One of the difficulties in writing is the need to make a story “believable.” The trouble is that what is believable in the mind of one reader is absurd to another. And if you think about it, what goes on in real life, as seen in news reports and history books, can be so off-the-wall as to be difficult to accept as true.

Publishing houses tend to err on the conservative side, for the most part, because they want to appeal to as wide an audience as possible in order to make a profit. Publishing independently frees one from that restriction to the extent that a self-publisher is willing to risk low sales. On the other hand, audiences can be highly receptive to stories and ideas that do not fit an established box. Science fiction and fantasy genres literally bank on that.

As an author, I choose to let the story take me where it wishes to go. If that is too outrageous for some, it nonetheless works for other readers.

Do you consider yourself a conservative reader, or do you relish tales that stretch the boundaries of credulity?

[Photo courtesy of Stefan Steinbauer of unsplash.com]