There's nothing worse than finding yourself slowly growing more confused as you read a book – realizing that you're not sure if you're meant to know what's going on, in which case there's a problem, because you don't, or whether the author wants you to stick with them because all will be revealed in good time. How do we as writers reassure them, and show them that they should stick with us? The answer to this dilemma is that we hang a lantern: shine a light on the unanswered questions they have, making them visible and acknowledging them. It's our way of saying 'that's here on purpose – I know it's there, and I'm going to do something about it. Stick with me, and all will become clear.' Today we're going to talk about three situations where hanging a lantern will help. You can find a transcript of this episode at my website, where you can also subscribe to my newsletter, get behind-the-scenes peeks at how I write, and any other news about new books, events or the podcast. You can also submit a question for the podcast on my website. You can find me on Twitter or Instagram.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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