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Q&A Should I make my character suspect an upcoming twist or not?

An alternative answer: You can leave it up to the reader to wonder whether the character knew. This depends on your writing style, but it is actually possible to show everything the character act...

posted 7y ago by Wildcard‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T07:39:22Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32437
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Wildcard‭ · 2019-12-08T07:39:22Z (about 5 years ago)
An alternative answer:

**You can leave it up to the reader to wonder whether the character knew.**

This depends on your writing style, but it is actually possible to show everything the character actually physically _does_ and much of the character's immediate reactions and responses to events, _without_ describing anything at all of what the character knows, thinks, suspects, plans.

A mild form of this is in an action story of some sort when:

> He described in a few words what he wanted done. The sentry nodded brightly and saluted, a sly grin spreading across his face. 'You can count on me, sir,' he said, slapping his rifle butt for emphasis, and Daniel moved on, satisfied.

Then the reader learns the plan later by seeing it in action.

Likewise, you don't have to show suspicion; you can just show the result. Someone suspecting an imminent betrayal is hardly likely to demonstrate the fact, which makes it difficult for an outsider to tell whether it _is_ in fact suspected or not. So show what actually happens. Does the betrayal succeed? It sounds like you want it to. So, you could have it succeed, but have it be a near thing due to unexpected difficulty encountered by those betraying him.

Ultimately, it's your story, and what happens in it is up to you.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-01-10T03:11:54Z (almost 7 years ago)
Original score: 6