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Q&A How can I convince my reader that I will not use a certain trope?

Readers establish a sense of the story they are reading in the opening pages. That's where you set the contract. If you open with the death of this evil being, the readers will expect that being to...

posted 5y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T12:14:46Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46124
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar DPT‭ · 2019-12-08T12:14:46Z (almost 5 years ago)
Readers establish a sense of the story they are reading in the opening pages. That's where you set the contract. If you open with the death of this evil being, the readers will expect that being to be important and assume that the evil being will return. But if you tuck it in after the contract, maybe combine it within local lore of the world along with a few other stories that are not tropey or remarkable in any way, it will be less likely to be seen as anything suspicious.

What do you want to promise your readers that the story _is_? Rather than what it is not? Put _that_ into the contract.

**Answer** : Introduce the lack/death of the evil being as a sort of afterthought, _after_ the main contract is established. Downplay it.

**Bonus answer:** Or, use humor and break the fourth wall, presumably through the narrator.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-06-21T19:44:59Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 44