Readers, how much time are you willing to invest into a paranormal story before it becomes too unbelievable?

[Aceinthehole]

Where does the line fall?  Are you willing to go all in and fall into the world a writer creates? Or would you much rather it be based in reality?  If it is based in reality can you suspend  your disbelief enough to enjoy the story?

Edited February 21, 2018 by Aceinthehole

[Puppilull]

I think if the story is thought through in terms of consistency and logic, I can take pretty much anything. If the MC has a knack for getting out of trouble by suddenly presenting a new gadget ("Oh, don't worry! My vapo-neurolizer will deal with that space monster ASAP." Reaches into back-pack.) then I lose interest, but more because the plot isn't worked through. 

 

The more "unreal" the more work. So if you want to go far out there, do the work!

[mogwhy]

have grown up with fantasy stories and sci-fi as standard  fare (from birth) , if i know its going to be "unreality" and the writing/story are engaging, i can suspend reality to finish. sometimes reality is too harsh and i need an escape

[Aceinthehole]

25 minutes ago, Puppilull said:

I think if the story is thought through in terms of consistency and logic, I can take pretty much anything. If the MC has a knack for getting out of trouble by suddenly presenting a new gadget ("Oh, don't worry! My vapo-neurolizer will deal with that space monster ASAP." Reaches into back-pack.) then I lose interest, but more because the plot isn't worked through. 

 

The more "unreal" the more work. So if you want to go far out there, do the work!

 

Makes a lot of sense. I hate reading something and walking away thinking "Hmm, that was convenient."  Good to know creating and sticking to rules help. 

 

24 minutes ago, mogwhy said:

have grown up with fantasy stories and sci-fi as standard  fare (from birth) , if i know its going to be "unreality" and the writing/story are engaging, i can suspend reality to finish. sometimes reality is too harsh and i need an escape

 

Unfortunately you already know how stained with reality my writing is 

[mogwhy]

17 minutes ago, Aceinthehole said:

 

Unfortunately you already know how stained with reality my writing is 

they are still great stories. and i finished them all. even reviewed a few  you also know i'm honestly will tell you how i feel about it, too

[Mikiesboy]

Paranormal or not ... as Pupp said, things conveniently being there or happening are a MASSIVE turn off for me.

 

My Husband and i watched something recently where the Main character went to the brand new, just purchased EMPTY house of her ex.  She looked in, then wandered around the back and WOW SURPRISE the back door of this house costing over a million pounds was open. Not just unlocked, the door was ajar. That was enough for me. I could see the rest of the series like a road map before me. Awful awful writing.  Yet people lap this stuff up.

 

I've written a few sci fi things recently, prompts mostly and a couple of paranormal things. They seemed to work well, i think because there was enough real world in them that the reader could accept the unreal elements. 

[FormerMember4]

I can follow, as long as story is thought out. Like tim, I cringe with predictability. Even in an unreal universe, it must be based on some truths. Not impossibilities.

[AC Benus]

I like this question as a writer, and I like seeing what people are saying in response. I've had an interest in this genre since I was an early teen and just cutting my teeth, finding stories "I liked." It's a hard world to make real. Masters like King do it easy, literally. They take the world the reader is used to and begin to introduce discordance gradually. Most of us are familiar with The Shining, so we can see if the book opened with Jack already out his mind, the family would never have gotten to The Overlook. 

 

I tried to do it myself with Bound & Bound. The central character is thrust into an unpleasant but relatable scenario (the sudden death of his father), but then things get mysterious and he's slowly drawn into believing the impossible. That process of introducing the paranormal reality for Emeric is mirrored by the reader becoming initiated along side of him. In this book, I think it works and prepares the readers for one hell of an experience. 

 

Thanks for posting this excellent thread! 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2018 by AC Benus

[Daddydavek]

A lot depends on the storyteller's ability to keep it real, literally.  Much of fantasy is so disorganized and dare I say 'sloppy'?

 

A good story told well will always keep me going and there are lots of stories that I love including the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey.  Roger Zelazny's Amber series is another and that has some surprisingly unexpected twists and turns that are a bit beyond belief but the tales are so well told that you get drawn into them.

 

I'm retired and have lots of books on my kindle that I haven't read as I buy them almost daily.  So my point is, that a story has to draw me in and have decent writing to keep and hold my attention, whether it be fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, action adventure or even a gay romance in any genre. Otherwise, I will put it down and may or may not come back to it.

I'm old, I'm picky, so there!

[Aceinthehole]

3 hours ago, AC Benus said:

I like this question as a writer, and I like seeing what people are saying in response. I've had an interest in this genre since I was an early teen and just cutting my teeth, finding stories "I liked." It's a hard world to make real. Masters like King doing it easy, literally. They take the world the reader is used to and begin to introduce discordance gradually. Most of us are familiar with The Shining, so we can see if the book opened with Jack already out his mind, the family would never have gotten to The Overlook. 

 

I tried to do it myself with Bound & Bound. The central character is thrust into an unpleasant but relatable scenario (the sudden death of his father), but then things get mysterious and he's slowly drawn into believing the impossible. That process of introducing the paranormal reality for Emeric is mirrored by the reader becoming initiated along side of him. In this book, I think it works and prepares the readers for one hell of an experience. 

 

Thanks for posting this excellent thread! 

 

 

 No problem. Thank you and the others for the replies! It's a question I've been wondering for a few months now and figured it would not only benefit me but perhaps other authors as well!

[Timothy M.]

I have no problem doing the 'willing suspension of disbelief' for paranormal stories, sci-fi or fantasy   But the world has to have internal logic and consistency.

[Mikiesboy]

4 hours ago, AC Benus said:

I like this question as a writer, and I like seeing what people are saying in response. I've had an interest in this genre since I was an early teen and just cutting my teeth, finding stories "I liked." It's a hard world to make real. Masters like King doing it easy, literally. They take the world the reader is used to and begin to introduce discordance gradually. Most of us are familiar with The Shining, so we can see if the book opened with Jack already out his mind, the family would never have gotten to The Overlook. 

 

I tried to do it myself with Bound & Bound. The central character is thrust into an unpleasant but relatable scenario (the sudden death of his father), but then things get mysterious and he's slowly drawn into believing the impossible. That process of introducing the paranormal reality for Emeric is mirrored by the reader becoming initiated along side of him. In this book, I think it works and prepares the readers for one hell of an experience. 

 

Thanks for posting this excellent thread! 

 

 

Bound & Bound is wonderful .. Emeric has no choice but to believe eventually. Such a great story. 

[Dabeagle]

I enjoy fantasy as long as it's well written, that's mostly the bottom line. There are versions of fantasy I don't find interesting, like 'furry' interactions and that sort of thing. Outside of that, I'll read most anything.

[Cynus]

I'm a sucker for strong worldbuilding. If the world is logical within its own rules, then that's all the reality it needs. Inconsistency is what breaks that for me more than anything else.

My other pet peeve is when writers create a world which is their version of utopia where no drama or conflict happens, just because they want to create fantastical creatures to have sex with each other... If you're going to bother creating a fantasy world, please make sure there's some reason to want to explore it other than it being pretty and filled with lust.

[Graeme]

Consistency with some foreshadowing is what's needed. If you've got that, I can read it. The foreshadowing is more for a special case, where an apparently contemporary story takes on paranormal tones. It can be as simple as having a paranormal tag, or as complex as 'weird things keep happening' that are eventually revealed to be paranormal in nature.

 

What I have been disappointed with stories at other sites is an apparently contemporary story that, after 50+ chapters, introduces aliens, or where some characters suddenly develop telepathic powers that start to drive at least part of the plot. In another example, a ghost pops up in the story and makes random appearances from that point on. In all of those examples, I kept reading, but I was very tempted to pull the plug and give up. Those examples feel too much like the author has run out of ideas but can't think of a way to bring the story to a conclusion and wants something new to breathe life into the story.

[CassieQ]

I think that as long as the world has rules, and the story follows them, I will read just about anything, no matter how crazy.  

[knotme]

Paranormal doesn’t work for me as the main dish. It can be an ingredient, or it can be the sauce or the drink or the appetizer. Probably not desert.  

Edited February 23, 2018 by knotme
grammar

[knotme]

21 hours ago, Graeme said:

Those examples feel too much like the author has run out of ideas but can't think of a way to bring the story to a conclusion and wants something new to breathe life into the story.

Yes. Artificial plot extenders of any stripe are bad news. 

[Former Member]

My problem is way too many writers think they’re good enough to write a believable story. I need to have a large percentage of realism for any sort of paranormal to work. And it all depends on what exactly you are describing as paranormal.  ;-)

 

I’m not a big fan of Stephen King-type paranormal. I used to read mostly Science Fiction/Fantasy where there are lots of paranormal aspects included. JRR Tolkien’s wizards, elves, and Sauron are all paranormal in some way. JK Rowlings’s wizards are also paranormal. Most Superheroes are paranormal. Religion is paranormal.  ;-)

 

You know I’ll tell you what I think of your stories!  ;-)

 

What sort of paranormal are you actually intending to write about?  ;-)

[Aceinthehole]

30 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

What sort of paranormal are you actually intending to write about?  ;-)

 

I don't want to say too too much because I don't want to ruin any surprises but it'll definitely be founded in realism, and you're onto something when you said "Religion is paranormal" 

 

[CassieQ]

9 hours ago, droughtquake said:

My problem is way too many writers think they’re good enough to write a believable story. I need to have a large percentage of realism for any sort of paranormal to work. And it all depends on what exactly you are describing as paranormal.  ;-)

 

I’m not a big fan of Stephen King-type paranormal. I used to read mostly Science Fiction/Fantasy where there are lots of paranormal aspects included. JRR Tolkien’s wizards, elves, and Sauron are all paranormal in some way. JK Rowlings’s wizards are also paranormal. Most Superheroes are paranormal. Religion is paranormal.  ;-)

 

You know I’ll tell you what I think of your stories!  ;-)

 

What sort of paranormal are you actually intending to write about?  ;-)

King does actually quite well with blending paranormal with real life.  A lot of his short stories involve normal people dealing with abnormal situations.  That one of the things I love most about his writing.

Edited February 25, 2018 by CassieQ

[Former Member]

3 minutes ago, CassieQ said:

King does actually quite well with paranormal.  A lot of his short stories involve normal people dealing with abnormal situations.  That one of the things I love most about his writing.

When I worked in a bookstore, Stephen King’s books sold very well.  We’d refer those who asked about similar authors to Clive Barker. They’re both fine authors, just not my taste.  ;-)

[CassieQ]

2 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

When I worked in a bookstore, Stephen King’s books sold very well.  We’d refer those who asked about similar authors to Clive Barker. They’re both fine authors, just not my taste.  ;-)

I used to work in a  bookstore as well.  I got so sick of looking at The Da Vinci Code on the bestseller racks for months and months and months.  

[FormerMember4]

17 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

When I worked in a bookstore, Stephen King’s books sold very well.  We’d refer those who asked about similar authors to Clive Barker. They’re both fine authors, just not my taste.  ;-)

I love King. That’s not to say that I’ve liked everything. I respect after all these years, he still respects the craft.

You have authors like Dan Brown and many others that just sell out. If you’re pushing a book every 18 months, most plots not  thought out well.

Edited February 25, 2018 by BlindAmbition

[Former Member]

What about books like the Goosebumps series the I recall had a new title every month (at least back in the ‘90s)!  ;-)