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Question: Is it bad if a story is predictable!?
I've always wanted to write, and I've written several short stories and one longer one for my sister!. With each one, I've allowed my sister to read!. Each time, she's been able to predict some of the surprises!.

Is it bad if a story is predictable, or does that mean that you just used too much foreshadowing!?

Thanks :)Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Personally, nothing annoys me more than knowing what's coming next in a book!.

It's great when you have a theory about the plot and then have it knocked down by something, and have to wonder and start a new theory, that's a big part of the pleasure for me!.

However, sometimes the beauty of the writting alone is more than enough to keep my interest, the imagery, the ideas, my emotional rather than intellectual response, it all matters, and book by book, or story by story, the most important component changes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Personally, I like things to be predictable sometimes!. Not all throughout the story!.!. but it's nice to find yourself being correct every once in a while!. To make it less predictable!.!. well say there's an unsolved mysterious problem; I would make something other than the actual solution to it seem incredibly obvious and then let that something gradually become less and less likely until it's easily seen to be impossible for that to solve the problem and the reader is assured that there is some other solution to resolve whatever the mysterious problem is!. This would sort of leave the read clueless because what they really thought was right!.!. turned to out to be completely wrong!. So they'd have to think of something entirely different, which isn't always the easiest thing, there for; the solution would not predictable, but that would only work if there wasn't enough background information to actually MAKE a reasonable prediction!. If that didn't make sense!.!. (I was having trouble following it myself) just message me or something!. If that did make sense!.!. well, hope I helped :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Too much foreshadowing, or too obvious foreshadowing, is not equal to bad!. It's fully correctable!. If readers are seeing through your writing to predict certain plot points, then bury your foreshadowing a little deeper!.

One example you see often on TV shows is the camera lingering on an object!. Whether it's a gun or a photograph, you know it's going to be significant!. As you write, don't be the lingering camera!.

Instead of showing the reader that photograph, show the reader a jumble of items on the mantle which includes the photograph--and a gun, and a fuse, and a white powder in a box!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think it's sometimes bad if a story is predictable!. Because you know what's going to happen and that takes away from the excitement and surprise of finding out the ending!.

If it's like, those cliched teenage stories where the guy makes a bet to get a girl, you probably already know that she's going to find out, they fight, they get back together, etc, then that's not too bad because there have been lots of those!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think it depends on what genre you are writing!. For instance, if you are writing a mystery, you want to surprise the reader and not make predictable twists and a predictable ending!. On the other hand, some dramatic fiction will have the ending first, and spend the rest of the book detailing how that ending came to be!. And with a comedy story or a romance, you might follow a predictable plotline but with unpredictable details!.

It's hard to tell you how to be less predictable without reading your stories!. I think the best thing to do would be to ask your sister to tell you specifically what was predictable about your story, then edit it!. A great way to improve your writing is to have someone else (like your sister) read it and give you constructive, specific criticism!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on why you're reading it!. If it's just a comfort read or not!. And it also depends on the genre!. Obviously, a mystery book should not be predictable!. But, comedy one can if it's a comfort read!. You might want to give your story to someone you don't know as well!. Being your sister, she might just know you well enough to know what you would right!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

For the most part, yes!. But if the dialogue between the characters is good, and the character's personalities are intriguing then it may not necessarily be a bad thing!. And it helps if there are some interesting settings, instead of the same destinationsWww@QuestionHome@Com

I wouldn't say it's necessarily bad if a story is predictable!. Sometimes stories are cliche or maybe there is too much foreshadowing, but it's not always bad if stories are predictable!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

depends how you treat the surprises!.!.!. You can always make something predictable to lull the reader into a false sense of security!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on the person reading it
but for me i found one of the twilight books predictable
but I still loved it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

no, you don't want your story to be predictable!.

EDIT: to make your story less predictable, make twists!. lets say you have a boy who you introduce early in the story and it seems like this boy and a girl are going to fall in love; but then, you type the boy's existents out of the story and never speak of him again! that would be unpridictable!

or, after you do that, you could all of a sudden introduce him back into the story and have the boy and girl fall in love, just as planned! that would be unpridicable too! just keep the reader on their toes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

One word says it all: yeah!.Www@QuestionHome@Com