A way with worlds: 47 - The Realism Factor

COMBINING THE TWO REALISMS:
Once you have both your realisms, the important thing is making sure they work together - as they will impact each other. If you have a fantasy world with dragons, people are not going to be unconcerned about giant near-indestructible fire-breathing lizards unless you give a good reason. In a superhero tale, despite great powers, people are people - with their motivations and fears and reactions. Standard firearms are going to be treated much different in a world of sorcery or telepathy.

The final key, the "fused realism" of your entire world is making sure that the elements people can relate to (External Realism) and the elements you devised (Internal Realism) fuse perfectly. A seamless integration of things your audience can understand provides the gateway to comprehending what you've created.

As noted, External Realism is the key to making sure Internal Realism is accessible by your readers. So, perhaps there aren't two realisms after all . . .

As I noted, realism is a trickster. This is just a conceptual tool to help you develop that strange but wonderful and important quality in your worldbuilding.

SUMMARY:
Realism in a created world requires consistency for what you have created in fiction (Internal Realism) and believability in what you have taken from the real world (External Realism). By fusing the two you create a believable world despite its fictional elements, and a richer experience for your reader.

A Way with Worlds is hosted at:

• fanfiction.net

• lit.org

• sffworld.com

The complete works are archived at the Way With Worlds archive.
A German translation is in the works at Christian Spliess's Page