The Difference Between Tricking Your Reader and Surprising Your Reader

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy 

If you’re going to trick your readers, proceed with caution and a lot of skill.

During a world-building panel I did at the Space Coast Comic Con, we had a brief discussion about tricking readers. Some authors on the panel were for it, some against it, and there were strong opinions on both sides.

It made me think about what makes a good twist vs. a bad trick. Because some novels trick readers and we love the author for it, but others trick readers and we refuse to ever read that author again.

I think it’s the Dallas vs. Newhart difference.

For those who weren’t watching a lot of TV in the 80s, both shows had huge twists that surprised viewers. One worked, one did not.

In the show Dallas, a beloved character (Bobby) died in a season finale. The next season proceeded without him, developing storylines and dealing with his death and all the normal things you’d expect to happen after killing off a favorite character. 

How to Sneak Clues Past Your Readers and Keep Them Guessing

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Some writers weave clues so seamlessly into a novel, readers never realize they’re there until they all converge in the end. 

My subconscious is a better writer than I am. It drops in details and makes connections in my first drafts that I don’t see until the next draft—if at all. 

Sometimes, it takes the sharp eyes of my critique group to spot the "clever things" I’ve written that I’m totally unaware of (grin). 

I suspect your subconscious does this, too.

It’s only natural. Stories churn in our heads even when we aren’t consciously thinking about them. Our brains remember throwaway details and build on them without our input.

And when we make the connections, we get that rush and think, “oooo that is soooo cool.”

The Hidden Danger Backstory Poses for Writers (And It’s Not the One You Think)

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Uncovering backstory isn’t the same as plot, and focusing too much on the story’s past can hurt your novel’s future.

One of the very first outlines for my urban fantasy novel, Blood Ties, focused on revealing the twist and secrets of the novel. It was mostly about how readers were going to learn all the cool things I’d created and less about a character struggling with a problem. Which was a problem, since struggling with problems is what makes a novel a novel.

Weak as that early outline was, writing it was worth it, since it helped me figure out those backstories and secrets. It also made it obvious that I’d outlined a novel that didn’t truly have a plot. Sure, my protagonist had goals and she acted to achieve them and did all the things a good protagonist is supposed to do, but if I’d written the story to that first outline, it would have been terrible.

The Problem With "Revealing" Information That's Already in the Cover Copy

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A novel's beginning is under a lot of pressure to hook readers and pull them into the story. But what happens when that hook is something we reveal on the back cover?

Opening scenes are hard enough to write already, but there's something writers need to be wary about, particularly if they indie publish.

An opening scene that "reveals" information stated in the cover copy as if it's a big secret.

For example, let's say your novel is about a town that's been hit by toxic nerve gas that's killed everyone under the age of twenty. Now the characters have to deal with this problem and the repercussions of it. Your cover copy might say something like...

When a tragic accident poisons a small town a kills everyone under the age of twenty, local doctor Jessica Halloway must find the cause before more fall ill and die. But as she searches for the cure, she uncovers a far more deadly source.

Every single person who reads this cover copy is going to know before they open the book what the problem is. 

The Joy of Discovery: Keeping Readers Hooked Through Story Revelations

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The need to know is what keeps readers interested in your novel. Don't let them down.

My husband and I watch a lot of movies, and we often discuss them over a meal afterward. Years ago, we were deciding if we wanted to see Men in Black 3. We both loved the original, felt the sequel was meh, and had read not-great reviews about the third (we did end up seeing it).

Then my husband said something profound (as he often does) that really related to writing and keeping readers hooked in a novel.

"The first movie had the joy of discovery in it that was missing from the second."

Which totally nails why a book, especially in a series, can fall flat.

One of the ways readers stay interested in a story is by learning new things about the world and characters. The discovery of who they are, what they can do, and how everything works, can be very compelling.

Do You Have a Story with a Twist, or a Twist That Thinks it's a Story?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Stories with a great twist are stories readers remember, but make sure your story is more a single punchline.

I ran into a problem when writing my adult urban fantasy novel, Blood Ties. There's a twist, and one of the things that kept changing in the original outline was where that twist was revealed. Did I reveal it early on so the reader got to the "cool part" of the idea first? Did I use it as my midpoint reversal? Or was it an end-of-book shocker?

Then it hit me.

I wasn't writing a story that had a twist, I was setting up a 400-page joke with the twist as the punchline. The novel was all about the reveal, not the story. Which was a major problem.

A twist can't be the whole book. The story has to hold up even if readers know the twist.

What "Stranger Things" Can Teach Us About Flashbacks

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

If you haven’t discovered the new Netflix show Stranger Things yet, do yourself a favor and go watch it. It’s a terrific and fun series that evokes all the things we loved about the ’80s, spooky horror movies, Dungeons and Dragons adventures, and Stephen King.

It also uses flashback extremely well.

If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s set in the 1980s and begins when a 12-year-old boy, Will, disappears after playing a game of D&D with his friends. This coincides with the mysterious arrival of a 12-year-old girl, Elle. Will’s friends find Elle when they’re searching for him. After that, strange (and stranger) things begin to happen. I won’t say more or it’ll spoil it.

Tah-Dah! The Best Place to Reveal Your Story Secrets

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

When to reveal information is one of the many tools in a writer’s toolbox. It’s crucial to plotting, because a revelation is a great way to end on a tense moment that doesn’t involve a life or death situation. It’s a quieter hook, but effective because it satisfies the “need to know what happens next” question for readers, and works as the carrot that keeps them reading.

But when is the best time to reveal a secret?

Are You Asking the Right Story Questions?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A novel is a series of story questions, so it’s important to, A) have enough, and B), make sure they’re questions readers want answers to. Without questions drawing a reader into a story, there’s no reason to read that story.

Story questions also keep our scenes from being just flat descriptions of what happens. They give readers directions to wander through our story worlds, encourage them to spend time with our characters, and challenge them to discover the answers to the things we’ve teased them with.