: Re: Is a parenthetical reference to a later part of the text redundant in non-fiction writing? The response will either be an evasion (we will come to that later), or it will be . . .

@Chiappetta298

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Yes - everything in the brackets is redundant. If you were to omit '(we will come to that later)' then the sentence would still have the same effect on the reader's mind - that of making a promise that you must fulfil.

This is because the rest of the sentence: 'The response will either be an evasion, or it will be . . .' already alludes to a future event - something that sets up an expectation in the reader's mind that it will dealt with by you further into the script.

As I'm sure you already know: setting up expectations by virtue of writing sentences that refer to something later in the text forms a contract with the reader that should not be broken, because to do so erodes trust between the two parties. Break such a promise and you may well lose your readers.

Good luck with your writing.

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