Plausible? Implausible?

Hi guys :3

So one question has really bothered me lately. And I'm not so easily bothered, so this scares me. Basically, I'm re-outlining an old finished novel and there're some elements to it that border on the science fiction line...but it's really not a science fiction story. It's contemporary or even magical realism. The science fiction aspect of it is a piece of symbolism, I guess, more than anything else.

That's where the question comes in. I came to some of my previous beta readers with the idea, mentioning the science fiction aspect of it-- and four out of seven said something along the lines of: "Oh. Well, that's pretty much impossible. That can't happen."

....my reaction: "It's fiction...can't I bend it?"

They're reaction: "It's science fiction, honey. Everything needs to be plausible."

So I started running some science fiction books through my head, and realized the newer ones--Across the Universe, XVI among many others--did bend some rules. When I brought this up, one out of the four who expressed that I couldn't bend anything said, "Well, you did say yours was set in the present. In a future or dystopian world, it might be more fitting, but I don't know how you're going to do it in your setting."

....my reaction: "o.o"

I know every reader has their own, and different, pet peeve(s), but in a contemporary novel that has one science fiction element, would any of you be turned off if it was plausible, but not quite? Like a one in a million chance of happening?

I'm going to keep on with this WIP regardless I just want to see what others think about implausible elements in books, even if they ARE science fiction. 'Cause if vampires, monsters, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures have the room for creativity, I think there's still room for those science fiction elements.

Any thoughts?

You all have brought up really good points! Thanks

I'm not going to lie...I'm not a real science gal--in school, anyways. But I do love to read science fiction, watch it (trying to find Firefly, Zoombie ) and it's something that never ceases to interest me. The thing is, with this WIP, the science fiction aspect is really small. And I was wondering if people would catch it and be like, "hmmm, that can't happen."

Here's the scientific element: an asteroid the size of London that was thought to have already passed by has come back around, and threatens to destroy the Californian coast.

In short, this is what the story really revolves around: On the eve of this event, a boy who loves life and has everything to lose, and a girl who wants to die and has nothing to lose meet by chance, and for the remaining hours, they debate the meaning of life.

The asteroid's called Anima, the Latin word for "life", because well, it's a symbol and a theme that comes out of the story.

So at first, Anima was predicted to strike farther east, with California being a sort of safe zone. They started evacuating the easterners to the west. But then it seemed more likely to fall on San Diego, where the MC's are. The betas said that it was impossible for the scientists not to know that it was coming back around or not to know where it was going to accurately fall--and by the time they do find out, everyone would have already been evacuated. In the story, it's about thirteen hours 'til the collision happens, and well, since the west (California, New Mexico, Colorado, etc.) was first thought of as a safe zone, it's too late to evacuate--even if they did get out California, the surrounding states will still be harmed with radiation of what-sorts.

Anywhooo, that was the biggest problem they had with it--the asteroid coming back and all. Surely there're some things that our scientists don't know? Some things that happen without explanation? I don't want to be lazy. It's just that, I want this to be realistic, but not the main focus. The story isn't an apocalyptic melodrama about them trying to escape--the Anima thing, i guess, is more of an extended metaphor, if that makes sense? I mean the female MC who's not scared to die in the end, becomes scared of Anima, or "life". And the male MC who loves life and doesn't want to let it go in the end accepts death through a foreign body named life.

So yeah, the scientific part is pretty small--it's talked about in some parts by the male MC, 'cause he's a science buff, but most of the time, they avoid talking about the asteroid and instead focus on trying to convince each other their views of the meaning of life.

That little implausibility, however, bothered four out of seven betas and that SCARES me.

P.S. Sorry if this isn't really sci-fi haha, but great suggestions, you guys. Thanks for taking the time to read and answer!

Mysty said:

I don't really see how that's science fiction? The way you explained the arguments from your betas, you made it seem like it was some kind of advanced technology that was out-of-place in your modern setting. A lot happens up there in the wild black yonder, and an asteroid coming back to Earth after passing isn't completely implausible.

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My thoughts exactly when i got the feedback. This was the feedback I got from one of them after I asked if I could bend the fiction, the one that got me to post this thread:

"It's not just fiction. It's also science fiction. It's kind of hard to believe that an asteroid would pass by, turn back around, and suddenly fall out of orbit to strike earth. That's impossible. And even if that did happen, the scientists would have already known. I'm pretty sure they would have already warned everybody."

So idk...maybe I need to ask some REAL scientists.

But phew, thanks Mysty --i didn't think it was science fiction, either, until the beta response. It's just a REALLY small element, like I said. the last thing I wanted was to look completely inexperienced in the science fiction genre, which I'm pretty sure isn't where my book belongs.

Mysty said:

"Falling out of orbit" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Depending on the size, asteroids could get knocked around in space all the time. There's a lot more debris up there than those pretty pictures of space lead us to believe.

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That part did faze me a little bit. But it's been such a long time since I took eighth grade physical science, when space was taught haha, so I guess I just let my insecurities get to me. I did do a lot of research on the topic before hand, and asked my grandpa, who is an avid astronomer, for expert facts and opinions, and used that info on the small scientific element.

Thanks for verifying that it is plausible Next time, I'll just trust in my research, rather than taking anyone's word for it (unless I'm completely lost, of course).

Mharvey said:

Anyway, sorry to derail the thread with a Nerdoff between Anti-Star Trek and Star Trek. To your point:

It's dicy, I'll say. But you're right - the conflict, as you explained it, doesn't revolve around it. You could just as easily set the exact same novel inside a sinking ship like the Titanic and called it... well... Titanic.

What you have written isn't Sci-Fi, no. But it's almost impossible to show that in a query or sample chapter.

Just up the Asteroid to the size of Texas. There's no running from it. Half the world is incinerated, the other half die in nuclear winter. Who said you can't learn anything from Michael Bay movies?

That's an easy fix for that problem.

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Hahaha, yes, that would definitely be cruel. But I'm up for it. Thanks Mharvey

KateSmash said:

You might want to take that concern to the Science Fact subforum in the Science Fiction/Fantasy forums. I'm not on the up and up with my astrophysics, but I'm sure someone there will either know or have better Google-fu and find the answer.

You might also want to research what an impact from an asteroid that size would do to the world. Believe me, it'll be a problem for a lot more people than southern California.

While it's not science fiction in the strictest sense of the word, I don't see the impending asteroid impact as a small detail. It's what sets the story in motion and brings these two together. I can see how betas can be taken out if the premise itself doesn't allow them to suspend disbelief.

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I'll have to pay a visit those forums then I've watched so many "What if" documentaries on the subject I had nightmares about it haha. Also, i don't know how accurate ImpactEarth really is, but I used it as a simulator to what was to happen afterwards...and almost every outcome is terrifying O.O. But more research never hurts, it only helps!

I guess I did belittle it just a bit. It definitely moves the plot, and definitely paves a road for the ending. Maybe they were just really critical...as a reader, I do allow for suspension of disbelief, but only to an extent. But sometimes, I don't need explanations for everything, because hey, that's life--not everything can be explained. Unless it's inconsistency, of course. I can't stand inconsistency.

But thanks Kate!

MAP said:

I'm going to agree with your betas here. I think you could do a little research and make this whole thing a lot more plausible and still have your story work. I know the story isn't about the science, but it will be so much stronger if you get it right or at least more plausible.



I don't get this. The asteroid passes, but for some reason sling shots back to earth? or do you mean it comes back by its normal orbit, like Halley's comet?

If it turns around and comes back, that is a hard sell, and even if you find a way that it is scientifically possible, do you really want to bog down your story trying to explain this?

I think you can find another way to get the same results that is more plausible and easier for an audience to accept. Just need to talk to the science crowd.



Scientists are really good at predicting the trajectories of asteroids, so something really big would have to happen to alter the asteroid's course. I'm far from an expert on this, but I do think you need to talk to someone who is, and figure out how to make this work.



IMO, if the science is not the focus, then you need to make it simple and plausible, so the reader doesn't get distracted from the story thinking about how all this works.

Seriously, we have a lot of smart people here. Go to the science forum or the research forum and tell them exactly what you need to happen and how to make it reasonably work. It will only make your story stronger.

JMO, good luck with this.

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Thanks Map! The asteroid doesn't just turn around, it makes a circle around the earth, then it threatens to hit--which is practically I think is what the betas see as implausible. I'm doing a lot of research now, as well as asking around

missesdash said:

Ah yeah, I see the problem here.
It's not like magical realism where something supernatural or paranormal is made light of.

You have a plausible event that takes an implausible turn, and you use it as a plot device.
That would be like having a movie where the damsel in distress is on the train tracks. You spend the entire movie in her head, examining life, and then you have the train jump over her and land on the tracks a few feet away.

She's saved
it's a miracle

I would probably just let them die. But if I read a story where the asteroid went around the earth once and then hit it, I would assume the writer was just too lazy to think up a more plausible reason that the two don't die.

Either that, or you need to think up a more "magic" reason that they don't die. You're walking the line here.

Maybe the asteroid isn't a real asteroid, but a cosmic ball of enlightenment or something. And it floats down on earth and they get close and they see all this totally crazy shit that explains the meaning of life and then they turn to light and....well you see where I'm going.

A single non-plausible event won't fly.

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Actually, it turns around towards earth to hit it haha, and yeah, there's no doubt that they're going to die. It's going to hit and there's nothing they can do about it but spend their last day alive--and that's one of the strongest points I think. The female MC actually never knew how to "live" or appreciate life until the fateful day, when she's about to die. So that's what the male MC sets out to do: change her mind about how she thinks so little of life, and have her experience "life" in their last hours.

So it's not really a story about, "Are we going to die?" as much as, "Well, let's make the best of our last day alive."

Thanks for the ball of enlightenment idea, though aha