bryndavis

Right, so you've written a complex arc, a mystery, or something with a major plot twist. You've laid the grounds, you've placed the clues and everything to make it plausible. Then the twist takes place and despite wanting it to be a surprise, it is completely out of the blue.

The reasons are there, the motivations all relayed earlier in the story, so do you trust that your reader is interested enough to mow over the twist and think of the plot points, or is it best to reitirate everything in some long passage.

When I write this I'm thinking of the Veronica Mars second series finale, if anyone's seen it, where the revelation was so shocking that it was actually jarring, despite all clues having been layed out. I feel that is the way a murder mystery should play out. But then it proceeded to run through every detail once more and I couldn't help but think to myself "I could've worked out the details myself."

In my current project there is a murder mystery. It isn't a crime novel but this mystery is certainly a major aspect of the book. I've plotted every clue, every red herring that I want to show, but would like to know your thoughts on how to resolve such a mystery.

Trust your reader to make the connections, or spell it out?

WriterJohnB

Trust your reader. But don't trust yourself because you know everything. Have a couple of folks read it over, and I don't mean your relatives. I'm in a writers group and I highly recommend it for the feedback it provides on matters like this.

Take care,
JohnB

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HippoHead

depends on your target audience, I guess. If it's for kids, spell it out, if it's for adults, you won't need to (If they've been paying attention).

In fact, spelling it out diminishes the urge to read the book over again. If a book's good enough, I like to read it over again, this time aware of what's going to happen, and am therefore able to completley understand what is happening all the way through. It's like watching Sixth Sense for the second time, or The Village (though that movie was crap, and got even crapper once you knew the twist).

lin

Yeah, we all know how kids hate surprises.

I'd say it's not so much about trust as honesty. They expect you not to jerk them around, and a deus ex machina is seen as a violation of the interior solving they've been doing as part of their reading pleasure.

This is the crafty part, no doubt about it. The real tour-de-force is a total surprise than as son as its revealed seems totally inevitable.

Probably the best scripted film I saw this year was "Stardust", an amazing screenplay (and really beautiful film). This happens continuously: things happen that blow your mind, but are instantly seen as pre-ordained.

This is what we're hoping to pull off when we're "not working just staring at the wall".

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bryndavis

I agree with you on honesty. I guess whether the plot points are there or not, the resolution having credibility and engrossing not deterring the reader is a whole different craft.

I'm not sure if I liked "Stardust". I actually can't remember, but I remember it being pretty funny. I loved the book, however. Gaiman is brilliant!

lin

Oh, that he is. And he's definitely the movie writer to beat at the moment.

Whatever one thinks of the film itself, the Stardust script is an amazing tour de force.

AND he wrote the script for "Beowulf". Many were put off by the weird "not really animation" and the fratboy antics of the Viking warriors (I just have to think it's not that unrealistic, actually) but the writing is incredible.

He takes one of the most ancient stories in English, jacks it up and puts brand new running gear under it, inventing a multi-generation sexual curse and playing it out with bravado.

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Mike C

The quickest way to lose a reader is with a twist or plot device that's just tacked on to make something work. Reader's aren't stupid, they're at least as bright as you, and if you cheat them, they'll resent it. When the reader hits a suprise or twist he's got to be able to slap his forehead and say "Of course! So that's why the professor kept pet monkeys!"

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