: Re: Slow buildup vs sudden introduction Let's say you're writing super hero fiction. The hero of your story is struggling against the villain, but suddenly awakens a power that allows him to best

I'd introduce the build up first.
The appearance of a DEM is difficult to overcome with subsequent explanations, IMO without a hint of what is happening, this taints your story, especially if the guy with power is not that surprised and seems to know they were capable of this all along (as will be the case if the power is shown to be sought, later).
One exception is well-known comic-book heroes (or similarly well-known fictions, e.g. Transformers), so the reader knows what to expect from the start; we would not be surprised if a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne showed extraordinary inventiveness or fearlessness in battle.
Another exception is settings that allow for constantly new things: Magical or SciFi. It does not seem a DEM if some character in Lord of the Rings shows a magical ability for remote viewing or starting a fire. It does not seem a DEM if a brand new Star Trek being has the ability to divide itself into multiple beings, or magically transport a space ship to another galaxy.
But your setting does not sound like such a place, and your character is not already famously established with your audience, so I don't think these exceptions apply.
I would show some small hint that this power is possible; some small manifestation, then it is plausible that under duress, injured, bleeding and about to be killed, your character can summon something a thousand or million times greater than what he was doing for fun. Instead of struggling to light a candle with his mind and only succeeding after several sputtering starts, in his desperation in battle he incinerates the villain as if in a roaring furnace.
Or whatever your particular power is.

Load Full (0)

: To me, Stephen King's advice (as seen in a live interview, and asked what advice he had for aspiring writers): Basically he said, if you want to write, write. Every day. Don't worry about

@Mendez196

Load Full 0 Comments

: How to prevent turning off the reader at first with a protagonist with unlikeable traits but that becomes better later on? I have a story where the protagonist, who is a warrior meant to be

@Mendez196

Load Full 8 Comments

: I agree, subtext is something the author does throughout the work, in various ways. It is not necessarily a psychological leaning of their own, it can be an explicitly formulated principle.

@Mendez196

Load Full 0 Comments

: Their own distinct personalities and motives for villainy. Would this be a good way to write a Complete Monster? It's a start. But there are only a few motives that really apply to

: Re: Slow buildup vs sudden introduction Let's say you're writing super hero fiction. The hero of your story is struggling against the villain, but suddenly awakens a power that allows him to best

More posts by @Mendez196

: To me, Stephen King's advice (as seen in a live interview, and asked what advice he had for aspiring writers): Basically he said, if you want to write, write. Every day. Don't worry about

: How to prevent turning off the reader at first with a protagonist with unlikeable traits but that becomes better later on? I have a story where the protagonist, who is a warrior meant to be

: I agree, subtext is something the author does throughout the work, in various ways. It is not necessarily a psychological leaning of their own, it can be an explicitly formulated principle.

: Their own distinct personalities and motives for villainy. Would this be a good way to write a Complete Monster? It's a start. But there are only a few motives that really apply to

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top