Successful fiction does not need to be validated by 'real life'; I cringe whenever a writer is asked how much of a novel is 'real'.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
More often than not, real life is so rich, complex and unpredictable that it would seem completely implausible in the pages of a novel.
Good fiction must be entertaining, but what makes fiction special - and True - is that the realness of a novel allows it to carry a larger message.
Reality always outstrips fiction. Whatever you make up, something more incredible always pops up in real life.
Real life is crazier than fiction.
All I can guess is that when I write, I forget that it's not real. I'm living the story, and I think people can read that sincerity about the characters. They are real to me while I'm writing them, and I think that makes them real to the readers as well.
It isn't as if a writer merely records life as it unfurls. Reality does not automatically transcribe as literature; real people are not shapely, compelling characters to be harvested. Charming facts and sharp observations rarely slide seamlessly into whatever narrative is at hand.
Real life is far more complicated than fiction.
Every reader knows about the feeling that characters in books seem more real than real people.
Ironically, in today's marketplace successful nonfiction has to be unbelievable, while successful fiction must be believable.
Good fiction is made of that which is real, and reality is difficult to come by.