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Q&A

Is there a writing style I can use to show "the result that appeared is contrary to the expectation"? [closed]

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Closed by System‭ on Sep 16, 2019 at 02:57

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I'm wondering if there is a English writing technique or style I can use to show that the result that appeared is contrary to the expectation of the first-person narrator? (I'm not using garden-sentences for this)

Example Context:

After going through a Life-and-Death Trial, First-person Narrator has following conversation with their teacher.

Teacher: "I put you through a Trial to awaken your talent."

First-person Narrator: "That's absurd."

Teacher: "In general, most people are unable to awaken their talent until they face a life and death situation. In fact, its a lack of encountering life and death situations that prevent most people from awakening their talent."

First-person Narrator: "Then, for that reason you made me take the trial?"

Narrator's Inner thoughts: insert sentence that shows the result that appeared (Teacher's "In general..." response) is contrary to the expectation of the narrator

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This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/47998. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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1 answer

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Writing is all about conditioning the reader's expectations. All the big effects in writing come from an appropriate setup. If you want to show a result contrary to the narrator's expectations, you make sure that the reader is aware of the narrator's expectations before the event occurs. This is the answer to every effect you want to create. It is not about how you write the event itself, it is about how you condition the reader's expectations before the event occurs. It is the cheerleader walking down the stairs into the darkened basement. It is not about how you film the scene. It is about the previous scene where the killer snuck into the basement.

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