I love writing Christmas stories centered on the elves who keep Santa’s Village running. Readers will gladly accept flying reindeer, time‑bending sleighs, or a bustling community of elves at the North Pole—but only if the world surrounding those marvels behaves in ways they intuitively understand. Realism becomes the anchor that makes the extraordinary feel believable rather than arbitrary.
That tension becomes even more important when magical or mythical characters step into our contemporary world. I’ve just finished a novella that leans into this blend of whimsy and realism.
The spark for this story came from a news report about children poisoned by lead tainted cinnamon in applesauce. I began to wonder: what if some of that contaminated cinnamon found its way into the warehouses at the North Pole, and the danger was discovered just as the Christmas cookie baking season began? With no time to wait for a replacement shipment, Gunnar—the elf responsible for sourcing ingredients—realizes he must travel to retrieve safe cinnamon himself.
The story evolved itself into a “novella in short stories,” each section reflecting a leg of Gunnar’s journey. That structure raised an important question: how realistic should his travel arrangements be?
Once in Baltimore, he must reach Tradepoint at Sparrows Point, where enormous container ships unload their cargo into sprawling warehouses. To keep the story grounded, I decided that my fictional elf’s journey should follow real transportation options as closely as possible.
That choice immediately introduced complications. Gunnar arrives in Cochrane in the evening, but the next bus to Toronto doesn’t leave until morning. Crossing the border on the Toronto to New York leg brings him face to face with customs officials—and in today’s world of fraught border crossings, an elf without a passport is bound to have difficulties. And once he reaches Baltimore, he must rely on city buses. The 163 line does go to Tradepoint, but it doesn’t come anywhere near the main bus depot. In this case, I allowed myself a small liberty and rerouted it, trusting that readers familiar with Baltimore’s transit system will accept the adjustment as reasonable artistic license.
Since it’s a Christmas story, it has a predictable
I aimed at a blend of enough realism to make the journey feel authentic, and enough flexibility to let the magic breathe. I just hope readers will see it that way.
How much do you depend upon realistic details in your stories?
I think it's important to have realistic details. I write cozy mysteries, so the story must be plausible. I also do a lot of research for my novels. I want to get the streets, locations, and other details right.
ReplyDeleteFor most of my stories, I use invented locations, often a blend of several places. I admire people who place their characters in specific locations and do the research to make them right.
DeleteI have not dipped my toe into writing fantasy. My works are mostly set in real places, so the details must be right or plausible (and excused in the author's note)
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with the locations of your novels, but I do know they ring true.
ReplyDeleteI thinly disguise buildings and natural features in the landscape, or move them around and re-name them. But anyone who knows the real location will spot the fictionalized features.
ReplyDeleteAll in the service of telling a good story!
DeleteIt’s nice to have some realism in terms of location.
ReplyDeleteI like having stories set in places I know. I can visualize the areas and it adds to the story when you can follow the characters around and have a sense of what the surroundings are like since you have have personal knowledge.
I don’t like when the realism is such that when there is a fight or someone is attacked and the author feels it is necessary to give a blow by blow description of the injuries suffered. What isn’t realistic about it is when the injured party is walking around a few hours later or the next day without any indication that any damage had occurred.
How truel TV and movies are even worse. Our hero suffers debilitating injuries, brushes them off, and returns in perfect fighting form when he/should be on the way to a hospital.
DeleteI love stories that enable me to suspend my disbelief!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites do that. I look up from reading and am surprised to be in my own comfy chair, not on the outskirts of Camelot or in a deep, spooky forest.
ReplyDeleteI love this and I loved the Gunnar story, too. My novels are all set in real-life places so reality is a challenge I’ve hit more than once, and I try to be as realistic as possible.
ReplyDeleteYour novels do have a satisfying feeling of being grounded in reality.
ReplyDelete