Reality?

An ordinary man can... surround himself with two thousand books... and thenceforward have at least one place in the world in which it is possible to be happy. ~ Augustine Birrell

While working on an exercise in "Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook" last night, I got to wondering about the premise of my story.

Is it really believable?

It's a little strange. My heroine does some odd things and meets some even odder people. Will a reader be willing to suspend their belief in reality enough to read through to the end?

With some books, you know from the beginning that your sense of reality needs to be suspended immediately: vampires or time travel or whatever. But with a mainstream contemporary romance without any paranormal elements...?

Would you, could you in a box? Could you, would you with a fox?

I was discouraged and disheartened enough to be ready to chuck the whole thing. No one other than my poor writing group would want to read this story -- and they have to.

Then... I settled down to watch Eureka (because TiVo didn't record it on Tuesday... grr...) and WOW! Talk about a silly, unbelievable premise that's supported entirely by characters that I love. It's, by far, my favorite show of the season.

So, maybe there is hope after all.

Or maybe I'm just weird (always a distinct possibility).