I understand what you're saying. I just read a romance by a very popular author but I questioned plausability with certain scenes and character actions. When I complained to a friend who read the same book, she replied, "It's fiction. It's entertainment. It's not reality."
This book made me laugh out loud and the characters were memorable, but I questioned things that seemed 'forced.' As I said, popular author and equally popular book. As a writer myself, I just find myself wondering, do you call it off-beat and quirky so readers understand that your characters will do things not based in reality?
Where's the line?
What I am really focusing on here is the connection you build with your reader. Sure, books can be quirky and off-beat. There is nothing wrong with this. If the goal of your book is simply to do that, then you need to make sure you stick to your guns and do it.
Too often, though, authors are not setting out with that goal in mind. When they do this, and then add the quirky and off-beat stuff, the story comes across as being very unnatural.
I really push this point with authors though when we are dealing with romance and women's fiction. These are genres ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND PEOPLE!!! Regardless of whether they are alien's or vampires, the focus is the "person." Reality now has to play a central role!
Scott
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