What makes us, as readers, keep turning the pages of a new book? Is it an arresting start? Or do we prefer to settle into a book and let it slowly grow on us? I think the answer falls somewhere in between. I know that I am always intrigued if an author offers a sense of jeopardy or challenge to come... and perhaps keeps that knowledge from the narrator or hero/heroine? It means that I, as reader, know more than the main protagonists - and that can make me keep turning the pages to find out how they deal with the drama that potentially lies ahead!
However... this raises the risk of "foreshadowing" - something that writers are warned to avoid at all costs. Foreshadowing is where the author drops enough hints - by accident or design - to allow the reader to work out where the plot is heading and possibly how the book will end. In that case, why would you keep reading if you can already guess the ending?
So... writers tread a fine line between providing just enough "forward" information to keep the reader onside, while holding back the key developments or the final twist as a surprise. In my case, I try to keep myself guessing as I write my novels. While I know the direction of travel of the story, I never know exactly how the final twist will unfold until I am about two thirds of the way through. My thinking is that if I can surprise myself with the ending, then hopefully I will surprise you, the reader, as well!
A true sting in the tale...
Did it surprise you in The Case Against Fili Du Bois?
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