: Re: Executing a tonal shift A novel's tone/atmosphere is typically established within the first few chapters of the book. So, let's say, we establish the story as a light-hearted, over-the-top fantasy

For my money to make such a shift work you either have to do it really slowly or as a single shockingly abrupt event. My preference is generally for the latter, so that the characters are rolling along and then the world turns and suddenly they're in a completely different situation. This allows you to show the characters struggling to understand why they have been suddenly plunged into a situation beyond their control and understanding. While it's shocking to the audience as well as the world of the story they, the readers, are living that shock with the protagonists of the tale which is comforting.

To make a slow change effective takes a lot of time and effort, so much so that I can't think of any single novel where it's done effectively. You have to add in incremental shifts that the characters note but rationalise and that the reader doesn't understand in isolation. For minor shifts this can be done with a few small nudges and an "aha! moment" where it all comes together but to make large global shifts you have to pass through too much "middle-ground" because the increments add up to a shift, or several, long before they add up to the ultimate goal position.

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: Re: Executing a tonal shift A novel's tone/atmosphere is typically established within the first few chapters of the book. So, let's say, we establish the story as a light-hearted, over-the-top fantasy

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: How to write a PG13 Succubus character? You can't. How was the concept of succubus invented? First, we have witches. They go to sabbaths. What are they doing there? They have sex with

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