1. RyanRoszak

    RyanRoszak Member

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    Properly Surprising "Big Reveals"

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by RyanRoszak, Apr 23, 2020.

    Can anyone recommend some authors/books that do a good job of genuinely surprising the reader with their big plot reveal? I'm wrestling with how to achieve the kind of creative misdirection necessary for this in my own writing, so would really appreciate some examples of it done well (the more astonishing the better) and some pointers on how they've done it. A pretty broad request, I know, but I think it would be of interest to many. Cheers.
     
  2. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl.
     
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  3. RyanRoszak

    RyanRoszak Member

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    :superlaugh: ^^ You're a funny one
     
  4. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    Why? That was a serious suggestion.

    Dahl wasn't just a children's author. He wrote some very dark stories.
     
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  5. RyanRoszak

    RyanRoszak Member

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    No I appreciate it, really. Just, the title was beautiful. I must admit to being unfamiliar with these, so I'll check them out. Cheers.
     
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  6. Dr. Mambo

    Dr. Mambo Contributor Contributor

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    I remember Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn making me doubt the obvious. Also not a long read.
     
  7. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Nina Todd Has Gone by Lesley Glaister.
     
  8. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    I suppose the story I just read qualifies. It's The White People, by Arthur Machen. Old enough it's in public domain and you can download it through Archive.org or Project Gutenberg. It's told through the journal of a teenage girl that was found after her death and describes what at first seem like pleasant little fairy tale interludes most likely implanted in her mind (when she was very young) by her nurse who liked to tell her fanciful tales, but it gets darker as it goes until it becomes clear the nurse was actually a pagan initiating her into secret rituals of black magic that led to her death. Now of course it won't hold any surprise since I just spoilered the hell out of it!

    As for how it was done, it's largely because the journal was written in the little girl's naive voice and everything seemed as if she was just thinking about fairy stories the nurse had told her and probably dreaming about it and unable to tell dream from reality due to her youth. That or she has a powerful imagination. Also though, the events themselves seemed genuinely delightful up to a point, and she was thrilled at everything. She remains thrilled as the reader begins to realize darker things are going on. So it was a sort of seduction of innocence that takes place right before your eyes and you begin to suspect what's happening but are powerless to stop it. Like audience members at a movie shouting "Don't go down in the cellar!" but the characters go of course.

    I want to add, irrelevant to your thread but it really helped me understand the themes in the story when I read Machen's other story The Great God Pan, which deals with a similar situation but with some key differences. It shows what the sweet little girl might have become had she grown up. I consider them a matched pair that should be read together.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
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  9. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Does it have to be plot reveals? The most surprising reveals I've personally seen were in Gene Wolfe's New Sun series, but not really plot reveals, more about characters and things.

    Example, the MC is an apprentice in the Torturer's Guild which is housed in what he calls I think a citadel, but says the walls and floor are metal, and after some time you suddenly realize it's most likely a group of ancient defunct spacecraft from a time when the civilization had higher technology that's been lost. In a way I suppose this is also a plot reveal.

    Another example—he mentions several times that the aristocracy are tall, but in an offhand way as if it's just a well-known fact to the reader as it is to everyone in the society. But well into the series it's revealed that they're 7 feet tall due to genetic manipulation—another example of ancient technology, some of which is still available to this otherwise primitive culture, that is just accepted as everyday fact in their world so not remarked on by the narrator. He does a lot of this.
     
  10. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    Keep it simple. Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father is probably the best example (or certainly the most popular) in narrative history. Similar to most writing things, it's a situation where if you have to explain it--or have to utilize "pointers" as you phrased it--it probably isn't effective.
     
  11. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

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    My favorite was My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews. Not really a guys book though.:rolleyes:

    I feel like big reveals tend to be more a short story move than a novel move. I've read a lot of Hitchcock short story collections and they are the king of the twist. Usually novels tend to prepare you a bit more for your shocks - Case in point High Rise by J.G. Ballard starts the novel with the mc eating a dog on a rooftop to let you know just how bad these people descend. Actually I'm trying to wrack my brain to think of a twisty book and even the horrors I've read haven't really turned on a dime.
    One thing that I find hard about reveals is how much info do you need to withhold from the reader? Some will be far easier than most in My Sweet Audrina the mc has a bout of amnesia which makes it easier. People are withholding the truth. But once your mc is also withholding truth than it gets tricky.
     
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  12. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    The Variant by John August: 7k of short story, written in omni.
     
  13. Zeppo595

    Zeppo595 Contributor Contributor

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    The movie 'Parasite' is incredible for this reason.

    Also the director has another movie called 'Mother' which also has a crazy reveal.

    I would also recommend the Korean movies 'oldboy' and 'The handmaiden' for insane reveals.

    For fiction - try the aforementioned Roald Dahl story collections. Also, John Collier (recommended by Ray Bradbury) has some killer reveals. He's very Dahl esque in he has this detached misanthropic vein to his stories. They read like sick jokes as much as stories.

    How to do it? I suppose you have to neglect to mention something but have enough clues so it seems plausible all the same. Easier said than done, I know.

    I would love to write stories like this myself.

    I guess you have to also think about what the audience expects and then create another plot line which subverts that.

    I am going to go back over my favourites and see if I can give some betters advice on this topic to help myself as well.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
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  14. RyanRoszak

    RyanRoszak Member

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    Many thanks for your assorted suggestions, people. I've made a physical list of these to follow up on (so how could I have any excuse but to read them all now!)

    ^^ Thanks. Thinking about this, I suppose that remaining in a single POV gives the best chance to really concoct a "limited" perspective, from which surprise can occur more naturally. That said, I've got multiple POVs operating in the piece I'm working one, which makes it more of a challenge. Do any of the above works achieve said surprise from this many-character angle? The withholding of information seems more difficult with this setup.

    I really like the sound of this one. Thanks.

    Old Boy is quality. I've not seen the other though, so will happily put it on the list :) Thanks again people.
     
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