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I will explain! It requires Chapter Three information. Nate Send a noteboard - 18/06/2013 03:55:55 PM

You might already know what lampshading is and might only be asking how it applies to this situation, but I'll go through it for the sake of anyone who doesn't.

Lampshading (or lampshade hanging) is a writing technique (some would say crutch) wherein something happens in the story that is unlikely and unrealistic, and the writer attempts to cover it up by drawing attention to it, having a character or the narrator point out how unlikely it is. By having the characters complicit in the acknowledgement that what just happened is a convenient coincidence that they can't make sense out of, it makes the unlikely event easier to swallow, because sometimes these things just happen.

In the first two chapters, it seems a bit unlikely that the Salvaras would fall so quickly and so fully for Locke's setup. Everything is just a little too convenient about his game.

But Lynch takes the interesting and unusual route of having Locke not simply lampshade it to the reader (by saying, for example, how lucky it is that everything worked), but by building the lampshade right into his plans. He anticipated that the Salvaras might become suspicious of the too-convenient coincidence of their meeting, especially as he asks for more and more money from them.

By sneaking into their home, pretending to be Midnighters, and explaining everything to Don Salvara, Locke is acknowledging that it's unrealistic that the Salvaras would simply buy everything he's been feeding them. But because he understands that, he's essentially lampshading the unlikeliness of his own plan. By doing this, he gets the Salvaras playing along with him even though they know what he's up to. If he hadn't done that, then realistically the Salvaras might have started to suspect him anyway.

It's like a writing technique used within a writing technique. Lynch gets away with creating an unlikely plan by having it seem completely realistic that his characters created an unlikely plan, and by making it clear that they understood how unlikely it was and made further plans to adjust for that. It's actually fairly clever, I think.

Warder to starry_nite

Chapterfish — Nate's Writing Blog
http://chapterfish.wordpress.com
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Reread: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - 03/06/2013 10:07:06 AM 1478 Views
The Prologue - 03/06/2013 10:08:39 AM 1123 Views
Re: The Prologue - 04/06/2013 09:09:56 PM 1221 Views
Re: The Prologue - 10/06/2013 03:34:28 PM 1170 Views
I'd forgotten most of this. - 10/06/2013 03:32:26 PM 972 Views
Chapters One and Two. - 10/06/2013 03:36:57 PM 982 Views
I was waiting for someone else to go first. - 13/06/2013 03:39:31 PM 1099 Views
What do you mean by "lampshading"? - 18/06/2013 02:52:46 PM 1083 Views
I will explain! It requires Chapter Three information. - 18/06/2013 03:55:55 PM 987 Views
Thanks; I'd never seen the term before. *NM* - 25/06/2013 04:57:47 PM 460 Views
Falling somewhat behind, but I'm still participating in this... - 02/07/2013 10:50:27 PM 1513 Views
Not as entranced as I thought I would be. - 18/06/2013 02:47:24 PM 957 Views
Re: Descriptions - 24/06/2013 05:00:34 PM 1067 Views
Re: Descriptions - 25/06/2013 04:59:28 PM 1007 Views
I'm inclined to agree with that assessment. - 02/07/2013 10:54:32 PM 1177 Views
Chapters 3 and 4. - 18/06/2013 02:53:34 PM 963 Views
Initial thought: - 18/06/2013 02:55:52 PM 965 Views
This is another one with messed up timelines. - 24/06/2013 04:47:16 PM 3191 Views
Re: This is another one with messed up timelines. - 25/06/2013 05:01:35 PM 2853 Views
It's funny - your comment above had spoiled me so... - 08/08/2013 05:25:31 PM 1109 Views
Re: Sabetha - 08/08/2013 05:42:18 PM 1008 Views
The first part of the book is a little slow, I've decided. - 25/06/2013 05:05:45 PM 962 Views
It does really pick up, doesn't it? - 13/08/2013 10:37:26 PM 867 Views
Chapters 5 and 6. *NM* - 25/06/2013 05:06:10 PM 428 Views
Things really pick up now. - 28/06/2013 04:04:27 PM 1030 Views
Re: Women (spoilers) - 01/07/2013 04:56:07 PM 1026 Views
Re: Things really pick up now. - 13/08/2013 10:56:37 PM 1048 Views
Chapters 7 and 8. - 10/07/2013 06:22:02 PM 1043 Views
Chapters 9 and 10. *NM* - 10/07/2013 06:22:22 PM 488 Views
Lynch can be such a tease. - 16/07/2013 04:35:51 PM 1093 Views
I love Doña Vorchenza - 30/07/2013 02:28:30 PM 1104 Views
Chapters 11 and 12. *NM* - 24/07/2013 06:34:25 PM 450 Views
Lynch is ruthless in these chapters. - 30/07/2013 02:40:19 PM 1086 Views
Poor everyone. - 02/08/2013 11:04:34 PM 1035 Views
Chapters 13 and 14. *NM* - 24/07/2013 06:34:41 PM 476 Views
These are very satisfying chapters, on the whole. - 30/07/2013 03:11:28 PM 1042 Views
Chapters 15 and 16 and the epilogue. *NM* - 30/07/2013 02:09:39 PM 452 Views
Disappointing, on the whole, I felt. - 14/08/2013 09:25:31 PM 1082 Views
I liked parts of it, but you make good points. - 15/08/2013 05:45:14 PM 1193 Views
Yeah, I liked parts too - but still. - 15/08/2013 06:54:19 PM 1012 Views
I enjoyed it enough to overlook any deficiencies, apparently. - 21/08/2013 08:09:54 PM 1148 Views
Re: Disappointing, on the whole, I felt. - 22/09/2013 11:22:19 PM 1093 Views
Oh my. - 23/09/2013 06:00:44 PM 984 Views
Re: Oh my. - 09/10/2013 10:12:55 PM 1021 Views

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