The Difference Between Plausible and Proven
Launch library · evergreen read
A plausible explanation fits comfortably with the available facts without directly contradicting any of them, while a proven one is actively supported by independent, corroborating evidence that rules out the realistic alternatives a careful reader might otherwise raise, and the two can feel remarkably similar in the early stages of drafting a story.
Evidence based writing that quietly blurs this particular line risks presenting a reasonable guess with the same confidence normally reserved for an established fact, which slowly erodes a reader's trust the moment that gap is eventually noticed by anyone reading closely enough to catch it happening in the finished piece.
The fix is largely a matter of careful language: phrases such as it appears, the evidence suggests, or one likely explanation keep a plausible account honestly labelled, while sturdier, more assertive language is reserved only for whatever genuine corroboration has actually and demonstrably earned over a longer period of time.