How much foreshadowing is right?
I want to build suspense in my book and have a big twist at the end, but I started the book making it pretty clear that there's something up with the character that will have the twist.
I tend to worry when trying to make foreshadowing that the reader won't pick up on the subtle clues that are meant to increase their curiosity. However, I don't want to make it so obvious that the climax is... well, anticlimactic.
In my favorite old (1908) book, The Lure Of The Mask, there is a plot development that is pretty dang obvious. When the truth was revealed, rather than being shocked, I had the small but satisfying "I knew it" experience. Is it better to make the reader feel good about seeing what was coming or to give them the thrill of the Big Plot Twist?
Takes a lot s subtlety. Which I apparently lack. I generally go straight to the point, these days. I'm pretty sure the nature of Cobb was apparent pretty early on.
ReplyDeleteI was going to have the good guy look like a bad guy and vice versa in Death of An Immortal, but it took more finesse than I possess. It comes across as disingenuous.