Spoiler Alert

I've enjoyed a number of Olivia Dade's books. She writes characters who often share my interests, and puts them in situations that I can believe. She often includes a bit of humor, which I appreciate. 

Her novel, Spoiler Alert, starts with this sentence: "Between takes, Marcus did his best not to acknowledge the obvious: this was a stupid-ass way to die." 

Let's start at the end this time. The word "die" is here, placed in the strong, final position that gives a word extra emphasis. Normally, this would create high tension, as "die" raises the stakes to life or death. However, this sentence undercuts the tension of the word. "Between takes" means that this is make-believe: Marcus is part of a video production. Worse, "stupid-ass way to die" suggests that it is a badly written death scene. 

Marcus is a character with a problem. It's not the threat to his life that the word "die" might at first suggest. Instead, it is something that takes quite a few more words to describe. He must "do his best not to acknowledge" – that is, he must play his death straight – that this is "a stupid-ass way to die." His problem is not that he is going to die. His problem is that he needs to commit to a scene that doesn't make sense to him.

Now we know a lot about Marcus. He's an actor – that is almost certain to bring with it that he is attractive. In this world, professional actors are very seldom unattractive. He's intellectual – he has noticed that the death scene is a stupid one, and his thinking about it is complex: "did his best not to acknowledge the obvious" is a layered thought with a long word in it. He's a little snarky: "stupid-ass" is a bold and impolite term. Many writers stick to more moderate language. 

Attractive, intelligent, snarky – Marcus has the attributes of a romantic hero. He's also trying to keep a secret – that he knows this scene is bad. 

"Die" is a strong word. The sentence before it subverts its meaning, so that instead of enhancing fear, the strength of the word enhances the humor of the sentence. Marcus does have a problem, but it is an artistic problem rather than a survival problem. The sentence spends most of its words showing who Marcus is in an indirect fashion.

Give me those implications! I really like learning about characters from their thoughts and actions. It's no wonder I keep buying all Olivia Dade's books. 

It's very hot today, and my proofreader is away. Please forgive any typos or reduced clarity. You can tell me about them! And I will correct them later. 

Wishing you all comfort and safety, Anna

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Graphic elements by Ken Silbert