Why fantasies are easy to write, and why Mary's an Idiot

As far as plot goes, I have always look at believability as it relates to the story being told. Every writer must create a world in which boundaries are set as to what can/may/will happen. Once the boundaries are set, the writer must adhere to his/her rules as though they were the laws of gravity. If a writer creates a fantastic setting, in which strange occurrences are the norm, then it is acceptable for the writer to put the characters through whatever odd ordeals he/she can think up. If a writer decides to place his/her story into the realm of normality, then he/she must progress the characters through the plot by using the laws of reality. Even though reality may be inhibiting, it still enhances a story to keep it within such boundaries when the boundaries are set. It has become very common to be treated to a story that has established a set of rules, then to have those rules changed at the end of the story in order to “shock” the audience. Gautam Malkani’s Londonstani introduces the characters as a group of Pakistani youths living in London. It takes the protagonist and his friends through a series of hardships and decisions, only to reveal at the end that the protagonist is white when the audience is led to believe he is Pakistani. The author set the story, and then betrayed his audience by placing an unnecessary and unbelievable plot twist at the end. This was not unbelievable simply because it was not hinted to earlier in the novel, but because the rest of the novel doesn’t make much sense when the bomb is dropped. On top of that, I have yet to meet a person who has read the book and not been pissed off at the ending.
As far as character goes, believability has everything to do with the reader. It is easy as a writer to explain why a character acted in a certain way. It is sometimes difficult as a reader to imagine a character performing certain actions, regardless of the author’s explanation. The best way to exemplify this is to point to slasher films. The audience understands why Mary is alone in the woods. The audience understands why Mary is scared. The audience even understands why Mary is half naked, but the audience will never understand why Mary needs to check out the strange sounds coming from the abandoned house. It doesn’t make sense. No matter how badly the writer/film-maker needs Mary to go into the scary abandoned house, it doesn’t make sense. That is why the characters in stories are sometimes viewed as unbelievable, because they perform actions that cannot be rationally thought out by a rational person. That is also why the audience cheers when we see Mary bludgeoned with a pork tenderloin.

Derek Ryan