: Re: Does everything have to be accurate? Do I have to make everything apply to logic, physics, science, etc? The Harry Potter series has been a major hit, and it is nowhere near to being scientifically

@Berryessa137

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I understand the various different questions as:

Q: Do I have to explain how the fictional part of my story works? "It takes so much effort."

I share the general opinion that you should not describe things that are not relevant to the story.
However I am going to try and find arguments why you should, since most answers are arguing against it.

Immersion and world-building

If your world is fascinating and you have stories to tell that are not directly connected to your main plot, telling them at relevant times can be enjoyable to the reader. These stories can expand the readers knowledge about and fascination for the world, making it easier for them to immerse themselves into the story.

Indirect character building

Telling stories the character might know but not currently think about enhances the readers knowledge of the character, allowing them the understand it better. This works best if your narrator is tied closely to the character you are following. So if your character is a scientist, explaining how... timetravel works will establish that the character knows how this works, and set them apart from others.

Influencing the reader

By telling additional facts you can set the mood the reader percieves when reading your text. This generally does not work with scientific details, the only thing I can think of right now would be an impeding threat that the character doesnt know about, giving the reader an anvantage in knowledge.
However in the way you describe these things, you can also convey a mood, although this might be hard and more of an exercise in word choice.

Pacing, or playing with the reader and their patience

By going into detail you can slow down the pacing of your story. You could build up tension by leaving a cliffhanger and moving to another storyline where you slowly describe some details the reader might need to understand a later development. This is a way to build tension, but I am not a big fan of writers doing this.

Well, there you have it, several reasons why going into detail can be good.

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