I’m writing this post the night before it’s posted. I’m tired and flagging now, but I’m so close to the A to Z finish line, I’m not about to give up. With what little spare energy I have, I’m writing this post. It’s going to be short. The topic itself has been on my list of blog posts to cover for some time, it’s just my brain may not be engaging as well as it may have done had I written it another evening.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the complaint that a book or a film had unbelievable scenes in it.
“That would never happen!”
“They can’t do that!”
Let me ask you a question. Why do you read books?
For me, it’s escapism. Real life is real enough for me. If I wanted art to imitate life to it’s enth degree, then I’d watch the news. For a crime fiction fan, it would give me everything I need. But I don’t watch the news (OK, I do that as well). I want some pace. I want emotion. I want to feel invested, and if that means the characters within the pages have to push a few boundaries, then fair enough. After all, we all hear that cops are drowning in red tape and that really wouldn’t make for interesting reading, so rather than the boss of the homicide unit being stuck in meetings all day, I’m more than happy to read as they chase the bad guys and race to save the day.
We’re reading fiction. It’s all in that one word. So next time, before those immortal words “Unbelievable!” pass your lips, just stop and ask yourself, what would you rather be reading or seeing that character doing?
Rebecca, I read for the same reasons as you do as well as because I find reading a highly enriching and entertaining experience, because of my love for the language, and because books take me to real and surreal places and characters where you need no identity or passport. In short, reading books is fun.
Reading book is great isn’t it 🙂
A good book is unbelievably fun. Why do we read books? Don’t miss my V post in the challenge.
I’ve just read it 🙂
Keep going honey, nearly there 🙂
xx
It’s been a long slog!
Don’t I know it! Lol xx
Rebecca – You’ve touched on something so important! To me, a story has to be believable in the sense that you can be drawn into what happens. But it doesn’t need to have every detail be true.
Exactly Margot. Authenticity yes, but the details, gosh, we’d be bored if it were true to life.
I agree! Also, sometimes I find myself in such strange situations or having such peculiar conversations that I even say to whoever I’m with, “If I put this in one of my stories it would be too unbelievable!” Life is often stranger than fiction – or maybe it’s just mine!
That’s what they say isn’t it, fact is stranger than fiction.
I don’t want complete reality – I’m reading to escape!
Exactly!
I read for escapism and ‘unbelievable’ is good in that sense. I’ve put a few things in books relating to situations that have happened to me and been told by a publisher that ‘these things don’t happen’ and ‘that’s too unbelievable’ – truth is certainly stranger than fiction 😉
That’s where the phrase, fact is stranger than fiction comes from, because it invariably is.
I read to escape too. It takes a really hard push for me to think something in a story is unbelievable.
Exactly and once you’re in the story, you’re usually in it.
I like a book to stay true to its theme, so if it is unreal then I want it to stay unreal rather than lurch into reality right at the end. I’m sure you KNOW which of our book club books I’m thinking of as I write this! (p.s. I am stuck on what to write for the ‘X’ post, arrggghhh)
I know which book you mean 🙂
I agreed with your comments read out at book club last night.
I was stuck on X until I asked a colleague for a dictionary and she just gave me an X word!
This is why I like the old time sit-coms and movies. They helped me escape. They were just funny situations that didn’t have to do with trying to push someones political, or social agendas. t is getting harder to find those shows these days. Unless you are a sci-fi, vampire, or zombie fan. Everything is reality t.v. or hidden agenda’s in the dialogue. When I want to escape I don’t want reality. I want it to be unbelievable. At least, I can still escape into a great book.