Readers' Expectations & The Element of Surprise
Lessons from Ann Patchett's State of Wonder
A last lesson from State of Wonder
Coming toward the end of this novel, I found myself delightfully surprised by a subtle shift in storytelling (there were many reading pleasures to be had but it gave me great delight in this point in the narrative to recognise what Patchett was doing, and how she was doing it).
I read the first line of the last chapter with my expectations set of how the action would unfold. Previously, much of the heightened action was delivered as a play-by-play account. There is an epic snake scene, for instance, that flows from one death-defying moment to the next. I expected this last major action (a.k.a climax) to unfold in much the same way.
Instead, the much anticipated action, a surgery, was written as having already taken place. It had already happened! The last chapter began: ‘Many hours after the surgery, and well after dark…’1
This was genius. It’s like when someone drops a bombshell without any kind of lead up, the listener’s/reader’s response is automatically: ‘Wait! What?!’
Changing the nature of storytelling can be such an effective, yet subtle, way to surprise and delight the reader — as, in life, we delight in the unexpected.
Apply Learnings to Your Own Wondrous Words
In your own writing, determine how you will set your readers’ expectations; then, consider delivering something a little different to surprise and delight your reader.
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Have you used this technique in your own writing? What aspects of writing do you want to learn how to master?
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Patchett, A. (2011). State of Wonder. Bloomsbury, p. 359.