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How to Know if You'll Like a Book
 

Managing Expectations: Example

The main character has the Holy Grail (magic cup) in her attic and people come to see it. Telling her mother about the Holy Grail would spoil the plot, but eventually the MC has to explain these visitors.
My mother is standing with her hands on her hips, one foot pointed out, and she's really angry. "Time for an explanation, Sandra. I'm not kidding."

I just turn around. "Follow me."

We get to the attic and I open the door. My mother steps in behind me. And now she can see the cup. I just stare at it. It still gives me a good feeling.

My mother says in awe, "Oh my God. This is amazing."

I look back at my mother. But she's not looking at the cup. She asks me, "Did you clean the attic?"

First, some of the setup was done chapters ago -- there is a discussion that the attic needs cleaning, the main character defends her mother for not cleaning it, because her mother is too busy, then somewhat ignores the suggestion that she could clean it.

So that was a logical thing to have happen. But I did my very best to make you think that her "This is amazing" is about the Holy Grail -- I wrote that to be as misleading as I could without actually lying.

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