A Real Fictional World

When writing a novel, no matter what genre, you're always creating a fictional world. Yup, even if it's based on the small town you grew up in, you're fictionalizing that world (or you'd better be. See my Setting page, if you don't think so.)

Some worlds are less real than others, though all need to have at least one "foot" planted in reality.

So how do you decide just what kind of setting to use?


In A World of Your Own

I tend to walk around in my own little world. Both literally and figuratively. Not only am I a daydreamer, but I have a fictional world I created that follows me around all the time, too.

No harm in that (as long as it doesn't superimpose itself over my vision while I'm driving!). It's an asset, as far as I'm concerned. Because the more details I "see", the more details I can use to build that world in my novels.

Even my fantasy world is made up mostly of "real" bits of this world. I don't have any alien species walking about it, nor any fantastical creatures. Just people, good and evil and neutral.

I get most of my inspiration by studying medieval and Renaissance eras, with the occasional dollop of foreign (to me) culture.

You should do the same. Begin creating your world by looking at the one you live in. If you're writing contemporary fiction, you've got tons of fodder surrounding you. If you're writing historical fiction, you still have plenty to draw from, and you can research the historical aspects.

Most genres are set in what's basically our world. You just have to create enough differences to make it seem real while not being real. And make sure the world you choose to create feels right for the novel you're writing.

And if you're creating an entire world set somewhere else in the universe, you still have to base it enough on reality and known science for us to believe it's real.


Suspension of Disbelief

What does it mean to make your readers suspend their disbelief, and why should you do so?

Without the suspension of disbelief, your readers are going to walk away from your novel. Yes, they know it's not real, but for a little while, they're willing to pretend it is real. That's what makes it FICTION! (And entertaining.)

Which is why you have to make your fictional world, whatever, whenever and wherever it is, seem like it's temporarily a real world.

Your aliens can breathe methane, for all I care, so long as it seems like there really could be alien life forms that thrive that way.

Humans breathing methane and surviving? That's a different story. That goes against science and what we know to be true. You'll have a much harder time convincing me that can happen.

Unless you have advanced humans who can transform themselves into creatures that can breathe methane.

So how did I get onto characters from worlds? Because the world you create is going to be inhabited by characters. So if you make the atmosphere of your new planet methane... well you know what that brings.

If characters are the first part of your novel equation, then, be sure you craft a world that works for them. Don't throw that knight in shining armor in front of a modern-day bus unless he's time traveling. He won't know what hit him. (I couldn't resist.)

No matter what kind of world you create - nearly real, or mostly unreal - just make sure you make us believe, for the time being, that it could be real. Then you'll have us hooked.