tlbodine:

cryptid-kaz:

Writing does not have to be realistic 

Writing does not have to be realistic 

Writing does not have to be realistic 

Oh my god, I’ve seen this so much recently and it’s killing me. Posts that talk about how extreme shows of emotion don’t happen constantly, how fight scenes should never take more than a minute, how nobody notices the exact color of someone’s eyes the first time they meet. And yes, while true irl, you don’t have to write “realistically” if you don’t want to. Not only is expecting this form of realism stifling to a lot of writing styles and genres, but, um, hello we are making art, people! Art! Where exaggeration and aesthetic are at their best and often greatly add to whatever you’re creating. 

You want your characters to throw themselves to the ground and sob? To leap and clap their hands from joy and excitement? Do it!!!! Fight scenes that take pages and involve the most ridiculous, outlandish weapons, and have the characters twirl and spin and leap and call out witty banter? Fucking go for it, my guy! You want your character to observe “the gorgeous, ever changing, shifting green hues” of their love interest’s eyes the first time they meet? Hell yeah, baby! 

Look, all I’m saying, is that if realism takes away from your writing, if it feels confining and suffocating, then don’t do it! Nothing has to be realistic if you don’t want it to be. Again, we’re talking about art here. Go all out! Be ridiculous and outlandish! Don’t let other’s demand for realism destroy the story you’ve crafted

This. 

Look, it’s fun sometimes to take apart the tropes and “mythbuster” your way through them, but that is itself a form of entertainment. It’s not meant to be instructive about how to create art. 

For god’s sake, the reason we tell stories is so we can engage the imagination. It’s so we can fantasize and romanticize and theorize and wonder for a little while just what it would be like if the world worked a certain way.