Believability - Video Game: Storytelling - page 103

So how to go about making sure the surprises in your story are well
constructed and effective, and don't break the audience's suspension of
disbelief? The perfect story surprise has four attributes:
1. It genuinely surprises the audience . This probably goes without say-
ing, but if the audience is able to see it coming, it's not a very
good surprise! Test readers/audiences are invaluable to help evalu-
ate whether your revelation is working.
2. It is not extremely unlikely or purely coincidental . We covered this
topic earlier in this chapter, but just to reiterate: coincidence and
luck should not be the only factors in play when it comes to a story
surprise, especially if it benefits the Hero or his quest. This is not as
strict a rule if it's a surprise that complicates matters or makes resolv-
ing the conflict even more difficult.
3. It is set up beforehand . Using the techniques mentioned in chapter 5
such as planting or foreshadowing, the storyteller must do his prep
work in setting up the surprise for later on.
This is where we can accomplish the seeming contradiction of Aris-
totle's “inevitable yet unexpected” criteria. Without this critical step,
an unexpected turn of events can morph into a painful deus ex
machina . A surprise without the setup is like a punch line without
the joke. It doesn't usually work very well.
4. It makes perfect sense—afterward . With the benefit of hindsight, the
surprise should make perfect sense. This is what both Aristotle and
William Goldman are trying to tell us. The audience reaction should
be “a ha!” not “huh?” Achieving this heavily depends on how effect-
ive the setup was.
Explaining after the fact why the surprise makes sense is cheap, and
usually feels that way. Ideally, the surprise should almost immedi-
ately make sense and feel right to the audience without anyone
having to explain anything. If exposition is needed, it must be de-
livered well before the actual revelation.
If you check every major surprise in your story against this list, you
should be on the right track to striking a good balance between keeping
your audience guessing and making them “buy” every last thing that hap-
pens in your story.