1. Fronzizzle

    Fronzizzle Member

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    Not telling the audience a character's job?

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Fronzizzle, Sep 14, 2018.

    Hello all,

    Not sure if this should go in Plot or Character, but figured I'd start here...

    The short version of the question: Is it okay to NEVER tell the audience what your main character's job is, even if you reference him going to work, having a job that gives him access to certain information, etc.?

    The longer version: I have a vision for telling a character's story - he's a hired assassin - over five parts. Ideally, each of these parts would be a separate novel, and I have very specific reasons for not wanting the audience to know what his "day job" is until the third part.

    I'm trying to figure out if it'd work to keep it a secret while giving the audience hints, or if people would just get annoying? What he does or if the audience knows doesn't have any bearing on the story until the third part, so I'd like to wait to reveal it then.
     
  2. Irina Samarskaya

    Irina Samarskaya Senior Member

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    Chances are--initially at least--the reader won't think twice about the Main Character's job unless it's repeatedly referenced and only cryptically described. Even then, if the focus is apparently something else (like 2 characters talking about "their job" could really be focused on their personalities rather than the job itself--talking about "the job" is just an excuse to demonstrate their personalities) they reader may not really care. They might just assume the Main Character is an office worker, salaryman, etc.

    However there are more critical readers who pay attention to subtle details. Assuming you follow the principle of Chekov's Shotgun (or "Reverse" in this case) you could give those critical readers a special pay-off when the big-reveal comes about (or they'll figure it out on their own through context clues, which may or may not take the excitement away from the Big Reveal. Perhaps as a fail-safe the Big Reveal could be with/to somebody who is genuinely curious about the Main Character's job and fears it's something illegal--like drug dealing, bootlegging, or assassination...).

    Ultimately: it depends on how you handle it. The lack of specifics about the Main Character's job could go unnoticed for a long time by some readers and quickly noticed by others. It won't bother the former, and the latter may be intrigued and pleased if they feel accomplished (having figured it out) or otherwise get a satisfying Big Reveal moment.

    Or, in short: context.
     
  3. DeeDee

    DeeDee Contributor Contributor

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    It will most probably be obvious if he has an office job or a manual job, if he's rich or scraping the bottom, and that can be enough. You could have him leave home, say bye to wifie, pick his lunchbox, get in car and we wouldn't care where he goes at all. Or you may just have him in scenes where he's going out through the back door, loaded with his assassin gear in the middle of the night and we won't be concerned with his dayjob at all. Maybe see him sitting at dinner planning how he will be going out the back door in an hour then next scene he's on the job, stalking his mark. It depends on how you tell the story. He doesn't have to be like Superman with half the story being about his dayjob.
     
  4. MusingWordsmith

    MusingWordsmith Shenanigan Master Contributor

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    Hmmmm, my first thought is 'this would irritate me and make me not want to read the book.' But execution is the most important thing, so you might make it work.

    What are the first two books going to be about? If they're supposed to tie into his 'day job' somehow than I'd say we need to know. If they don't, you might get away with it. But keep in mind too that assassin would have very strange hours, as well as other quirks that'd be a visible presence in his life. You might end up giving so many hints that giving the strait up reveal is pretty much necessary to get the readers buying the next book.
     

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