Line #52 SoYouWantTo/MindScrewTheAudience


1	So you decided a simple storyline everyone gets isn't good enough, huh?
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3	You want something more complicated and interesting? Is that it?
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5	This article will show you how to create an interesting storyline that will interest audiences and mind screw them at the same time.
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7	First off, {{Dream Sequence}}s and {{Flash Back}}s are your friends. They're good to use if say your character (or characters) are amnesiac or maybe missing a few memories. It's also good to help explain things prior to the story line. Maybe they're DreamingTheTruth. Or, to mix things up, maybe their dreams are part [[FridgeBrilliance clever foreshadowing that makes sense in hindsight]], and part psychedelic crap that makes no sense whatsoever.
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9	Second, be ambiguous. In other words, try leaving the audience to figure things out. ShipTease can work nicely if done right to make character relationships ambiguous. Also don't explain every little thing in the story line, that would make things too obvious. Leave some things to the imagination or the audience. Another thing to remember is that the audience still has to understand what's going on while having numerous theories and questions still at hand. You should let the reader [[{{Gamebooks}} Choose Your Own Adventure]], letting them interpret the storyline in several ways instead of just the one you had planned for them. It can open new possibilities from Sub-Versions to Parodies or even another adaptation or alternate retelling of the storyline (This can lead to a CashCowFranchise). ThisLoserIsYou if you make the narrative too confusing, or too mind screwing. The key is balance and paying careful attention to the story at hand, making sure you know what you're doing and making sure to make sure the audience understands your work, yet still has questions and theories of their own. Am I screwing your mind yet?
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11	Third, BreakingTheFourthWall can be good depending on the narrative. It can screw people's minds even more and let the audience wonder if maybe there's someone else involved in the storyline. Then again... What if there's NoFourthWall? That would cause even more mind screwing, but try not to over do it.
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13	BreakingTheFourthWall and use of {{Author Avatar}}s screw minds even more. Comments by you the author/creator can also BreakTheFourthWall as well as provide clues or insight as to what's going on in your storyline or narrative. An AuthorAvatar can work to provide a similar effect (if using an AuthorAvatar see ArcWords) but if the AuthorAvatar is a character in the storyline (Say, TheHero or maybe TheHeart) that can cause not only extra MindScrew value but it'll give you a chance to live an alternate life you've never/might possibly never ever live (See VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory).
14	Something that will work to a similar effect of an AuthorAvatar is a {{Narrator}}. These characters act as a medium between the author, the reader and the story's characters if the Narrator decides to intervene. They are not usually apart of the main cast and will only appear at certain points in the story.
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16	PsychologicalHorror and MindScrew can go hand in hand, making the genre even more confusing. Also see ThroughTheEyesOfMadness and MindScrew for more advice. However MindScrew isn't limited to Psychological Horror alone. It can be included in other genres if you do it right. I'll put a few genres and how to make MindScrew work (but do not feel obligated to follow all the writing. I'm just putting it up there as an example):
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18	For Romance/Love Stories you could have one of the love interests have a DarkAndTroubledPast or SplitPersonality. Perhaps one of the LoveInterests or even the protagonist (TheHero) could have strange visions or {{FlashBack}}s of the past. Perhaps they could see their future with each potential LoveInterest?
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20	For ScienceFiction you could involve computers and technology. Perhaps the computers could act on their own, or is there a GhostInTheMachine. Perhaps the machines are apart of a single consciousness and the characters must figure out how to stop it. MindControl may or may not be involved.
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22	For Mystery and Detective genres perhaps you could have a riddle solver who can't solve riddles or a villian who uses mind-screwing tactics to play with the detective's mind. Hypnosis and MindControl may also be one of the criminal's tactics which he uses to get away with his crimes (if not caught by the detective/hero that is).
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24	You can also screw people's minds by making characters have psychological problems (whatever genre the work fits under does not matter), the most common being amnesia (See AmnesiacHero) but don't limit yourself to that alone, giving characters other problems like short term memory or a SplitPersonality can also work depending on the storyline at hand. There are also other numerous psychological disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (you should have something in the character's backstory trigger this), Erotomania (what most [[StalkerWithACrush stalkers with crushes]] suffer from), Pica (this one isn't for those with weak stomachs...) and so on...
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26	Lastly, with MindScrew there is usually FridgeHorror or FridgeLogic hidden within. To apply either will take some deep thinking and heavy symbolism. Some good examples of MindScrew with FridgeHorror and FridgeLogic mixed in will be listed below.
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28	Am I screwing your mind yet or have I screwed it all up already?
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30	I hope I have screwed all of your minds. I do love TV Tropes. As an aspiring writer myself, this site does give me ideas and advice. I hope I was help to all of you... Or am I?
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32	!! Recommended Tropes:
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34	* RuleofSymbolism
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36	* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible
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38	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic : Make the work appear to be an allegory on current hot-button issue than reveal that it was all a SpaceWhaleAesop.
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40	* NoEnding : The work ends and nothing, absolutely nothing is resolved. Or better yet...
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42	* GainaxEnding : The story has a grand finale--but solves nothing or even relates to the story. Consider making it a metaphor for what what actually does happen to the characters.
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44	* GoingCosmic
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46	* DeathOfTheAuthor : encourage audience interpretation and WMG. Never reveal what you actually meant to say.
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48	!! Some good examples of MindScrew include:
49	* ''Film/ImACyborgButThatsOk''
50	* ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac''
51	* ''Film/BlackSwan''
52	* The ''Literature/BoogiepopSeries''
53	* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent''
54	* ''Anime/RedGarden''
55	* ''VisualNovel/EfaFairyTaleOfTheTwo'' (the mindscrewy moments are rare but ''Tale Of Melodies'' has more of these moments than ''Tale of Memories'')
56	* ''Anime/GhostHound'' (some elements of ScienceFiction are here, but for the most part it's psychological)
57	* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' ([[Anime/GhostInTheShell the movies]] more than the [[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex anime series]])
58	* ''VisualNovel/{{Ever17}}'' has a high amount of MindScrew (up to the point where you have to log in to read the entire article).
59	** ''999:VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' certainly gave us ideas as well, not to mention they have devteam members from both games!
60	* ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'' is a good example of ScienceFiction and Mindscrew merging together.
61	* ''Film/TheShining''
62	* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''
63	* ''Film/TheStrangers''
64	* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryMurderHouse''
65	* 75% to 85% of the comic books of Creator/GrantMorrison.
66	* ''Be Aware'', a short film by Joe Kamimura
67	* ''VisualNovel/MilkInsideABagOfMilkInsideABagOfMilk'' and its sequel rely a lot on abstractism and ambiguity to tell the story of a depressed, mentally ill girl.
68	* The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games are infested with screwy scenery and often takes place in dystopian/post-apocalypse settings where all sorts of mythological figures come out to fuck with mankind,
69	* The Music/{{Vocaloid}} songs with horror elements are pretty mind screwy. "Matryoshka" is a good start; "Alice of Human Sacrifice" is another good one; "Circle You" and "Fear Garden" may be frightening to some. Other songs include "Hide and Seek" and "I=Nightmare".
70	* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' did this, the visual novel actually encourages you to figure out whether it's a mystery or a fantasy genre.
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72	!! Good examples of MindScrew with FridgeLogic[=/=]FridgeHorror:
73	* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent''
74	* ''Manga/ElfenLied''
75	* ''[[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers Hetalia]] Paint it White!'' (the series itself isn't a mind screw, the movie isn't either, but the FridgeLogic value is tremendous!)
76	* ''VisualNovel/LuxPain''
77	* ''VisualNovel/TimeHollow''
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79	'''DO NOT CONFUSE''' with MindRape.
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Context SoYouWantTo / MindScrewTheAudience