Question about "The Horse and His Boy"
Posted: May 01, 2018 9:05 am
Hello. I’m writing a fantasy story, and I’ve decided to get help from this forum for solving a particular problem I’ve encountered.
In drama, there is the principle saying that a pistol that appears in the first act should fire in the third. I have such a “pistol” in my story, which appears in the first and second acts, and fires in the third. I want the readers to be surprised when it fires. The thing is, it appears in the first and second acts under such circumstances that I fear some of them might guess it will fire in the last one, which will ruin the element of surprise.
In an attempt to solve this problem I’m now searching for other “pistols” in books I’ve read, and trying to learn from them how to do hide the pistol properly. One of the books I’m reviewing is “The Horse and His Boy”. On a few occasions in the book, characters mistake Shasta for Prince Corin, because of their physical similarity. Only at the end of the book it turns out that they are twins.
I’d like to ask you: When you first read the book, had their similarity made you realize that they are twins even before it was revealed? Or maybe you weren’t bothered by this at all? And what do you think made you realize/miss this?
Also, if it’s not the right forum to post this topic in, please direct me to the right forum.
Thanks for answering, it’s really helpful!
In drama, there is the principle saying that a pistol that appears in the first act should fire in the third. I have such a “pistol” in my story, which appears in the first and second acts, and fires in the third. I want the readers to be surprised when it fires. The thing is, it appears in the first and second acts under such circumstances that I fear some of them might guess it will fire in the last one, which will ruin the element of surprise.
In an attempt to solve this problem I’m now searching for other “pistols” in books I’ve read, and trying to learn from them how to do hide the pistol properly. One of the books I’m reviewing is “The Horse and His Boy”. On a few occasions in the book, characters mistake Shasta for Prince Corin, because of their physical similarity. Only at the end of the book it turns out that they are twins.
I’d like to ask you: When you first read the book, had their similarity made you realize that they are twins even before it was revealed? Or maybe you weren’t bothered by this at all? And what do you think made you realize/miss this?
Also, if it’s not the right forum to post this topic in, please direct me to the right forum.
Thanks for answering, it’s really helpful!