Postby drawscore » Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:57 pm
There are a lot of words that come to mind, like "credible," "plausible," "believable," and others. There are differences in the meanings, although they have been used interchangeably. A mixture of truth and fiction/fantasy makes for a good story, and using my own work as an example, we were scouts, and actually did tie each other up with much frequency between the ages of 10 and 15, but we didn't have a "portal" that would transport us into the imaginary world of old TV westerns. Still, if it is well written, and seems to fit the "well, this might happen on a parallel earth or dimension, and it is kind of interesting" template, it can get by much of the criticisms, and may even garner some praise from the readers.
But the bottom line, is that while the plot line may be fiction or fantasy, the characters, themselves, must be credible/believable/plausible. In the story, does the character speak and act in a way commensurate with his/her age? If so, you can get away with outlandish plot lines. If not, well, it won't be as easy.
Drawscore