Comments on YA Highway: 1 Key to Writing Unpredictabl-Whoa, I Can't Believ...

I feel ya, Ava! Cacy, AHH! Was this Zuko in Avatar...

2012-01-27T13:23:02.449-05:00

I feel ya, Ava! Cacy, AHH! Was this Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender, by any chance? If not, it reminds me of his totally unpredictable yet awesome story. :D :D :D

The unpredictable stuff really does work best when...

2012-01-27T03:53:03.044-05:00

The unpredictable stuff really does work best when it makes sense with the story, for example when it comes out of who a character is. I remember literally falling to the floor and yelling "NOOOO!" at my TV screen during at the season finale of one particular show because of one character's actions (the whoooole season was building up to this moment and I was so primed and ready for this character to make the right choice)...but then it made perfect sense that he made the wrong choice because of his back story.

Unpredictable plots are fantastic. If a book surpr...

2012-01-26T20:33:10.143-05:00

Unpredictable plots are fantastic. If a book surprises me (really surprises me I mean) then it usually jumps onto my list of 5-star rated books rather quickly. But you're right--the twist can't come out of thin air, it has to make sense with the plot, otherwise it just feels like a cheat.

Thanks for the comment guys! I love your point abo...

2012-01-26T17:04:33.660-05:00

Thanks for the comment guys! I love your point about having a sense of doubt, Heather. YAY making up words! :D

I like a little bit of predictability in my books,...

2012-01-26T16:01:18.961-05:00

I like a little bit of predictability in my books, but I love a heap of unpredictableness too. Sometimes the best part of a book is working out what's going to happen next. You can generally be assured that everything's going to be fine at the end, but it's what happens in the middle, the journey with it's twists and turns that I really enjoy. The end is just the wrap up, not the whole story.

I really enjoyed this post.

In this case, the reader never could have predi...

2012-01-26T12:53:19.302-05:00
In this case, the reader never could have predicted it. Unless they were reeeeally paying attention. In which case, they'll feel smart and awesome for figuring stuff out… instead of bored, like they do when they read predictable books.

I really love this point you made. There have been times where I was able to figure out plot twists in advance, but they weren't books I'd label predictable, since there was still a sense of doubt there, so in these cases, I still responded in a *WHOA!* instead of *YAWN* way.

And I totally approve of "sense-making-ization" being added to the dictionary. ;)

One of the most fun things about writing is when u...

2012-01-26T12:39:53.017-05:00
One of the most fun things about writing is when unpredictable things happen. Sometimes my MC learns things at the exact moment that I do. That's fun. Weird, but fun.

"sense-making-ization" Of course writers...

2012-01-26T12:32:06.356-05:00
"sense-making-ization" Of course writers can make up words, and this is a great one!