Write What Readers Won’t See Coming by Mary A. Felkins

Writer's, how do we avoid creating situations that are entirely too coincidental or predictable, providing an easy way out for the characters? 

We don’t want our readers rolling their eyes with, “Yeah, I saw that coming.” Because then our book is closed in favor of another. 

I know authors who make good use of the supernatural invading the natural. Without bordering on ridiculous, I enjoy circumstances which clearly point to the intervening hand of God. 

In my debut, Call to Love, the hero (a law enforcement officer) received several text messages from his ex-wife that were legit. But he received a few mysterious texts from an unknown ID. . . Be compassionate, forgiving just as Christ forgave you. 

Hackles raised, the hero called his ex and fired away with, “Where do you get off preaching to me about forgiveness?”. But the thing was, she didn’t send them. Even investigations was unable to trace the source. 

Hmmm. Were they (as his ex boldy suggested) from God? Or was my hero suffering from work fatigue? 

I left this to the reader’s imagination. 

Writers, let’s harness the endless creativity available to us and utilize the courage to write what readers won’t see coming. When our stories become cozy, common and predictable, our own motivation to write the next scene withering in yawn, let’s toss in any number of obstacles our readers (and we?) won’t see coming. 

No one does this better than God. Hello, 2020? Who saw the pandemic coming? A world where a mask is required to enter a facility? One where we are no longer free to go and do as we please, our interaction with others separated by a screen? 

God, the sovereign Author, saw this coming. And, boy, hasn't it captured our attention?

Although I squirm over the conundrum brought on by the pandemic, what a brilliant plot twist! And on its heels...rioting, devastating fires, a heated political vote on the horizon that holds incredible weight to top off the year. 

Ah, the irony of 2020, a year where we expected to see things clearly and had a good handle on what might lie ahead. 

Personally, I welcomed this year with a very different set of expectations than what has unfolded. Maybe you did too? But I’m very engaged, turning the pages, as it were, to see where God will take us next. It’s created tension, made me want to know more, begging for a happily ever after. 

God has given us what we didn’t see coming and brought much good from it. And writers, this is the same reaction and result we want to offer our readers. 

Working in unpredictable elements that increase stakes for our characters doesn't have to look like a world-wide virus, fires and political division. A simple text from unknown source might work. 

But wherever you are in your story, take time to consider if you’re holding back and ask:

1) What is the worse thing that could happen? 

2) What’s the best thing that could happen? 

3) What might my reader never see coming? 

Then write that.

   

When our stories become cozy, common and predictable, our own motivation to write the next scene withering in yawn, let’s toss in any number of obstacles our readers won’t see coming. @MaryAFelkins #seriouslywrite

In 2020, God has given us what we didn’t see coming and brought much good from it. And writers, this is the same reaction and result we want to offer our readers. @MaryAFelkins #seriouslywrite

Mary A. Felkins is an inspirational romance author, administrator for Seriously Write writer's blog, and contributor to Refresh, an on-line Bible study magazine. In 2015, she was awarded a bronze medal for her scene submission to My Book Therapy's Frazier contest. Her debut Call to Love (Pelican Book Group) is set in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy. 

 

Raised in Houston, Texas (and forever a Lone Star girl), Mary and her husband Bruce moved to Hickory, North Carolina in 1997. They have four young adult children. She can be lured from her writer's cave if presented with a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms or to watch an episode of Fixer Upper. A surprise appearance by her teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick, although she’d likely pass out. If, upon introduction, she likes your first or last name, expect to see it show up in one of her novels. 

To receive Mary’s story-style devotions via email, along with quarterly author newsletter offering book-related giveaways, subscribe on her website: www.maryfelkins.com 

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PLOT TWIST! You're in a Story

The best stories have plot twists.

Everyone is comfortable—the characters, the reader, the whole world humming along, then BOOM. A surprise. Something happens to change the plot.

In award winning western West for the Black Hills, Philip Anderson is comfy. He has a small farm, raises horses, and clings to his security like lovely smells from a rose. Kindness is also a strong trait, and he delivers a horse to a friend. As he’s returning home on his own black Arabian, his horse, Raven, is stolen. He catches a glimpse of the man riding around the corner.

Philip follows the thief through town.

Philip could let the thief have the horse, and his life would just move ahead like nothing happened, just minus his horse. But the story would fall apart, and we’d lose our respect for Philip. Instead, he catches up to the man and calls him out.

After the man dismounts, he argues with Philip until the man draws his gun to fire. Philip draws as well, and is so fast and accurate he fires two shots and hits the man in both shoulders.

He later finds out the man was hired to steal the horse. Why? What’s going on? And in that moment, Philip’s life takes a sudden turn as he uncovers a past about his family he never knew.

Plot Twist.

You’ve had a similar plot twist. Quarantine. Loss of job. Loss of book sales. A country already factionalized and now even more so. Many I know have lost those they love, watching them die alone. Others haven’t seen a case of Covid19 and aren’t entirely sure why their future is dismantled for something that hasn’t affected them in the slightest.

Plot Twist. Like Philip Anderson, you’ve had something stolen from you. Or changed. Or dismantled. And like a character in a book, there is an author. I know what happens to Philip Anderson. I am writing his story.

You have an Author writing your story. Have faith. He knows the end. And that end is for good and not for evil. God’s not writing a postmodern fiction. He’s writing a story that already involves redemption and love.

Know that with every plot twist, your life is being penned by a Master Craftsman, an Artist who tells the perfect story. A story of which you are a character. You're writing the lines of your life with Him. Don't give up! We, as friends and readers of your life, are cheering for you!

The Ballad of (your name here). Enjoy the story you're in, plot twists and all!

You're in a story with a massive plot twist. Now what? #seriouslywrite #writerslife @peterleavell

God's the author of your life. And He's not writing a postmodern fiction. He's writing a story that involves redemption and love. @peterleavell #seriouslywrite

The Ballad of—fill in your name—. How you're in a story with a plot twist. #seriouslywrite @peterleavell

Peter Leavell, a 2007/2020 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history and a MA in English Literature, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing's Best award for First-Time Author, along with multiple other awards. An author, blogger, teacher, ghostwriter, jogger, biker, husband and father, Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Learn more about Peter's books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com

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