Wonderful Words - Verisimilitude

Today I've chosen a very writer-ly word - verisimilitude. It is a term that writing tutors love, agents look out for and writers strive to capture. 

Verisimilitude means the appearance of being true or real: 'the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude'.

I love the way it sounds; but it can be as difficult to capture in a novel as it is to spell. 

It's the challenge of making your writing seem realistic, even if it's an unrealistic setting. My novel is set in the near future, a dystopian world; but I still want to make it feel realistic, so that you, the reader, will believe in it and therefore the story.


Verisimilitude applies to the setting, the characters, the plot and the dialogue. It has to run through every part of the writing and I can tell you it's not always easy. The best writers just make it look like it is. 

I'm still learning my craft and how to convey verisimilitude; but I'm enjoying the process, especially when I stumble upon new Wonderful Words.