: Re: Can a writer joke with the reader without breaking the fourth wall? Can I, for example, write a whole new storyline inside my novel, and then say something, for example such as: "just kidding"?

@Vandalay250

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Whether this would break the fourth wall will depend on the style of the story and how it's done.

If the narration has always contained asides to the audience there will be no fourth wall as such, so this particular instance wouldn't break it.

If not, the way it's done will determine whether it seems like a break to the reader. Appearing to address a specific reader in a more conversational style will be more apparent than vaguely addressing an audience in general. "Just kidding" would be more obvious than "It didn't happen like that", though it might be more in keeping with the overall style of the story - in this case an immediately apparent break might be what you're going for.

Technically when the narrator is addressing the audience this will involve going through the fourth wall, but how this is done will affect whether or not this feels like a break.

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