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Posted By: Vienaragis Jan 25, 2005 - 09:37 pm

Sometimes authors hide things from their readers, but once it's revealed the reader realizes that they should have known all along-- the clues where there, but they passed them over. Naturally, some people will realize it beforehand because the clues ARE there, but most people won't be aware of it.

I wonder if anyone had any tips on getting this sort of effect. In the story I'm working on I have two conflicting sides. One character is a part of both. He has abilities that allow him to look completely different, but is the same person at the core (though expresses himself differently and has different manners of speaking-- he is trying to act here).

The main character interacts with this character frequently on both sides, but doesn't know that her friend is also her enemy and that her enemy is her friend. I'm sort of stumped as to how to go about the whole thing. I don't want to reveal it and have readers complain that it was out of the blue, but I don't want it obvious, naturally. Would it be enough to just write it as if they were two different characters and hope that their personalities being so similar is enough for someone to say "Why didn't we see that coming?"? (And the fact that the character, as the protagonist's friend, has minor shapechanging abilities?)

Another problem I'm concerned about is having smooth transitions without making the readers (or the main character!) suspicious. Her best friend isn't around when she's fighting one of her more dangerous foes. Luckily, the main character is a lone wolf type, so she's rarely traveling or working with her friend anyway, and I figured the other character could just talk about having met or "taken care of" himself already in traditional "I'm such an awesomely cool bad dude" villain speech. (He likes to glorify himself no matter who he's pretending to be.)

Posted By: woody000 Jan 26, 2005 - 01:12 am

Well I'm no expert really, but I'd guess that more detailed plotting could help with that sort of thing. Then you could plan where to leave clues and not just hope that it "happens", if you know what I mean.

Posted By: Magus Jan 26, 2005 - 12:42 pm

I agree. You can't just worry about this later. You should try and plot out what you're going to do in more detail and then find proper niches to hold minor clues. Don't just add it in their for the clue's sake. Help to incorperate it into the plot and make it not seem that it's there just for its own sake. And another plan you might want to consider is to gradually increase the evidence. Minor at first which then leads to more and more meaningful clues and then have the truth sprun on them like a starving tiger would pounce on live flesh... bad analogy, but I think you get the idea.

Posted By: Vienaragis Jan 26, 2005 - 02:23 pm

Planning would probably be my weakest skill when it comes to writing, so I end up... not doing it half the time. I suppose this would be a good opportunity to get into the grove of it.

I'm really liking the gradual evidence idea, which for some reason I hadn't considered. Thanks for the feedback.

Posted By: Magus Jan 26, 2005 - 02:26 pm

Always my pleasure. Good luck with the writing!

Posted By: Aldan Jan 26, 2005 - 07:28 pm

One more thing that you may try... use surprise on that character. Have him be surprised and react to it, since that would most likely shake him out of his false persona, at least for a moment. That way you could have him explain it away, that he was just surprised, but later, when the same BG character in his other guise reacts similarly, it would be another clue. Of course, you wouldn't want to make it too obvious.

Posted By: Magus Jan 27, 2005 - 01:15 pm

Aha! Tis som' good t'inkin' you's gots there, Aldan!

***Been reading The Adventure's of Huckleberry Finn. Can you tell?***

Posted By: BenJaru Jan 27, 2005 - 05:13 pm

Lol Magus, Thou art surpassing clever, but I am terribly wroth that I hath not read that aforesaid book!

***Been reading The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. Can you tell?***

Posted By: Aldan Jan 27, 2005 - 05:20 pm

aforementioned? If you use that word, it'll make you sound more edjumucated...

Posted By: Magus Jan 27, 2005 - 05:48 pm

Aye. I ken ya'. 'Tis our ka that makes it so.

***I've also been reading The Dark Tower series for the past... oh, 6+ months now.***

Posted By: woody000 Jan 28, 2005 - 07:00 am

lol *rolls his eyes*

Posted By: BenJaru Jan 28, 2005 - 02:21 pm

edjumucated??
Wat do dat meen?

Actually I looked it up on Dictionary.com and got no matches!
You leg pullin' Aldan?

Posted By: Magus Jan 28, 2005 - 02:47 pm

edjumucated is the unedjumucated way to say educated.

Posted By: Aldan Jan 28, 2005 - 06:56 pm

Actually, there were no limbs touched in the making of my last post. I was simply being wry about trying to seem overly intelligent.
Now, did you look up aforementioned or did you look up edjumucated?