The Pursuit of Realism

     Some people read to escape reality and leave this world. However, some people enjoy the world we are in and read with this in mind. This is where things get tricky. Anyone with an imagination has the ability to create their own worlds and rules to govern said universe, but how can a writer adhere to our universe's rules and still write good literature?

     In a fantasy world, if a writer is stuck, all they have to do is make up something which, at worst, just makes sense. Sometimes they get lucky and it all falls together beautifully, but odds are it feels loose and forced. This is beside the point, though. In fantasy anything is possible, so theoretically a writer should never become stuck in an impossible situation for the characters or the plot in general.

     When writing a piece based in our universe, the writer must be careful to stay within our logical boundaries. They can't (or at least shouldn't!) make up crazy or impossibly convenient situations to help the story move along. The reader feels cheated, or the characters miss out on important development. This is where intense research and planning come into play.

     During the course of writing my first novel, I learned just how tricky it is to thread a good story together which is both logical and entertaining. In my head I had planned out this elaborate criminal drug lab underground in the middle of a large city. Of course, knowing I wanted everything to make sense, I did extensive research and discovered several obvious issues with my plan (the process is too complex for a city, the large shipments of raw cocoa leaves to a rundown apartment, etc.)

     As sad as I was, I knew it was the right thing to discard this idea and move on with the story. From that moment forward, I told myself I would be one hundred percent positive all my facts were checked and I would have a logical story in my hands.

     The last thing I want is readers to question the logic of what I write. An entertaining, yet sensible read is perhaps the best thing a writer can create. If you write in our universe the way it is, why break reason when you can avoid it?

He Loves You

Your eyes lock for the first time. It was an instant romance. You fell for his devilish smile. He thinks you're the most beautiful person in the world. Everything in the world is okay because

He loves you 

You catch him talking to another girl in the hall. She says they are together. He says it is a joke. He promises. Everything is okay because

He loves you 

He proposes. Your whole dream together is falling into place. The next day you catch him kissing another. He apologizes. Everything is okay because

He loves you 

Church bells are ringing. Your wedding day. You dab makeup over the black eye and smile through the pain. He says he would never again. Everything is okay because

He loves you

Three months pregnant. A little baby girl for her father. One argument. He broke his promise. No more little girl, no more little dreams. Everything is okay because

He loves you

Long day at work. Come home to the smell of another's perfume. She's lying in your bed. In the house you two built together. You scream. He says he would never again. Everything is okay because 

He loves you 

Heading down the interstate. Driver wasn't looking. Hospital bed for life. No husband. No comfort. He's out with another, telling her she's his whole world. But everything is okay because

He loves you
Doesn't he?