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The Importance of Suspending Disbelief
“Aw, man! There’s no way I can believe that!”
“C’mon, Pete,” I roll my eyes at my roommate. “It’s a movie, for crying out loud. You’re too much of a Virgo.” He really is. “You analyze too much.”
He does have a point, though. How seriously were we supposed to take Conan the Barbarian?
Writing fiction is about drawing your readers into a world you created, making them believe that world possibly exists. It’s creating characters that people can relate to – love ‘em or hate ‘em. It’s shaping something imaginative into something real.
The moment that one small bit of realism is out of place, people notice. Have you ever seen a magician do a trick and notice the thin wire or the cables that make the assistant fly? The whole illusion is ruined.
You’ve lost your audience.
Suspension of disbelief helps your readers let go of reality and accept what you have to offer. Stories like Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings may appear fanciful and completely fictitious, but if you dig deeply, you notice that Tolkien pulled from many resources to breathe life into his works.
Take the Elven language for example – most of it derives from Welsh. I lived in Wales, soaking up local culture, and on my return, I read Tolkien’s books. I could see some similarities in the language.
If something appears familiar enough, it tricks the mind into belief.
George Lucas did the same as Tolkien with the languages in his Star Wars movies. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon uses actual pagan traditions. Zimmer Bradley also includes in-depth knowledge of the period to retell the classic tales of Arthurian legends.
These stories are expertly created to provide just enough reality to make the rest of the fantastical events believable.
As a writer, you must convince your readers to believe. The reader must feel your characters are real and that they could possibly exist. The reader must believe that the events you write about could take place.
Details are the shadows that add depth to the written picture you paint. Without them, the mental image is flat and lifeless.
Universal Appeal
A believable setting and cast of characters include many details. How a reader relates to these details is important to suspending belief. A character that has a universal appeal or a type of location that a majority of people have experienced in their own lives helps create a bond.
Maybe the reader enjoyed a special place by the lake in his home town, just like your character does. So what if the lake is made of blue mercury? It’s still a lake. Your world might be a universe away from the reader, but the experience of sitting by a lake is the same regardless of the universes.
Presentation is Everything
There are two ways to create suspension of disbelief. The first is the direct approach, which works well if a character is alone in a scene. No one else around explains what is happening, so you must narrate to your reader. Use a series of events that build up to the moment where reality bows out of the picture.
Here’s an example:
The corridor of the apartment was a dusky gray of an impending sunset. No direct light reached the hallway at all. Only the multicolored splotches thrown from the massive stained glass window at the far end of the hall spattered the walls.
Cole had risen early – at least by vampire standards. He stood at the far end of the sleepy hallway, unsure of what would happen now. There was a shred of light lingering, and he was going to see it.
It was worse than a moth drawn to a flame. He needed to see the light, needed to know what it would do to him. Maybe it was some subconscious death wish. Then again, those were the only kind a wishes a dead man could have.
Cole took a few steps, closing the gap until his feet stood on the edge of a patch of deep indigo that lay on the floor. So far so good.
Slowly, he lifted his eyes to the window. The sight was stunning through vampiric eyes, and it took away his non-existent breath. Deep reds, blues, purples, yellows…all colors more beautiful than he could remember. They were so clear, so pure, like light through a crystal.
Just one more step and he’d know if the light would destroy him… or spare him to live another night.
Do you believe that the light can kill?
The indirect method usually presents a situation through the eyes of other characters. Their belief makes the reader believe. Read this example:
Two figures hovered in the shadows behind Cole. Both of them held their breath, afraid to disturb the silence.
“He’s insane. He’ll fry himself,” Cass breathed close to Sunny’s ear.
“It’s his choice.” Sunny knew the stories of some vampires living through the blazing, scorching heat created by the stained glass window. For all he knew, surviving the light was just legend. He’d never seen it with his own eyes. “He’s old enough to know what he’s doing.”
Cass wasn’t convinced. Cole was one of the most reckless vampires he’d ever known, but walking into the light was foolish.
But Cole was the luckiest man on earth. If anyone was capable of surviving such an encounter, it had to be Cole Morrison.
By now, you – the reader – should be ready to accept whatever fate is in store for Mr. Morrison. (Cole survived the light, but he wasn’t a happy camper.)
Credible suspension of belief means that you have to constantly pay attention to what you’re writing – and how you’re writing it. A single scene at the beginning of the novel isn’t sufficient. You must keep up the suspension of belief throughout the whole story.
The moment you slip, your readers will know. And your credibility goes right out the window.
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I like this article very much – a good explanation of suspension of disbelief, and a great example.
I always found that a good game master (when I used to play D&D, and other role playing games) was one who could create an atmosphere conducive to suspending disbelief. Probably people who were good at this also make good writers…
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I also find that suspension of disbelief comes in handy in the workplace sometimes when dealing with management babble:
“Brother, did you hear the news? Choco rations increased to 25 grammes this week! Doubleplusgood, that!”
To which the correct response is, “Doubleplusgood, Brother.”
Brett Legree’s last blog post..rapid prototyping life 2.0
I think you’re right about the gaming. I’ve run my fair share of games and the art of telling a story goes hand in hand with the technical aspects of writing itself. Sure, many people can write, but can they tell a story and make you believe it?
I know you’ve probably heard this a hundred times before Harry…but you’re one hell of a writer!
(I’m thinking it’s actually true as well, not just suspended disbelief)
Chad | ProFreelancing’s last blog post..3 Tricks That Are Guaranteed to Improve Your Productivity
@Chad: Damn, after the day I’ve been having I needed that, and I can never hear it enough. Thanks.
Current management theory says that to be able to tell a good story is a requirement for being a good manager.
@Chad – not only is he one hell of a writer, he’s one hell of a designer too.
Harry & James do it right.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..rapid prototyping life 2.0
*beams*
Ah, you didn’t mention Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” and Michael Moore’s films. They make great fiction, filled with suspension of disbelief.
Rudy’s last blog post..Contemplating mid-life crisis already
Eek — should I admit that I am an analyzing Virgo freak too?
When I watch movies and I catch a break in continuity, you know, like big gash on forehead in one shot, then in the next, no gash on the forehead, then back to the gash, it totally pulls me out of the movie.
Likewise with writing, people have to remember what they wrote. Whatever rules they create for their fictitious world, they need to abide them.
Great topic.
@ Harry: Great examples to illustrate your point. I would also emphasize there has to be a consistency in whatever world you’ve made up for your characters to live in. Consistency in “physics”, for example. It would not do well for there to be a car in the wild, wild west of the late 1800’s, unless your story was about a time-travel machine in the form of a DeLorean.
@ Brett: nice reference to gaming
Men with Pens
“We wear disbelief suspenders”
Nez’s last blog post..PLR Articles, the Microstock of Written Content
@Rudy: Good points there and I liked Brown’s book better than the movie
@Jaden: Welcome to MwP, my Virgo friend! I catch breaks like that too, in fact, I look for them on purpose. When it comes to writing, James and I are great at keeping things consistent; two sets of eyes and two sets of memories helps.
@Nez: I needed that laugh today and thanks for the daily tagline!
@ Nez – where do you come up with those, that is GREAT!
I need to get myself a pair of your “disbelief suspenders”… would come in handy at work… although I’d be mistaken for a physicist
Brett Legree’s last blog post..rapid prototyping life 2.0
@ Rudy – Can’t mention what you haven’t seen
I read the book. Movies are my toddler’s world. She rules the remote.
@ Jaden – Yup. It’s a nice combination of making it believable and then keeping it consistent.
@ Brett – No, you keep your nuclear plant nice and believable, buddy. Don’t you be suspending anything.
@ Nez – Consistency coming up in a later post. Hehehe, you guys are always going to be on top of this topic, I think. That was a fantastic article on PLR, btw. I think I’ll do a link roundup on that one.
Disbelief suspenders, huh?
@ Nez – PS couldn’t help the gaming reference, I had a good teacher
@ James – oh alright, I’ll nix the suspension of belief, but just until the weekend…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..rapid prototyping life 2.0
Great post! My favorite books/writings are always those where I could see myself existing in the world of the book. What really gets me when I’m watching movies or video games is unrealistic physics… I used to be a physics student so it really irks me.
Allison’s last blog post..Taste and Create 5
I’d also add that if you can get the reader to buy into suspending their disbelief with small issues early in the work, it gets much easier for them to buy off on the larger ones you might throw at them later.
Joe Nassise’s last blog post..The Premise – Your Novel’s Cornerstone
@Joe: that was another tip I read after I had written the post, and it’s a very good one. Get the readers used to the way things work in your world from the start and the rest is easy.
I do agree that if something appears familiar enough it tricks the mind into belief. So I guess the key is to always surround with things that are comfortable and familiar and you will suspend disbelief..
Great writing Harry,
You have a very good ability to draw readers in with your fiction. I kind of felt like standing next to Cole and shuddered at the thought of being close to a gruesome vampire.
Ever since I was a young child I always lose myself in any book I read. It’s like i become part of the story and identify with a certain character (usually the hero
)
It’s not rare that i have a gut feeling while reading the book what will happen next. Not sure whether that is good or bad from the author’s point of view though as maybe they are too transient.
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..Objection Your Honour
@Monika: Thank you – and Cole is anything but gruesome, he’s quite a handsome devil
The feelings you described of getting lost in the story is exactly what I strive for when I write my fiction. I want the reader to be so absorbed they lose all track of time and space. When I was a kid, I used to do that. I could easily lose a whole day reading if the book was good enough – and I still do that.
Whether it’s movies or books, I usually manage to figure out the twists before they happen. Movies like Fight Club, The Illusionist, and The Prestige all had excellent plot twists. That’s why I’m hooked on Lost, because the minds behind the writing have me in awe.
Speaking of awe, did anyone happen to see this week’s episode of Lost? I think my mind suffered a minor meltdown after that one.
I have embarked on a journey to write a collection of short stories. This will be my first attempt and I find this post absolutely helpful. I am sure to keep the concept of Suspended belief in mind as I develop my stories.