Fiction is intended to entertain. It may serve other purposes in the process but it is mainly for permitting the reader an escape. In order to achieve this a writer must create a story that permits the suspension of disbelief and see it through the entire publishing process that refines the text to eliminate errors. In a sense the process is likened to the conversion of a dream into reality, sculpting away any pieces that do not belong as well as smoothing the rough edges. When properly executed there is a magical moment that lasts for the period of immersion permitting the fabrication of a surrogate reality in the reader's mind.
When an author publishes a book he or she invites the reader to visit a world that has never existed before. It may resemble the real world in many ways or it could be completely different. It may or may not connect directly with the reader's experiences of expectations. It might challenge beliefs. But what is essential is that the author sells the world to the reader, engaging the imagination to suspend disbelief. Then the book he book can become a medium permitting the reader to enter the author's mind.
Distractions from the outside need to be kept at a minimum. Of course the writer cannot directly influence the world immediately surrounding the readers. However, he or she can ensure that the writing itself does not distract from the illusion of the story. The writer must present the story in a way that establishes identifiable characters with relatable conflicts and challenges. It is not necessary that the characters be like the reader but instead that their actions be consistent with the reader's expectations. The roles need to be played out consistently according to the way the author has created the persona in the reader's mind.
In a sense fiction writers are compulsive liars. We commit other transgressions along the way in fabricating our worlds but how we do it is socially acceptable because it is entertaining. To paraphrase Mark Twain - never let the truth get in the way of a good story. A fiction writer is free to explore a wide range of behaviors that extend well beyond what he or she might do in life. There might be a murder, for example. The hero or heroine might have superhuman abilities or enormous wealth. The main character could be the most despicable cur ever created. Within the pages of a book the writer is perfectly free to tell his or her story without any restriction other than the parameters set within the establishment of character and setting. The story must adhere to the author's design.
Essentially the writer provides a vision. Having thought everything through in building a different world the reader can slip the bounds of his or her life and become a voyeur to doings of fiction beings. In order to achieve this miracle of creation the writer must first be convinced that his or her characters exist for the time that he or she is writing about their lives, conflicts and associations. It is essential in the selling of the story. The reader must believe the characters exist. No matter how distant the world or far flung the premise if a writer can convince the reader that a new universe has superseded any other, then the vision of the author can be transferred effectively into the reader's mind.
It is a minor miracle that such a thing can occur but it happens in virtually every medium of entertainment. The reader, in this case, wants to escape his or her life. There is a mood of permission. All the writer needs to do is provide a credible environment into which the reader may mentally step. It may begin with a provocative book cover and an enticing promotional piece about the story that leads the reader to acquire the book. Yet it is essential that within the first few sentences the hook is set. The reader must want to continue beyond page one and the writer has the narrow span of the readers attention to engage the suspension of disbelief. Otherwise the reader will lose interest in the story and set it aside, perhaps never to return to the book.
Still, even after the hook is set, the writer must continuously provide the reader a reason to continue. The story must flow without interruption or distraction. Its pacing must be consistent with the reader's expectations. That is not to say that a book must be non-stop action. However, the characters must be the sort that the reader cares about. They must have attributes that attracts the reader and bonds him or her to the characters in some way. nature before a reader can properly relate to them on a personal level. The reader must love the heroes and heroines and hate the villains. They must enjoy the pleasant interludes but also share the miserable moments that compel resolution of problems.
Naturally writers become personally attached to the characters in our books. They live within us until we share their stories with others. They are our best friends or worst enemies for whatever time we visit the worlds in which they exist. The characters may resemble people we know or be composites amalgamated from the of the combined virtues and flaws of the people in our real lives. The characters may be extreme examples of the good or bad perceived in the real world. A writer may use a character to point out in no uncertain terms whatever error he or she intends to expose. As long as the characters seem plausible and their actions are consistent with what the reader would do or expect others to do, the suspension of disbelief is maintained. If the writer has done an effective job in maintaining the flow of the story throughout, the reader will not be aware of the passage of time around him or her. The book will be called a page-turner because it compels readers to stay awake all night to finish the story because knowing the outcome of the events in the fictional world becomes at least as important tot he reader as dealing with his or her own problems. The reader will have such an emotional attachment to the characters that he or she may lament not having more to read. He or she may re-read the book or the answer may be found in other books by the same author. In either case, the author has done well at entertaining.