Comments on: Guest Post: Would You Rather Be Wrong or Right?

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:40:24 +0000

I completely agree that the best stories answer your questions right after you think of them. On of the best horror movies I have ever seen, The Thing written by Eric Heisserer and John W. Campbell Jr., is a great example of this. The thing that makes me most angry about horror stories is that they always act so irrational and I find myself asking,”Why didn’t they do X or Y?” I found that the story flows best when they actually do X or Y, or even when they do Z but give a good explanation as to why they did it some time later in the story. In The Thing they come across the same problems that occur in every other horror movie and blow your mind by being reasonable about their actions, instead of running aroud screaming like a chicken with its head cut off. If such a chicken could still scream. I think the best stories answer your questions right after you ask them, and on top of that answer them in creative and interesting ways or at least give a good explanation of why that choice was made.

By: the fiction of Scott H. Andrews » Blog Archive » Marie Brennan on Reader Theories

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:40:11 +0000

[...] and a bunch of short stories, including multiple ones in my magazine Beneath Ceaseless Skies, had a really neat post on the SFWA website a few weeks ago about audience expectations and reactions in terms of theories or guesses about plot twists or [...]

By: arne

arne — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:19:31 +0000

very nice article.

i think i am a bit of both, it depends on the type of story. i like to dissect (english word i think?) everything as the story goes, but i find that if you focus too much on trying to find the clue you risk losing it or getting disappointed when the story turns in another direction. because even if you find the what, if that is your only focus you will get bored, like you say it is also in the how of a story.

By: Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:15:48 +0000

David — I find it easier to turn my writer-brain off for movies and shows; they go at their own pace, so I don’t have much chance for mental digression (unless they are *utterly* failing to hold my interest). Books, on the other hand, have to clear a higher bar to keep me from thinking critically about them. Hazards of the profession, I suppose . . . .

Good luck with the story!

By: David J. Cochrane

David J. Cochrane — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:50:50 +0000

Great article!

A movie, show, or piece has to be really good in order to put my writer-brain in sleep-mode. Still while it’s nice to be proven right, I enjoy it more when I get a little right and a little wrong or just flat out wrong. I take the clues the wrong direction or overlook one. Really it keeps me more on my feet and guessing. I also feel more engaged.

I think it’s good for the reader to experience both, if the piece permits it. I try to do that, but it’s tricky to strike the balance, as you said, between making it too obvious and not obvious enough.

Now, I really want to go write that mystery short idea I tinkered with a few months ago. Think I’ll do just that.