Architecting Intimidation
Greetings and salutations Scribblers!
Today we’re diving into the architecture of anticipation, which is a fancy way of talking about how we build suspense in our books and keep readers needing to read just one more chapter even when it’s 2am.
Building suspense and anticipation in the reader can be tricky, but that’s often because as the author, we aren’t surprised when the big reveal occurs because, hopefully, we knew it was going to happen all along. A skill we have to learn is when to lean into the bread crumbs we leave for readers and when to pull back.
Sometimes, I’ll write a line early in the first or second chapter and part of my brain is screaming THAT’S SO OBVIOUS! But if I take away my expansive knowledge of the characters and plot, it’s a line that will barely even register for the reader until the end. And if they do a reread, they’ll see it and be like OH THIS AUTHOR IS SO CRAFTY, THEY TOLD ME THE ANSWER RIGHT THERE AND I NEVER EVEN SAW IT!
It’s a very strange and specific craft skill that authors need to hone. So how do we do it?
One way is to know and understand tropes, character archetypes, and how to use foreshadowing. The virtues of tropes are debated by readers and writers, but you can’t deny they provide a familiar framework that allows writers to generate anticipation because the reader knows how this is going to end. It also allows authors to subvert those expectations and provide a new and unexpected twist. In the one bed trope, we know those characters are going to end up having to share that bed and they will be grumpy on the outside while secretly hoping the other person is excited as they are. We anticipate that ending and it makes the journey of getting there more enjoyable to the reader.
As writers, we can pair that predictability with character archtypes–expected behaviors of characters based on specific traits– and foreshadowing to get readers turning the pages. From there, we can tweak those expectations to really make that character or plot point pop. I’ve chatted about character archetypes and how pushing past the basics can help readers fall in love with your characters. You can check those out in the video linked at the end
Another way you can build anticipation in the reader is to use red herrings and misdirections. If you play off of people’s expectations, you can get a lot of mileage out of this. Police procedural TV shows use this tactic often. For example, for most of the Arrowverse shows on the CW, you’re usually introduced to the villain du jour in the first ten minutes of the show and because the viewer is knows this, they’re actively trying to decide who it is. But we often pick the person who looks shady or fits a character archetype rather than who the actual villain is. And as a viewer, we kind of love being proven wrong.
Another example is the movie The Sixth Sense. The first time you watch that movie, you’re convinced you know exactly what’s going on, but when you get to the end and the truth is revealed, it absolutely blows your mind. If you’re like me, you immediately went back and played all the key moments you’d filed away as evidence of why your theory was correct–and were shown just how well they misdirected and used red herrings. I’m not going to reveal it because it’s a movie you can only watch for the first time once and if you haven’t watched it, please go do it. It is masterful as far as misdirection.
Setting up the red herrings and false flags is a matter of playing into your readers expectations. In my current novel, I love the number of beta readers who pegged who the bad guy was, but at the end of the story, they were like, nope, not that person. To be clear, it’s a duology and this person will be fully revealed in book two. What I ended up doing though was using the real antagonist as the red herring because they are that crafty. In the end, I want my readers to feel pleased that they knew all along, but I still managed to distract them enough to have doubts.
Now, all this is well and good when it pays off. There are also plot twists that truly do come out of nowhere and leave the reader scratching their head as to how it all works. There’s a very popular book series I read and the big reveal at the end was a character who was never introduced until the reveal. As a reader, I felt so betrayed. That is not something you want to do to your reader.
This means you need to be able to lay out all the evidence that you’ve presented and follow those threads until it narrows down to your real antagonist. I like to do this by making a simple chart of my clues. I include what chapter they were introduced in, who knows about it, and, if applicable, any action they took or how they interpreted that evidence. That’s another great thing to do is have your character get the evidence and then interpret it ENTIRELY wrong–most readers will follow along with their logic. So you can drop a major clue that seems incredibly obvious to you, but won’t fully register with the reader until the end.
And of course, your final check is fresh beta readers who come in with absolutely zero knowledge about the story aside from a back cover blurb. Be sure to ask them who they suspected, why, and if and when they figured it out. Another question to ask is if, when the twist was revealed, did it make sense. Did they feel as though they could think back through what they read and see how they’d been tricked into thinking something else?
That is the type of feedback that is invaluable to a writer.
Alright Scribblers, that’s it for today’s chat about the architecture of anticipation in your novels!
As always, your mileage may vary! Feel free to drop a comment on what your favorite plot twists are or name an author who does it really well. No spoilers though! Be vague and mysterious about those plot twists folx.
This mini-course focuses ONLY on developing the character voice in your manuscript. As the most popular unit from our Revision Strategies course, we wanted to make it available for those who are looking solely for this aspect of leveling up their craft!
