: Re: How far apart can the dots be? I've written enough to know the kind of writer I am, my voice, my style. I am often accused of making the reader work too hard to put the plot points together.

@Kevin153

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This is easy to follow as an outline, because all the pieces are right there in one paragraph. It's impossible to say how it would read as a complete story. That said, here is some general advice:

In general (unless you're specifically working in a genre where the story is just an excuse for a puzzle that the reader will expect to have to work out) make sure your story will be strong on its own, even for a reader who never figures out the puzzle.
Play fair: If you want the reader to be able to figure out the puzzle, give them all the necessary information, don't hide things just to hide them.
Give them a reason to care. Assuming your story is more than just a puzzle, and the story elements are strong, the puzzle elements should relate to the story. For example, in the Sixth Sense the clues are subtle, but the twist relates directly to the main themes of the story. That way, when the twist is revealed it feels substantial, not just like a cheat.

In this specific case the dots aren't actually all that separated. It sounds like he finds out he's in jail for killing Abigail not long after the conversation with the mysterious bartender. That's not much of a stretch for the reader to figure out (particularly if they have any familiarity at all with speculative fiction). Then, they'll be waiting to hear what happened to Amanda the rest of the story, so they'll recognize her name when they hear it again. Someone who can't connect those dots probably isn't your target reader.

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