Last week, I read a book of short stories. Although a number of them were very well written, three in particular had me rolling my eyes and/or facepalming. A reaction we all want to avoid in our storytelling.
But the truth is, I have fallen into the same trap as the writers of these stories. A story idea comes to me. But the only way my mind can come up with for telling the story is by hiding crucial information from the reader. The last paragraph of the story then provides the BIG REVEAL and tadda! A great story.
Or not.
Why doesn’t it work? Why does the punchline fall flat like so many knock-knock jokes?
A story is constructed of three things:
- Characters – The who the story is about.
- Setting – The where the story takes place.
- Plot – The conflict that makes it a story.
Note that the reader is not on that list.
In storytelling, the writer and reader have a contract (You buy my book and I’ll give you a good story to read). But neither the reader nor the writer are actually a part of the story. The issue with a punchline ending is that the conflict from the surprise happens in the head of the reader and not the heads of the characters.
The real story actually happens after the BIG REVEAL.
Let me give you an example from one of the stories I read:
An older girl is called by someone that has a shidduch for her. They discuss everything except the boys “one tiny problem” because if he’s that old and single he must have one but our girl doesn’t want to know. The shadchan then calls the boy and goes through the same conversation.
To the reader, both boy and girl seem normal, happy, intelligent and well-adjusted. The build up is to the first date. Will it work out? Has the shadchan found the right one for our two older singles?
They both get ready then go out to the place they were scheduled to meet. And at that moment the writer gives the crucial information the reader was missing: The girl is considered physically objectionable and the boy is blind.
And that is where the story ends.
GAH!
The writer has given the reader a wonderful setup, but then ended the story by asking the reader to fill in the resolution. The issue with a BIG REVEAL is that it’s the equivalent of dangling your reader over a cliff, then walking away.
Anytime your story relies solely on concealing information from the reader, beware! This is often a sure sign that the conflict in the story is lacking.
Exercise:
Write an ending for this BIG REVEAL story or another of your choosing. What happens after the characters discover the hidden information?
