Reality in Fiction | Writing Tips

In which I take huge liberties with the things Wikipedia taught me in order to make sense of this brain-melting inception writing craft topic.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:59 - Grounded Realism
3:01 - Realism
3:49 - High Realism
4:33 - Surrealism
5:48 - Magical Realism and Fabulism
8:09 - Low Fantasy
9:37 - High Fantasy
10:11 - Controlling Realism
14:54 - Why It Matters
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☾"Solarium" in Minola Review: www.minolareview.com/shaelin-b...
☾"Barefoot" in The Fiddlehead [print]: thefiddlehead.ca/issue/282
☾"Wishbone" in PRISM international [print]: prismmagazine.ca/2020/04/19/pr...
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[@ShaelinWrites]

Hey folks! As an added point, one way of manipulating reality I didn’t talk about in this video is through structure. It’s something I hadn’t really thought of before, but I recently read the novel Untold Day and Night by Bae Suah which uses structure and pacing to bend reality in really fascinating ways. It’s worth a read if it sounds like something that interests you or that you might like to try in your own writing!

[@daniellasalamao3108]

Can someone tell me where Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter would fit in each one of these? Just so i can have a better reference about it. And maybe other examples as well...

[@xXDemkaBelikovXx]

@@daniellasalamao3108 *Lord of the Rings* for sure is in High Fantasy, mostly just because of how much Tolkien did with his world building and his clear rules of how the magic worked (he literally created the entire Elvin language from scratch, hello) - Same thing when it comes to Game of Thrones and Dune (which is quote-unquote "in our world" but also like the novels' timeline spans from 25,000 years in the future to like over 30,000 years into the future, with an alternative history about the Roman Empire... Okay, so basically High Fantasy lol). *Chronicles of Narnia* and *Harry Potter* I would say are both Low Fantasy because they have rules and explanations for their magic but its not to the degree of LotR or GoT. Examples for Surrealism would be novels and stories like Frankenstein, War of the World, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (lot of H.G. Wells on this list lol), its real life but just a bit *off* High Realism... think of Jules Verne's works which don't mess with history or the "current time" when he was writing, but can be mildly exaggerated. Plus, he led people to think of technology that would actually become reality in the early-to-late 20th century (shooting people at the moon, submarines, etc...) For Grounded Realism I have tOO MANY examples, but the ones I recommend would be "We Are Okay" and "Hold Still" both by Nina LaCour, "Between Two Skies" by Joanne O'Sullivan, and "I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika Sanchez. 100% Real, no magic, just girls living their lives and their conflicts.

[@zhadebarnet3773]

Not even kidding, this may be the video that fixed two of my books. I'd never thought of writing style as a way of nudging a piece up and down the scale, but it is *exactly* the thing that's needed on both pieces. Huge thanks! If I may: I was really interested in your point about there being a blip, an anomalous *increase* in realism as you go into high fantasy. What I really want to do is to write a surreal high fantasy, do you think this can be done without kicking the reader completely out of the piece?

[@Yohannai]

@@zhadebarnet3773 It can probably be done, I mean, fairy tales where people go into the world of fairies and stuff go from the real world and all its physical, tactile, discomforts that fade away into an adventure that is almost a myth in action. Of course, in the books I've read like this, you start off in the real world and then go into the world that inspired high fantasy in the first place, but I think so long as the logic of the narrator ties all the weirdness together (ex: Welcome to Night Vale, or saying stuff like "Oh hey, your dog is shedding its coat for its growing spinal ridge! Man, I remember when my dog did that. I was picking up little bits of discarded leather for days!") you tie down strange logic with people treating everything as completely normal and the reader can suspend their disbelief and actually find it very fun!

[@oliviamohtady3515]

So glad you mentioned Untold Night and Day in the context of this video because I recently read it and really couldn't get my head around why it was so strange! Great video that really helps with being intentional in writing with realism versus surrealism etc

[@apocalypsereading7117]

Magic realism: Your dog says “Hey,” and you say, “Hey.” Fantasy: Your dog says “Hey,” and you say, “Ah, a herald of the race of Dog-Talkers!” Surrealism: Your dog says “Hey,” then flies out the window; you burst into song.

[@renab.7390]

Ha, accurate! 👏👏👏

[@pianoismyeverything]

This actually is really helpful

[@apocalypsereading7117]

@@pianoismyeverything cheers, happy to help :D

[@btmomberry359]

Low Fantasy: Your dog says "Hey," and you say, "You talk?!"

[@EeeEee-bm5gx]

​@@btmomberry359 Emergency care? I'm having hallucinations. What do I do?

[@rachelwritesbooks]

when shaelin is ✨writing icon✨ and also ✨fashion icon✨ (you are my fave!!)

[@ShaelinWrites]

you're my fav what a coincidence!!

[@Friendship1nmillion]

@@ShaelinWrites Yeah , here { in this video 📲 } you don't dress like a " dorky boy " . Not that it should matter how you choose to dress . So long as you have substance to your tutorial videos . Want to give you a compliment for looking this good { Not that this guy wants to crack-on-to a lesbian } . Had a housemate who was my best friend that looks like you { in most of your videos } who's a lesbian . ♑️✍️🇦🇺🇳🇴

[@mouse3751]

*shaelin's influence:* she recommends greenwood. i read greenwood. it quickly becomes my favourite book. i get deep into cli-fi and ecofic/nonfic. i'm now taking classes in geoscience & planning my dissertation on ecofiction :') her *POWER*

[@ShaelinWrites]

that's the power of Greenwood for you 👏👏👏

[@billyalarie929]

​@@ShaelinWrites i think you're selling yourself a bit short, here.... one thing i will say, i wish you had a way to provide examples of more of these styles of realism.

[@TomorrowWeLive]

Something I read recently that I found made a lot of sense was CS Lewis' distinction between 'realism of presentation' and 'realism of content'. So a fantasy story can still be written in a realistic style--the events happening are improbable/impossible, but once you accept the premises of the story everything is described in a very grounded and logical way. It's fantasy, but it's realistic (in presentation). Whereas you could have a contemporary novel set in our own world, where everything that happens could plausibly happen in the real world, but is written in a surreal or highly abstract style. So it's more of a double-axis (like the political compass) than a single sliding scale.

[@ShaelinWrites]

this is so fascinating and makes so much sense! I love this model, thanks so much for sharing!

[@alexandreseidy3577]

I always thought of surrealism as more of an "anti-industrialization-of-art" thing. At least in paintings it feels to me that the rule of thumb is to emphasize ambiguity and oppose (excessive) rationalism. So I think that even a high fantasy could be excessively rational (even though it's not realist), when it emphasizes its highly detailed, precise and deterministic magic system.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Ohhh I like that idea, thanks for sharing!

[@sevenchambers]

I thought Surrealism was the dream and subconscious brought to a medium.

[@agentofmalarkey7241]

9:57 Shaelin's silent scream is such a mood.

[@maya-gur695]

I write low fantasy usually (my current WIP is a short story that has vampires in it) but I used to be very stressed out about the more realistic part of low fantasy. You once said in a writing vlog (I think it was the one in which you wrote the organ stealing story) that you no longer care about realism in your writing. Hearing that really set me free in my own writing, I no longer feel I need to worry about realism so much. So thank you about that.

[@spiralghosts]

9:54 The part when Shaelin stops believing anything is real

[@ShaelinWrites]

still not convinced anything is real anymore

[@spiralghosts]

@@ShaelinWrites same :D

[@pheonixrises11]

l used to be like that a lot. I think l was just so out of it a lot. Not in a bad way, it was just a way that I lived. l don’t know what changed. I guess l started wanting this to be real? I mean really really wanting this to be real, not just being content

[@spiralghosts]

@@pheonixrises11 well then I hope the realness stays for you! :)

[@aestover91]

"my brain is melting" yo same, all the time...... but you're doing a whole lot better than me faisudfad keep going, you're helping me learn and not feel as dumb about these things :')

[@1v1thousand]

I'm Hispanic american. I'm officially giving you and any one else who wants to use it a pass. The last thing we want is for artistic expression to mix with others. Could you imagine if artistic expression could be aloud to cross cultural line influencing and getting influence by others I shudder to think.

[@meleshenko3767]

Thank you. I mean, what if only the French could do impressionist paintings? Art is not a monopoly. But to be balanced, art, any medium, has always been a political device. If you read, for instance, Neruda’s poetry - ignoring the heritage - you lose so much dimension. I want to know the heritage of a work. It’s just that I, being a Scot, might have complaints and insights similar to Neruda and Ayende. Different contexts same humanity. Cheers!

[@jamesbaird1342]

Brandon Sanderson talks about this all the time. His entire writing course is available on KZbin given at BYU about 10 years old I think because of copyright but easy to find. A university course.

[@ruthrouse]

If you look on Brandon's own channel he has put up the entirety of this years class too

[@demelopatrick]

You know, the same thing about the writing style happens with me all the time. My style makes people assume there's something magical or mythical happening even when I'm writing something absolutely realistic in its essence. I am Brazilian, I write mostly in Portuguese and here in Brazil specifically there is a huge difference between the written language and the spoken language and this makes my work looks even more out of reality just by writing in a more formal way. But then I recieved all these feedback about my style and I decided to use this at my favor. I created something I called "fairyly language" (linguagem fádica) that is a way of writing that makes even the most realistic stuff sounds like some kind of fairytale and once I found out this "technique" (I guess 🤔) I found out a soft spot to my creativity too. But till this day I still need to engage in a lot of debates about my style choices, because people (specially professors and critics) for some reason hate my "unrealistic style" and I have to defend my poetic, formal, old fashioned, fairyly writing style.

[@mischarowe]

If you want to get scientific: reality is what we can observe with the scientific method that exists regardless of human perception. What is demonstrable, repeatable, and reliably proven.

[@nocturnus009]

About the Low/High Fantasy: I think the same applies to Science Fiction. Low Sci-fi is on the pulp fiction side of the spectrum & Speculative Fiction on the high side. William Gibson (especially the Jackpot Trilogy) on the high, more real that real, side.

[@Chaiara1234567890]

I was just looking for someone to explain this to me 😭💕

[@grandmamaroquet-bennet9581]

I am so happy I found you, as you say in a lot of the thumbnails, you DO talk about lots of things other authortubers make, so thank you, and you're such a great person :)

[@NIN0ID]

this is a criminally under-talked-about topic, there are so many interesting conversations to be had here, glad you made a video on it!

[@magnus_lundgren]

Who is saying only those of Latin American decent should use "Magical Realism"? That is something I have a very hard time seeing someone from Latin America actually saying, and more likely being confused if you're using another word. And this is not counting those of them that know they got the phrase from Germany back in the 1920's. Other than that. Great video :)

[@Lisa_Flowers]

Thank you SO much for making this. I've been writing high realism - fabulism for like 4 years and I had NO idea of there were other works of fiction like this (other than Kafka's Metamormphosis) or what it even was.. I'm so excited to know that this is a thing, and I can be inspired by other writers!

[@acsmith1771]

Chuck Palahniuk's book on writing (Consider This) talks about using reality in fiction. His writing career began as a journalist, and so when he began writing fiction, he approached it similarly. Great video as always, Shaelin. Thanks!

[@kurtisscriba2137]

I had a coffee this morning and 1:22 is very much a mood

[@ShaelinWrites]

Kurtis WHY

[@kurtisscriba2137]

In This Is How You Lose The Time War (the book I’ll be recommending for the next 6-12 months) the two protagonists are named Red and Blue which were terrific doorways into the level of reality the book deals with! I’m looking forward to using names as cues more in my future work

[@IloveItachiandGaaru]

The best video of some time! One can really tell how excited you are for the topic, *and* it's helpful as all heck!

[@storyspren]

One of those scales where the ends are pretty simple to grasp but the middle is brain-melting, and the chapters function really reflects that too.

[@delaney9383]

This topic is absolutely fascinating. I think I’ve always naturally written in a surrealistic way where the character’s subconscious and perceptions read into the story’s reality.

[@bsharp3281]

I like that you visited this topic. For the last four years I worked in virtual reality. Working on VR really gets you thinking about reality in general. So, let me ask you something. In physics, reality is defined not by stuff (matter), but by the flow of time and space and our instincts to meet them. That said, in our reality, space-time flows continuously. No gaps. Our reality is filled with travel, tedium, and irrelevance in consequence. Fiction is different. All fiction is discontinuous. Fiction is a different reality because it's flow of space-time is different from actual reality. It has gaps and is missing great swaths of time and space. Tedium, irrelevance, and travel end up on the cutting room floor. I believe that all of fiction is surreal (French for dreamlike), because the dream reality is also discontinuous. It is a reality we visit and experience on the otherside of sleep each night. So, we have two realities in our lives: one is continuous, and the other is dis-continuous (waking and dreaming). So, my question is: which reality would you prefer to live in? The slow and steady continuous once (that's filled with tedium, irrelevance, and travel), or the one that jumps you around through space-time to keep up with moments that are relevant to something grand (like a plot)? I believe that fiction is our attempt to recreate the other because it's flow of space-time is better, frankly. Void of tedium and filled with meaning. (A reality that is itself meaningful!) Make sense?

[@TheWfurst]

Interesting how your video came along right while I'm having a mini crisis identifying where exactly the short I've written fits in. Thanks Shaelin, for the additional perspective. 🌻🥃

[@antoinettevangraan3010]

I think the difference between Surrealism and other types of non-realistic texts where you just add magic or other elements is the type of reality you are breaking. Are you breaking the rules of space and time constantly without anyone specifically being in control of that disruption? Surrealism - See Alice in Wonderland and the reality breaks of the Dark Tower as the world moves on. Surrealism is sort of the uncontrolled, random and unknowable breaking of the fabric of reality. That is how I always understood it. Thinking of it now, this is also a topic we never covered in my whole degree in Literature so I am so glad I found this. Thank you!

[@11kravitzn]

It would really help if you could sketch some outlines of stories in each category. Maybe even taking the same story skeleton and describe how it might change in each category.

[@yamimayonnaise5378]

Another channel to add to my "writing help" playlist. Thank you for the info

[@8bitgardengaming]

Thank You For This Video. Not only is it super fun to talk about but made me more confident in the fact that yes, Plant Life is definitely gonna be a surrealistic novel. Super excited

[@missygrace2351]

From what I understand The Harry Potter books are Low Fantasy and Wings of Fire series is High Fantasy. If you don't know what these series are you are missing out. Look them up.

[@DeeperStoriesbyTT]

Thank you for this. My take on surrealism is the intent is to address the unconscious. Using painting as the example, it's the difference between Salvador Dali and a painting of fantasy creatures.

[@stratovation1474]

Categories are helpful up to a point. The great thing about art is that you get to make rules and then break them. Nadia Boulanger the music teacher and conductor said, Art loves chains. Best to you

[@livewireOrourke]

This is the first time I've seen this topic brought up. Thank You.

[@siennablack4690]

your scream at 9:58 is my reaction when i realize my novel is a blend of high realism, fabulism and surrealism and in an entirely separate realm of fiction all on its own called The Existential Crisis

[@leech1355]

This...video has come at a great time. I’ve been struggling to categorise my WIP and I think because of that I’m struggling to find comps and learn more about the conventions of my genre. My concept involves folksy magical elements that exist on the peripherals of the story, and are treated as fantastical by some characters and realistic by others (kind of like how people think and feel differently about religion in our culture). Neither the protagonist nor the readers will know if the magical elements are real and won’t even after the story ends. So far the closest comp I’ve found is Water Shall Refuse Them, which I picked up from your recent reads series (thanks so much). It’s YA like my WIP and has a similar narrative style. Actually that’s another interesting topic which might be a good video: comps, why they’re useful in queries and how to go about comping, how accurate they need to be, using hybrid comps etc Thanks Shaelin, you’re amazing. Also btw I think I missed something because you’re now writing Holding a Ghost? Is HV done and stewing before a revision? I really hope you debut with that one.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Your WIP sounds awesome! I was literally thinking of Water Shall Refuse Them as soon as you started describing it and then you mentioned it as a comp haha. And yes, I am writing Holding a Ghost! Though I'm kind of alternating between drafting it and revising Honey Vinegar (which is what I'm doing atm)

[@marioksmith]

"My brain is melting." Exactly how I feel after a good writing session.

[@Kasztan_101]

I think that the difference between surrealism and magical realism may be explained in this way: in surrealism the characters see the reality as off, because they are under the influence of drugs for example or they have some health issues. While in magical realism the reality is perfectly normal for the characters but strange for th reader, because of the way it is told. Or: surrealism is strange and unsettling while magical realism is peculiar and quaint.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Ohhh this is very interesting!

[@AdamFishkin]

"My brain is melting. Help." Sending you virtual backrub to relax.

[@Sue-pn7mq]

If you’d ever think about making another video on this subject, I’d be thrilled. As a writer of surrealism I mostly see it as an exploration of the magic of the mind, which gives it the possibility to be either internal or external. And surrealism is an irrational genre, so I’d say it fits everywhere and nowhere on this line, which is why you were having a hard time placing it there.

[@kengause9259]

Really enjoyed this video. At first, I thought this was SCI-FI, but now I believe it is Magical Reality.

[@rowan404]

TIL that I ascended to an alternate reality when I changed my name to Rowan (an inanimate object) while transitioning. No wonder I keep getting into strange, almost cartoony situations, like that time I greeted a family in Russian while petting a chicken, or the time I had to wait out a rainstorm in a guinea pig enclosure, or the time I was paid $11.64 to draw Snoopy (that was actually just yesterday), or even how I have 2 close friends who are both named Daniel. Oh, and for some reason, I keep getting noticed by celebrities online and even met a few in-person, one of whom said that _they_ were a fan of _me._ My life is a little surreal, but I like it that way. I’ve been told that I’m enigmatic and I agree. Thus, strange occurrences feel like my own energy being reflected back on me.

[@vanessaglau1797]

So interesting! I would always label my stories as either surrealism or magical realism but thinking of it in terms of a sliding scale makes it a lot easier to understand & differentiate (not that I understand all of it - sadly I'm not smarter than you haha). I really want to play around with this some more, thank you!

[@justinlacek1481]

One of the last classes I took in college was a course on magical realism. One thing I remember vividly (unfortunately, I've lost all the books we read), is that each story made me feel uncomfortable in a very interesting way. It was like, I could tell that the worlds were *odd* and different in some way. Almost like reading a world where logical contradictions exist

[@meleshenko3767]

Yes, like a dream that you wake up from and, an hour later, you despise it. You may have learned from it. You may have even enjoyed being there when you were there. But the urge to shake it off grows. If suddenly all the greenery in the world was reddery- I don’t think I could get my bearings.

[@anastaytion4756]

I love the selection of detail in your outfit)

[@brvndxxxn]

Reality is surreal. For example: I come from a family of witches and I've seen many different kinds of UFO'S in my life. Not many people experience the same things in life. There are many dimensions on earth, let alone the universe. Everything is unique, which makes everything normal. You can use any term you'd like for your work or art. Appropriating other's cultures is the issue.

[@bluefireplayz7102]

First I can't wait I'm writing as I watch

[@ShaelinWrites]

A multitasking legend

[@bluefireplayz7102]

@@ShaelinWrites OMG you replied 😄. My brain was nearly bursting trying to process all the info and think of what to implement into my story at the same time

[@imaginativebibliophile549]

Shaelin, I mainly write realism. However, many of my stories have elements of the supernatural world. My short story, The Charms of the Land Far is a work of surrealism. I used to write magical realism and fantasy more often when I was younger. Language can have a huge impact on a story. My writing style is poetic, lyrical, fluid, and descriptive. Stories are sublime and alluring and I love experimenting with writing in different forms. I love you

[@notaraventoolate]

Thanks for another great video, Shaelin!

[@danielstothard6282]

what you define surrealism as is actually closer to the uncanny, which is another fascinating area to explore for your mind to melt, especially since it leads into hauntology too! great vid tho!

[@guardianfish7718]

The first book that really bugged me and I could not explain it's genre was The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavander. I loved listening to it (audiobook) and not knowing what to expect - the story is set in real countries that I know, it mentions historical events that really happened - meanwhile, one girl turned into a canary because she wanted to impress someone and from then on the family has one less daughter and a pet canary they travel everywhere with. The main character, a generation or two later, is special, people do admit she's special, because she was born with wings. But she doesn't cause uproar in scientific circles, she's not in the headlines - which would happen if in our reality someone was born with real feathery wings... They're just a unique feature she has. After watching the video, I think it was surrealism.

[@nachoijp]

As a representative of Latin America, I allow anyone to use magical realism as a concept.

[@giovanac4820]

As a second representative of Latin America, I agree

[@renab.7390]

Thank you! 😊

[@kimwicks5540]

Shaelin do be the queen tho

[@Destinnies]

Haven't heard of these spectrums at all... good to learn

[@nocturnus009]

I was able to get Save The Cat Writes a Novel as an ePub around father's day & loved all of it. Thanks for sharing the 15 beat structure. Right after finishing it I jumped into Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook. I think it's the book you are talking about here 0:50 ! After reading STC I have been unable to see movies or stories in general the same. 2/3 of it is case studies that the AuthorTube community NEEDS to pivot/revector the discussion about Novelcraft. The section I was reading in Wonderbook Last night made the point that because of diversity in application of style, any 3 authors can take the same event & compose different stories. Like Phillip K. Dick & Ridley Scott with Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep & Blade Runner I think.

[@mackdebruin999]

You're so pretty! Also thanks for the writing advice!

[@billyalarie929]

in surrealism, a clock can melt. in magical realism, a clock explodes without dynamite.

[@linzlsleepy1627]

You have no idea how much I needed this video, Shaelin! Great timing. have a question -- my current WIP is YA fiction in a realistic setting, but the events are farfetched in a why that cheesy high school tv shows are (ei: It's a private school setting, with a mix of gangs/mob bosses + a fictional illegal fight game). No supernatural elements, but far fetched action like in YA distopians. What would this be? (I classify it as Shameless meets The Raven Cycle meets the Hunger Games.)

[@invaderstim8804]

Finally, I have something to label my works. It's been bothering me for years!

[@lyssia5138]

I love the movie Tokyo Godfathers as an example for surrealism It's just a sequence of absurd and coincidences, but it's so amazingly done you accept what is happening and end up in love with the characters

[@c.d.dailey8013]

Cool. My brain didn't melt. I am good at understanding details like that. I was thinking of low and high fantasy in the video even before those were covered. I watched KZbin videos on fantasy subgenres, so that is fresh in my mind. Portal fantasy is what I consider to be the transitional part between the two subgenres. That is where one starts out in the real world. Then they go to a whole seperate fantasy universes. Good examples of this are Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. I think Peter Pan and Wizard of Oz may go here as well. I never thought of surreal as being somewhere between reality and fantasy. I think it is as being dream like. When I dream it gets so much wierder than that. I can turn into animals in my dream. I also go into a whole world of magic. I can even go into magical realms in the world. This stuff looks like it came from high fantasy. Maybe other people have more mundane and boring dreams than me. When I think of the inbetween the best example I can think of is science fiction. It bends the rules of reality. It is way beyond mundane reality. Yet it is not a full blown break like fantasy. Then sci fi can be divided into two. Hard sci fi is on the reality side. It rigidly adheres to real rules of science. It just makes technologies that is possible in real life. They are possible, but not invented yet. Soft sci fi is on the fantasy side. It is even called science fantasy. I think those two a synominous, but I am not 100% sure. This still uses technology instead of magic. However the rules of science are not adhered to as much. There is more focus on making devices cool and fun, and less focus on whether they are plausable in real life. Star Wars is a good example of science fantasy. It is mostly focused on technology. However the whole thing about the force is more like magic than science. It gets into psychic powers, which is definitly magic.

[@evennot]

"If you're receiving this message in a fictional context, you are at an even deeper level, one that we cannot reach." First of all, realism isn't possible in a serialized medium without explicit timestamps (eg movie scripts). Basically, in-book time passes at a random rate (pausing for descriptions, leaping over omitted parts, normalizing to the reader's speed during dialogues). Focus in this medium is also not realistic. Story shines a tiny spotlight over what's happening. Outright non-existent stuff in a written text can be found even in non-fiction. So I think the best way to categorize it is by its purpose, not prevalence or potence. For instance, magic can be used as an externalized hidden aspect of the real world/social group, or as a spice for internal world building. In the first case, author tries to explore real phenomenon, just hyperbolizing it. In the second case it's a tool for fictional setting's coherence or something like that. I mean first one can be considered "hyper realism" for our world, second one serves in-book "realism" or consistency. Citation in the first line is to show that "realistic prose" can invoke sense of surrealism in the real world too

[@Shey2brightside]

shaelin i love your shirt where can i get it???? (also love your videos)

[@inconspicuouscrab3355]

This is a fascinating topic!

[@b0hemianrage414]

I was wondering about your thoughts about the 'Pyramid of Abstraction' in Brandon Sanderson's lectures? As it seems to be another method to mess with abstraction.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

A term in visual arts that is similar to what you refer to as high realism is superrealistic, which is most widely used in marketing and advertising. For example, compare what a hamburger looks like to what a picture of that hamburger looks like. :)

[@SysterYster]

I agree that surrealism has less need for actual realism in people's actions and reactions. In fantasy (both low and high) you still need people (even if said people are dwarves or elves or goblins) to react like real people would in certain situations to make the fantastic seem realistic. If that makes sense?

[@havelahmclat]

Hello. I wrote a novel that has cross worlds fantasy. I don’t have lot of magic but I use an object that was invented to transport to a different world. Not just the time. I don’t want spoil too much. I don’t like call it magic but use the term has ability to transportation. So it does have low fantasy because I created two different worlds (earth and fantasy world set in medieval time with some technology, for example watches. It doesn’t have magical creatures or anything deep magic) I enjoy watch your videos!

[@arouba1773]

I love how in Literature you can take a stance on what different things are- like how she thought of surrealism. Imagine if you were like "Yeah, that definition of cells isn't for me..."

[@KiX-K4T13]

Oh man. This was a damn good video! This makes me wonder what my graphic novel is...it has elements of realism, very real problems that not everyone experiences, but could resonate with a few people for sure. It's mixed with anthropomorphic style characters, including humans (Which are considered a mutation in my world.) It takes place on a planet called Terra Animus (Earth's Soul) but the story eventually moves through other worlds too. (Dimensional doors, y'all!) At one point my protagonists even drink astral tea, are able to walk into the paintings around them and have a conflict with a woman named The Lady in Paint (Lady Astra). It gets wild, maybe surrealistic, at times, but more than anything there are moments of characters experiencing very real feelings and pain. Anyway, Shaelin has a humorous side, and I kinda need more of it because it makes me smile. I also need some good books to read because I have none at the moment. I'll check out some of the ones Shae listed. I'm kinda curious about her work too, if I'm being completely honest. Well this is a lengthy and unsightly comment of gushing and hemming and hawing on my part. I had better get back to work on my story. I love you guys. Please be safe out there. Ciao!

[@ShaelinWrites]

Okay your graphic novel sounds *awesome*!!

[@KiX-K4T13]

@@ShaelinWrites I promise you that it will be available soon, I have a few things to work out before the definitive deadline, but it is in the works and I hope you'll enjoy it! That means so much to me, as I've been very hush, hush on the deets and story. I hope people will enjoy my story. I just wish that I could let people into my imagination sometimes. 🤔

[@MerweenTheWitch]

Your earring game tho (but seriously amazing content, thanks for the hard work!)

[@christianacquasanta1472]

I feel like surrealism is similar to Alice in Wonderland Aka a story about reality throughout the distortion of reality For a prime example of magical realism instead: Paolo Coelo - The alchimist Thanks for shedding some light, now I know what style to go on for my book: a high fantasy version of magical realism Aka analyzing the reality throughout a fantasy reprsentation of it

[@robinsprung207]

Great video as always!

[@hatezis]

great video, informative, original, not really spoke about topic :)

[@kulsoomahsan4440]

Wow. That hurt my brain. It felt like I was back in college. :) Would the short story, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" be considered high realism? I'm just trying to get a sense of what high realism is.

[@ScullyPopASMR]

You get next level education on this channel.

[@dougarnold7955]

Thanks. Great topic.

[@marionnaveau8206]

Hello, As always, thank you very much for your video. I greatly enjoy watching it . A little note however : magical realism does not originate in Latin America, even though most of the greatest works of magical realism are from there. The term was coined by a German critic, Franz Roh, and you can read European works from the early xxth century that fit in the genre. It's a bit sad to have to invent a new term when one already exists...

[@mudskippa8958]

OK so I now know I mainly write fabulism. This was useful, thank you. Because I never know where to submit my short stories! Another word for this is Slipstream, no?

[@munafruit]

this is so helpful thank you

[@augusthawley5504]

Wouldn't it be nice to sleep for a year right now 😔 Really great video though, I never considered placing my stories on a scale of realism, this is so interesting!

[@CB-wi3vc]

Hi there, Shaelin. Could you point me to one of your novels you'd recommend for someone who hasn't read any of your books yet? Thanks.

[@ShaelinWrites]

I haven't published any novels, but all my published short stories are linked in the descriptions of my videos, or the linktree in my twitter and instagram bios!

[@precious3863]

These topics are lit.

[@cwfcwfcwf]

I have always liked to take reality to the edge then by the end of the novel the main character discovers how this is possible. For example: finding three fire breathing dragons, two of which are badly wounded, and finding Bigfoot, or chasing the first EF-6 tornado. These are fun to write and seem to stretch reality but in the end, it is explained and the reader can think that maybe this is really possible.

[@vitoriaassuncao7716]

Does anyone have recommendations on texts/ academic books about this topic? The study of surrealism, magical realism and fabulism in literature?

[@raultoichoa1574]

I think the one piece you're missing, what will really tie your whole system together and explain some of the incongruities transitioning between levels, is the concept of social reality. I mean something very specific by this: What is the most prescient, as well as horrible, disgusting, incongruous or evil topic which your characters, in their regular conversations, cannot bring up? What's real? This explains the blip. In the "real" types of stories. This unspoken real can usually be very well defined. It could be that there is some enjoyment in pain. It could be that there is some enjoyment in the mundane. It could be that pain is mundane. Something that can be said as easily as that, even if the characters in the world refuse to. On the other end, in pure fantasy, the real can also usually be well defined, only its something we don't experience in our regular lives. Ex: Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire). The real thing is that there is an army of zombies comming to kill everyone, but no one believes in zombies, and that the only solution to this problem will be the use of dragons that no one really believes in either. But while that's ridiculous, it can still be easily captured in language, so everyone is free to go about their normal politicking like regular people. On the levels in-between, even if there is a socially real thing that the author has put into the story more explicitly, the incongruity of the reality itself can very easily, and often must, become larger than whatever it was that appeared to be the real thing. This can come out in how the characters treat the story or eachother. It can also come out in how the author treats the characters. Somethings going to seem not real, and in surrealism, magical realism, and low fantasy ( here where there are two worlds or rules), this is what seems the most real.

[@zerujah]

Shaelin: drinking a cup or tea KZbin: interrupts the video for sending me an advert for Redbull. //ambiguous.

[@matshonkoop4565]

Can you use more examples in some future vids? It would make things more clear to me. Still, thanks for explaining this topic!

[@matshonkoop4565]

For example: when you said that a story about werewolfs whas low fantasy, low fantasy became more clear to me. So if you would use more examples it would realy help me to understand your video’s more.

[@josefinasotes796]

So thanks to this video I actually realized the story I'm currently working on is... high-realistic? everything makes more sense now lol

[@marktomlinson4953]

You might want to try Phillip K. Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' for surrealism.

[@zeenerink.2784]

Cool new look!

[@atella394]

I love these earrings!

[@pokemonviolet5418]

One thing about magical realism-you don’t have to be Latinx to write it. The key thing is that the magical elements stem from the difference between one’s own culture’s view of reality and the Western view of reality. As a result, there are some brilliant works by authors of from non-Latinx cultures that have been forced to Westernize. The only thing is that White people would have a hard time writing it, since their own culture *is* Western culture

[@Dayglodaydreams]

Reality qua reality is off in surrealism. Reality qua reality is off in magic realism. Reality obtains a fantastic quality in magic realism, and a distorted quality in surrealism.

[@boxcarhobo7017]

Topple that Janga book tower of Babel, Shaelin. You can do it!

[@spoiledoatmilk]

Hey readers! If you like a heartfelt sci-fi and space travel vibe with romance sprinkled in, my new book Swallowed by Silence may be right up your alley! Check it out on Wattpad and happy reading

[@rev6215]

13:50 Aneurysm

[@gamewriteeye769]

The line is only as far drawn as you define it.

[@audrinnoreys]

It’s not the same as writing fiction, but the role realism and reality impacts stories and characters has been explored in depth in tabletop roleplaying games. The GNS Theory (gamism, narrativism, and simulationism) is a good place to start, if you want to learn more. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNS_theory#Criticism