrative convenience, allowing the story to progress without delving into medical complexities. This widespread acceptance creates a collective understanding that, within the context of fiction, some real-world rules can be bent or ignored for the sake of the plot.
So, if your readers are questioning your narrative or its world, why might that be?
Plot Holes and Inconsistencies: Logical inconsistencies or unresolved plot points can disrupt the story's plausibility. Ensure that your plot progresses logically and that all elements are cohesively tied together.
Unrelatable or Poorly Developed Characters: Characters who lack depth, act inconsistently, or have unclear motivations can make it difficult for readers to connect with the story. Ensure your characters are well-developed and their actions make sense within the story's context.
Incongruent World-Building: A world that contradicts its own established rules or includes elements that don't fit can confuse readers. Consistency in world-building is crucial to maintaining suspension of disbelief.
Overuse of Clichés or Unrealistic Scenarios: Relying too heavily on clichés or including scenarios that defy common sense without explanation can strain believability. Aim for originality and logical coherence to keep readers engaged.
If you feel suspension of disbelief could be an issue in your story, it's essential to get feedback from beta readers or an editor. Encourage them to ask questions about your characters and the world. Ask them to highlight any moment that made them pause and ask, "Wait... what?"
These early readers can help to pinpoint areas where your story might lose its believability and offer valuable suggestions on fixing inconsistencies or implausibilities. By listening to their feedback, you can refine your narrative and ensure it stays engaging and credible. Some fixes will be quick—a sentence here or there to clarify a detail—while others may require some deeper integration of new elements or even adjustment of plot points.
Conclusion
Suspension of disbelief is a crucial part of crafting engaging fiction. By building immersive worlds, maintaining consistent plots, and developing relatable characters, writers can truly captivate their audience and keep them invested in the story.
Remember, a well-crafted narrative that honors the reader's need for plausibility—even in fantastical settings—can whisk them away to incredible realms of imagination. So, embrace these techniques, and let your stories enchant and delight your readers!
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