Erin Edwards asked me to expand on this from my post about revising: “Am I leading the reader along properly so that what happens is neither predictable nor too far fetched to believe?” Erin added, “I think this takes real skill and is ultimately what makes a book satisfying.”
Predictability happens to be timely for me right now. I just (ten minutes ago) emailed my mystery novel to my editor, who hasn’t seen a word of it. So I’m wondering if my villain is going to be instantly obvious.
Of course I want his or her identity to be a surprise, but I’m willing to put up with other writers’ predictability in some cases. I’m a great fan of the Adrian Monk TV series, for example, although sometimes I can spot the villain as soon as I lay eyes on him, before the plot has even been laid out. I’m okay with that because I’m there for the laughs and the poignancy of Monk’s sad life.
Readers of my fiction come to it expecting an ending that won’t leave them feeling hopeless. I may write a really sad book one day, and if I do, some people will be disappointed and even angry at me. We go to some books, especially series books, craving predictability. We want to enjoy again what pleased us before. There’s some of that pleasure in rereading books we love.
For tellers of old tales, like me, the story’s ending is known; what’s unknown is how the ending is achieved.
Total unpredictability may be randomness or experimental literature, not my thing but maybe yours. I’ve read that there are just a handful of fundamental plot lines, which writers recycle endlessly, dressing them up in exotic new costumes. I agree.
Having admitted this, there’s still predictability that’s too predictable for my taste, especially sentimental predictability: ghosts who can’t go to their final reward unless some romantic problem is resolved; children who are given up as uneducable until a young idealistic teacher comes along; a super-intelligent life form bent on wiping out humankind because of our base nature. And so on.
A few years ago I read a YA (young adult) book by an author I admire. I liked the book, but I saw the story’s major revelation coming from miles away, and I didn’t like that. I complained to a friend, who loved the book. She said young readers wouldn’t guess the truth, because they wouldn’t have encountered this plot twist before. Maybe she was right, but I didn’t agree. If we’re setting up a shock for the reader, we should aim it at everyone.
How to work within the inevitability of predictability and create the unexpected? Here are some ideas:
Drop in a clue that excites expectation and then go another way. I managed to do this in a scene in The Two Princesses of Bamarre. There are monsters in the kingdom of Bamarre, specters among them. Specters, in my conception of them, can assume any shape and even create fake landscapes. My heroine Addie is on a quest for the cure to the Gray Death. She’s been befriended by Rhys, a sorcerer in training. At this point in the story Rhys is away at a fantasy version of a training program. He’s promised to come to Addie when he gets a break, so when a specter shows up in Rhys’s form, the reader doesn’t catch on. Then I have the real Rhys arrive too and I hope I fool the reader into not knowing which is which. This legerdemain (look it up, kids) is one of my favorite bits of my writing in any of my books.
Surprise yourself. If you outline, be loose as you lay out the story. If you just write without an outline, hack away in semi-darkness. If you know your destination, don’t take the freeway. Explore the back roads. Visit landmarks that are off the beaten track. Ask yourself as you write, Is there another way to get where I’m going?
When you finish your first draft, and if you’re worried about predictability, take a look at how you figured out your plot. Can you scramble some of the steps that led to the ending?
Ask your characters what they want to do in a situation. You can interview them in writing. Ask them to consider their options.
Make lists. I love lists. When you’re at a plot juncture, make a list of what could come next. Don’t close down the list when you come to the first thing that will work. Twelve possibilities is a nice number, and eight of them can be stupid. Let the stupid ones have their moment. Elaborate on the ones that appeal to you, without deciding. A good possibility can generate more lists. Let them roll out.
Stay away from easy morals, and don’t highlight them. Let the reader draw his own conclusions. Some may object to moral ambiguity, especially for children, but grays make a story more complex and less ordinary.
If you’re in a critique group, ask your writer buddies if your story is predictable. Or show your story to someone you trust. Do not describe the plot and ask if it’s predictable. That question cannot be answered apart from the writing. The story may sound unoriginal and still be full of surprises.
Life itself is both predictable and unpredictable. Giant panda bears are unlikely to march into your bedroom tomorrow morning, but you could get an unexpected insult or an unexpected compliment; disaster could befall you or delight. So here is the difference between fiction and life, which has troubled philosophers through the millennia: In fiction, giant panda bears can crop up anywhere.
Chantal says:
I feel like my story is fairly predictable… a historical romance and a debt collector as a bad guy. If the entire story is predictable but certain scenes are unpredictable, does that work as well? (Like the reader expects this to come next, but a different scene shows up instead)
Crystal says:
Thanks for this great post, Gail! When you said, "the story’s ending is known; what’s unknown is how the ending is achieved," that really resonated with me because that is exactly how I feel about my current work-in-progress (a MG historical). Also, in regard to plot problems, I LOVE your advice of making lists of different plot possibilities . . . that is something I will definitely try. I will surely be linking to this post on my blog . . . I think a lot of aspiring witers should read this.
storyqueen says:
Let the stupid ideas have heir moment!! I love it. It is important not to self-edit too much while brainstorming, otherwise some of the best ideas are never thought of.
The Knittymommy says:
Thank you for this post. As I tend to self-edit way to early in the process, it encourages me to know that I should allow all possibilities to lay itself out before choosing which path to tread upon. Pondering now…
april says:
Sorry for this unrelated question, but I've been wondering for a while. How do you prefer to be addressed by your readers? (Not people you know personally, of various ages.)
By your first name? Last name? Full name? Other?
Erin Edwards says:
Thanks, Gail. I intend to try that list for the point I am stuck on. And leading the reader down another path sounds like an excellent technique!
Amanda says:
I'm thinking about writing a mystery novel but I've never written a mystery before. Do you have any tips on how to write one?
gailcarsonlevine says:
Chantal–You may think your story and scenes are predictable because you wrote them. Others may not agree.
April–I like being called Gail, but anyone who's uncomfortable with that can call me Ms. Levine.
Amanda–This was my first mystery, so I'm no expert, but if I can think of enough to say about what I did, I'll write a post on the subject.
Kayeleen says:
What are your thoughts on prologues? I don't want to have to put the back story in the middle with a flash back or something. It feels like that interrupts the flow of the story. The information is important, however, for the story to make sense and ultimately reach a resolution.
I love your blog and your writing. It's been great to follow your comments.
gailcarsonlevine says:
Kayeleen–I'm glad you love the blog and my writing!
I like prologues, but kids tend to skip them. I've asked. I dislike doing things for nonliterary reasons, but this may be an exceptional case. You might try putting your prologue at the beginning of your first chapter then skip a space and start the main body of your story.
Q says:
I just found out you have a blog and, as I have been a fan for years, am very excited to read what you have to say here.
Curious Mind says:
I love Monk! Just got into it this year–please don't spoil the end: I'm not caught up yet!
Anyways, do you think that you could expand on the idea of holding back information in your stories, and when is a good time to "help" the reader figure something out along with the characters?
I'm always giving away too much at the start and then the story is too short and not that gripping a tale.
Thanks for reading my comment and for this blog!
gailcarsonlevine says:
Curious Mind–I'm going to post about writing a mystery, and I'll try to work in your question too. If I fail, I'll talk about it in another post.
Jill says:
I have to confess I was completely zoned out reading it and woke up when you started talking about giant panda bears in my room