Believing the Unreal

I first learned about the difference between "believable" and "realistic", two words which sound similar but have entirely different meanings, in my high school English class. The topic came up during a very open-ended assignment in which we were asked to write a short story about anything we wanted. We were introduced to this concept as one of the keys components of a good story, and ever since, the idea has intrigued me.

The meaning of "realistic" is pretty straightforward: Something that is realistic could actually happen in real life. However, the concept of "believable" is a bit more complex. It has little to do with how close to reality something is, but rather, refers to the audience's perception of reality as they read, watch, or listen to the story. Something that is realistic is obviously believable, but something not quite so realistic can be portrayed in a way that makes it believable.

Now that I think of it, the most memorable books I've read or movies I've seen have this "believable" quality. Even though most of these stories include aspects that are beyond the scope of reality, they are told in a way that makes you believe, for a moment, that what is happening is real. They draw you into the fictitious world that the author or director has created, and until you pull yourself out of that world by closing the book or turning off the screen, you don't question whether the story could actually happen in real life.

So what exactly makes a story "believable"? Here are a few characteristics I've noticed based on the ones that have really stood out to me.

- The author describes the scene and characters so vividly that you can visualize every detail. Also, the descriptions invoke all your senses so that you feel as if you were right there.

-The story reflects some aspect of real life or some real-life thought or concept. It doesn't matter how far away from reality the plot and characters are, but in the end, the story must offer something that the audience can relate to.

- The story must be coherent and flow logically. The key here is that the "logic" doesn't necessarily have to follow real life; it just has to follow the rules of reality established in the story itself.

An Unexpected Lesson

On the way home from work the other day, I overheard a surprisingly inspiring conversation in one of the least inspiring of locations: a crowded, stuffy BART train. It was the usual 6 pm rush hour, and as I squeezed my way into one of the cars, I noticed a young girl sitting in a corner on a stool. More people filed in, and a middle-aged man came in and also stood in that same corner, where it was noticeably less crowded.

We began to move, and a few moments later, I heard the man speak to the girl.

“That’s smart of you to bring your own chair.”

“Yeah,” the girl replied. “I’ve been doing this every day for a while now. I stand all day at work, so this chair has been a real lifesaver!”

This started a dialogue that lasted for several stops. The pair was close enough to me that I could hear every word clearly without intentionally eavesdropping. It was the first time in a while that I had heard two strangers strike up a meaningful conversation on BART, where most of the time people were too tired, hot, or grumpy to be in the mood for conversation.

I quickly learned that the girl worked as a cashier at a salad bar in the Financial District, and that she had just graduated from culinary school. What really struck me was the way in which she spoke about her job. She described the salads as if they were her creations (“All of our ingredients are organic, and we make our dressings in-house, from scratch!”), and talked about the business as if she owned it (“Our papaya salad is getting really popular – we sold about 10 a day last month, but we’re up to 50 this month!”).It was clear that she had a strong passion for her job and really believed in her company’s mission of providing high-quality, healthy and delicious salads to customers. When the man asked if the menu contained calorie information, she replied, “Hmm, we don’t have that, but that’s a great idea! I’ll speak to my manager about it!” Her proactivity would have led anyone to believe that she was much more than just an employee at the cash register. In fact, she made the salads sound so good that I was craving for one by the time I got off the train!

The conversation reminded me of all the times I’ve heard others complain about their job – whether it was how tedious, how repetitive, or how difficult. Yet this girl, whose job was, in many ways, less than glamorous, was able to maintain such a positive attitude. She, like so many others, could have easily just sat on her stool and complained about how tiring it was to stand all day and how frustrating it was to deal with customer after customer. Instead, she was able to look past all that and really focus on the heart of the business, taking it upon herself to help improve and grow the business.

Success is often not the result of what you choose to do, but rather, how you choose to do it. In other words, you may not have complete control over the type of job you land in, but you have full control over the attitude you bring to your job. Do you simply show up, go through the motions, and watch the clock tick by? Or do you make the effort to learn and understand your work, and continuously strive to make a positive impact? Often, this means the difference between a boring, meaningless job, and one that is filled with excitement and opportunities.