Writing Tip #3: Surprises & Paradoxes—Add Some Flair and Abstraction!

One good way to grab your reader’s attention is by utilizing surprises and paradoxes. Surprises are unexpected elements that will throw your readers off-kilter, leading them to be further invested in your story. Paradoxes are statements that appear to be simultaneously true and untrue. Allowing your readers to work through these contradictions adds a level of depth and nuance to your writing.

Example: Here is a quote from Deirdre Hines’s book:

“It takes a long time to become young and even longer to stay that way unless you can fly faster than bluebots zigzagging the skies. Earth is old now. Even older since The Nomenclatures became our rulers. . . . ”