I was wondering if and how you guys deal with having a POV keeping a secret from the reader. I've seen it done for a chapter or two but not sure how often i've seen it carried on for almost a whole book.
Generally I hate it. If it's important enough to matter to the story, the characters would think about it.
Generally I hate it. If it's important enough to matter to the story, the characters would think about it.
The secret is an event that happened to the character a long time ago that isn't terribly important in the story until the very end when the squeal is set-up. It's not something the character likes to think about either.
So in that context could it work?
Not necessarily. I have many secrets that I don't think about for months at a time, unless something reminds me. That doesn't make them unimportant; it just means I've succeeded in repressing them.
The secret is an event that happened to the character a long time ago that isn't terribly important in the story until the very end when the squeal is set-up. It's not something the character likes to think about either.
So in that context could it work?
I would be concerned about a Deus Ex Machina situation there. You get the MC cornered by 5 thugs in the climax and suddenly "oh, by the way, the MC is an ex-navy-seal and can kill you with his fingernail. It just never came up before." No, sorry.