Surprise Your Readers

One of the most important tools writers can use is the element of surprise. This is most often seen in fiction, however it can be just as effective in nonfiction. Surprising readers doesn't mean making them guess what you're writing about or making them guess what genre they're reading. These things should be clear and up front. What you want to surprise readers with are the details and outcomes. Provide readers with clues that make them have to search for information. Hint at things without coming right out and saying them. Lead readers down a path that seems reasonable to the point where they get comfortable with where they think things are going, and then take a sudden turn in a totally different direction. In fiction, this could be a plot turn. In nonfiction, this could be an angle change. The point is to have readers thinking one way and then hitting them with something that forces them to think an entirely different way. The impact of your surprise can be heightened by leading readers strongly in a different, but equally plausible direction. Readers will follow the clues you drop for them and can be led astray with effective, suspenseful writing. Your job as a writer is to lead them skillfully and slyly through a maze of scenes and ideas woven together with a unifying message. In the end, you will reward them with an enlightening surprise that will have made the journey worth the guesswork.