Life can get interesting in Realville, but it's seldom book-worthy. For book-worthiness, one must relocate to Fictionville.
| Bad Day in Realville | Bad Day in Fictionville |
| Steve slumbered 20 extra minutes before rising for work. | Steve woke 20 minutes after he was supposed to be at work. |
| Steve showered and shaved quickly to make up for lost time. | The hot water heater died during the night, he forgot to pick up deodorant yesterday, and he cut himself shaving. |
| Steve got a speeding ticket on the way into work. | Steve's car was stolen while he slept overnight. |
| Steve received a reprimand for being late to work. | Steve got fired for not showing up to work for the fifth time this month (and it's only the 10th). |
| Steve stopped by the courthouse on his way home to pay his fine. | Steve called the police to report his car stolen. The police arrive six hours later to file the report. |
| Steve has an accident on the way home and has to rent a car from Budget Rentals. | Steve tries to rent a car from Budget Rentals, but his credit card is maxed out and he's declined. |
| Steve tries to relax by watching his favorite prime time TV show. It's been preempted. | Steve returns home to find his house burglarized and has to wait another six hours for the police to arrive. |
| Steve learns from life's experiences and sets his alarm 20 for minutes earlier. | Steve notices that the burglars stole his alarm clock too. |
Yes, Steve had a bad day in Realville. But things got really bad for Steve after he moved to Fictionville. And a whole lot more interesting.Writing real is essential. However, it's easy for writers to write too real when we write fiction. Too real can capture the mundane rather than the mystery and excitement. No matter how bad things are, they can always be worse.
In Realville, Steve's friends would sympathize. But readers would rather hear about Steve's bad day after he moved to Fictionville.
So, have all your characters left the bland existence of Realville and headed for Fictionville?
