Comments | sartorias: Payoffs and Reader Expectation

sartorias

Payoffs and Reader Expectation

Oct 17, 2008 06:17

The other day I made a post about story payoffs. burger_eater made a comment to the effect that he's disappointed when the character he's invested in doesn't gain respect from the story. I asked him to explain that, and he did.
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payoffs, writing: characterization, reader expectation, tv, links, discussion

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This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... anderyn October 17 2008, 15:46:54 UTC

Back when I was a tweenager, I got this science fiction book from the library. I no longer remember the title or the author, but it was touted as the "coming of age" type of story. It began with the protagonist coming home as a young boy from some kind of trip to find that his family/home/colony had been laid waste. The rest of the book was all about his growing up, gaining vengeance, and then finding a new home, complete with wife, two point five kids, dog and rose-picket fenced cottage. All good, right? Nope. Because the end of the book featured him coming home to find that his home and family (and colony?) had been laid waste. Mirror scene and words to the first one of the book. I was so ANGRY and disappointed. I'd spent the whole book rooting for this person and then... their life and achievements were wasted ( ... )

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 15:53:08 UTC

Me too, and that is exactly why I will read endings. (And I have trouble remembering about spoilers.)

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... anderyn October 17 2008, 16:02:54 UTC

I don't mind spoilers myself. I prefer them, particularly for visual media such as movies and tv, because (a) I can't see so well, so knowing what's happening ahead of time can help me make sense of the murk on the screen; (b) I have some particular squicks and I prefer knowing ahead of time if they'll be triggered, so I can close my eyes. With books, it's more of a lessening of tension knowing what will happen so I can just relax and enjoy the story without worrying if things will go WRONG this time.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... asakiyume October 17 2008, 16:25:04 UTC

Precisely--this is how I feel, too.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 16:31:29 UTC

Yupyupyup. With you totally.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... skogkatt October 17 2008, 18:51:24 UTC

Yep, I do that, too. Not with every book, but with ones that seem dangerous. Some authors I trust implicitly. I also like being spoiled for gore because I really don't like gore.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 18:55:51 UTC

I've gotten good at picking up the music or pacing cues that say "shocking ik ahead!" and shutting my eyes.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... skogkatt October 17 2008, 19:12:56 UTC

Oh yeah. I also cover my ears.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 19:34:41 UTC

Ohhhh yeah, when squishy-guts noises are looming? You bet.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... asakiyume October 17 2008, 16:14:48 UTC

Me three--as soon as I suspect there may be what I consider emotional foul play.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... rysmiel October 17 2008, 16:49:35 UTC

Whereas for me, there are any number of ways of subverting what a story initially appears to be doing that can be interesting and rewarding, and I actively want to be surprised by it, if it is good, which cannot be told in advance.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 16:52:40 UTC

Yep. That's why it's important to try to remember about spoilers.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... corrinalaw October 17 2008, 19:05:43 UTC

Other people read endings, too? Excellent!

Oh, here's another example: Cold Mountain. The hero spends the whole story on an epic journey to get home and then a tragedy strikes out of nowhere. The end.

I get the overall thematic point that the author was making but it didn't work. You have to respect the rules of your storyverse. In Hamlet, it's clear that it is not going to end well for our boy. That's the way to do it: if a character is going to die, it should be because of the sum of their choices, not a random event to show how sad life can be.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 19:34:02 UTC

Yes--Aristotle said that, and Shakespeare showed how it's done.

Random is in, but it just leaves me shrugging. I'm fully aware of randomness, thank you. I turn to drama because it's a nice way to get away from random.

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... corrinalaw October 17 2008, 20:34:38 UTC

What's the saying. "Fiction is not like real life. Fiction is supposed to make sense."

Re: This connects to the reason why I always read the ends of books first... sartorias October 17 2008, 21:04:32 UTC

Word!

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