Have you ever considered the work that goes into creating a tapestry, a hand woven rug, or blanket? I enjoy crochet, but that’s nothing to the intricate weaving of fine threads into beautiful patterns that grace our walls, floors, or even ourselves. The finely crafted pieces is made of uncountable threads twisted and folded together.
And good stories are made up for intricately placed threads that an author twists together, strategically places, then hides and reveals at just the right moment. If an author does their job well, the reader is left satisfied. The most challenging aspects of this process is deciding how much to share and when to share it in the overall story; it’s an art form. If key pieces are over overshared, the payoff isn’t enjoyed by the reader because the reveal was obvious. If under-shared, the payoff feels contrived. Finding the correct balance is a huge part of careful plotting.
What does ‘payoff’ mean? It’s the moment in the book near the end where everything comes together. When a book is opened, the first few lines and pages are meant to hook the reader. As the reader continues to explore, the story is revealed. Consider a mystery, the story begins with someone being killed. Then everything in the story is primarily about finding who killed the person and why. The author must delicately and quietly drop clues that aren’t too obvious to the reader so that when the killer is revealed, the reader is both delighted by the revelation and gently surprised because it makes perfect sense. While most obvious in mysteries, the same payoff is in all genres. In romance, it’s the couple finally getting together. In fantasy, it’s Harry Potter being revealed as the final Horcrux.
So how is this created? There are some basic guides out there like subtle mentions every ~40 pages. While a useful guide, this can be too obvious to readers. A huge part of satisfying readers is creating a story where a reader becomes lost in the narrative. The reader organically picks up key pieces that leave them guessing, curious, and wanting to find out how everything works out for the main character. Then when the payoff comes, the reader wasn’t expecting it, but because of the subtle gems placed throughout the woven narrative, the reader can say, ‘of course! That makes perfect sense’. So there’s no secret to this principle. Rather, it’s instinct and evaluating feedback.
Think of some of your favorite stories where the payoff was especially satisfying. How did the author work the narrative?
K. M. Wray 