: Re: Is there such a thing as too inconvenient? I find myself often being irritated at elements in situations that help characters succeed, elements which are also highly unlikely or even illogical.

@Kristi637

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How much pain is too much? This is a highly subjective question where people will not agree.

The problems you describe are painful, but are they too painful? Again, this is highly subjective.

The pain comes from breaking the readers expectations. When readers are getting near the end of a story, they expect to understand the world and the conflict. Having the conflict resolved in a way completely unrelated to the rest of the story is an insult to the readers and many will react like you do.

But does that mean the story shouldn't have been published? Well, that is a matter between the editor and the marketing department.

As an author, you should definitely try to avoid this. Foreshadowing is the primary tool in this respect. In the beginning of the story the readers will be open to learning new things about the world. Use that to introduce everything that will eventually become important.

The nice thing about being an author is that you can write the beginning after you write the end. When you discover that a dragon is needed in the final chapter, you can go back and add it to the opening.

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