#unpredictable characters

At this point, I feel like all the characters are very unpredictable. Especially with the writing style happening. In one episode, certain characters have tension, but then a few episodes later, they are completely fine without ever resolving the tension between them.

And to be fair, Jay's writing this season has been very unpredictable. Like it came out of nowhere. There was no build-up or scenes that made us guess that Jay would leave.

Hello! I’ve been wanting an opportunity to talk about this for a while, so thank you very much for bringing it up. 

Here’s the thing: you’re the author and you control what your reader knows and sees. Yeah, you need to set up all events in your story, but sometimes you’re setting up your reader to be shocked, and that requires withholding certain information. You don’t have to make what will happen next obvious. 

If you want your character to be unpredictable, keep their motivations unclear. Your reader makes connections to themselves and other characters. Don’t give your reader the links to do so. The more your reader knows about why your character does what they do, the easier it will be for them to predict what their next move will be. Readers will recognize patterns or they’ll mistake them. Use that to your advantage.

You will never fool everyone, but that is how you can fool the majority. Happy writing!

x Kate

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