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I think it is a mistake to write half a book as a grim fantasy, then have a twist that undoes that. To me, I am disappointed if the author builds up a dire scenario that suddenly fizzles out, the h...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2019-12-19T22:13:51Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46784 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T12:30:22Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46784 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
I think it is a mistake to write half a book as a grim fantasy, then have a twist that undoes that. To me, I am disappointed if the author builds up a dire scenario that suddenly fizzles out, the hero wanders off, the villain turns out to be working an elaborate insane scheme to corner the Nutella market, or write "Bite Me!" on the Moon. The Reader's expectations are set in the first 25% of the book, both directly by the author and implied by the tone and events, and the whole book should be consistent with the first Act. In the first half of the first Act, reader's will accept just about anything; magic, ghosts, intergalactic civilizations, immortality, God (or Gods) walking the Earth, whatever. By the End of the First Act, reader's should know everything important about the world of the MC and Villain. If you really want the twist to pacify the villain and flip the protagonist, you have to signal the **tone** of this from the beginning. Don't promise a grim fantasy that fizzles out. That's about as bad as the "It was all a dream" deus ex machina. Make it something else. Otherwise, continue with the story you promised readers; the hero (compromised or not) will have a confrontation with the villain.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2019-07-21T14:16:31Z (almost 5 years ago)
Original score: 11