Writing my debut fantasy trilogy has taught me that nothing is more true than Walt Disney’s quote “Fantasy and reality often overlap”. It mirrors one of the most important truths about fantasy fiction: even the most outlandish and extensive fantasy worlds have to incorporate some sense of reality to give readers something to relate to. It also alludes to a complex aspect of fantasy: the suspension of disbelief.
Firstly, making fantastical and magical elements relatable to readers. Something writers have to understand is that if readers can’t relate or identify with some elements of your story, they can’t fully grasp the stakes, identify with the characters, or fully understand conflicts. Being able to pinpoint similarities between your story and their lives', readers connect emotionally and are more likely to experience the story viscerally.
So, how do you incorporate elements of reality into your fantasy world? It's quite simple actually. Societal development, discovery/progression and social construct are all things that are both human and fantastical. An easy example: If there’s a societal leader(s) of any kind, that can be associated with a government or monarchy.
Another tactic is conflict and emotions: if your story has power struggles, betrayals and/or friendship, this is something readers can identify and connect with similar scenarios in their own lives.
The other complex aspect of fantasy related to this quote is the suspension of disbelief. In simple terms, it means making the reader take the leap of faith to believing your fantastical story elements. For example, we all know Narnia isn’t real, but C.S. Lewis made it such a compelling world that we overlooked this. The crucial part of achieving this, is to create limitations and rules for your fantasy, and taking the time to correctly world-build to ensure you have enough detail and history to allude to a world beyond the confines of the story, one which came before, and will continue after, the book is closed.
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