: Re: What factors in fiction arouse readers' expectations? Feedback from my writer's group tells me that my recent stories leave promises unfulfilled and important questions unanswered. So I've become

@Voss1744584

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There is a difference between unresolved conflict and unaddressed conflict. Unresolved conflict pushes a story, unaddressed conflict drags the story. Both use energy (both the author's and the reader's). You want the level of total conflict to be high enough to fit the story without dragging the story down. In order to warn you away from the mistake of resolving all the conflicts, here is a suggested end to the story with the guard left in the closest.

Our heroine has made it to the top floor of the office building, where the madwoman who has ruined her life sits behind an oak desk. "Hello Mother," she said bringing the rifle to bear, "either you tell me who my father is or I shoot that yappy little dog of yours."

"Oh, Hi Lauren. You mean to tell me you didn't see him on the way in? He was guarding the lobby. You should pay attention to the things around you. It is not like you can expect every thing to go your way just because you have good looks an money."

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