--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only place where you can really…" description: "\"The only place where you can really surprise or shock the reader, or make someone laugh, is on the lower righthand corner - the very last panel - so as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg" --- # The only place where you can really surprise or shock the… ![“The only place where you can really surprise or shock the reader, or make someone laugh, is on the lower righthand corner - the very last panel - so as you turn the page, the payoff is in the upper lefthand panel. To pace every story so that there's a setup and a payoff at the page turn was a huge…” quote by Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg) > “The only place where you can really surprise or shock the reader, or make someone laugh, is on the lower righthand corner - the very last panel - so as you turn the page, the payoff is in the upper lefthand panel. To pace every story so that there's a setup and a payoff at the page turn was a huge challenge; it's a part of the medium and you really have to learn what can be done in the medium.” [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective comic pacing uses the final panel for surprise, delivering payoff when the reader turns the page. **In simple terms:** Surprise comes from the last panel before a page turn. Key Takeaway Use the final panel to set up a twist. Themes storytelling visual narrative comic design Mood creative strategic Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - graphic novels - comic strips - page-turn reveals - visual humor Key Concepts pacing panel layout reader engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance setup and surprise? - What visual cues signal a payoff? A Different Perspective Timing must match reader expectations, or surprise can feel forced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Lefthand Panel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lefthand-panel-1882742/) [Make someone laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-someone-laugh/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pace/) [Page Payoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/page-payoff-1882741/) [Page Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/page-turn-1882740/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Panel Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panel-turn-1882743/) [Payoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/payoff/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Setups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setups/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Turn Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-page/) [Turn the page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-the-page/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [“Didn't they like you? Didn't they, like you, need a heart that was a book with no last page? Turn the leaves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/didn-t-they-like-you-didn-t-they-like-you-need-a-heart-that-was-a/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“finger to the top left corner of the screen and the page will turn. You can highlight across multiple pages by continuing to drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/finger-to-the-top-left-corner-of-the-screen-and-the-page-will-turn/) [Amazon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amazon/) > [A book is something that young readers can experience on their own time. They decide when to turn the page. They'll put their arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brett/a-book-is-something-that-young-readers-can-experience-on-their-own/) [Jan Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brett/) > [“Mirror is the page / no one can turn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-pau-llosa/mirror-is-the-page-no-one-can-turn/) [Ricardo Pau-Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-pau-llosa/) > [A study last year showed that the page you turn to first in the newspaper can be a predictor of how long you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/a-study-last-year-showed-that-the-page-you-turn-to-first-in-the/) [Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/) > [“Page turn pads: To go to the next or previous page, apply pressure with your thumb and index finger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/page-turn-pads-to-go-to-the-next-or-previous-page-apply-pressure-with/) [Amazon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amazon/) > [“Give a book 50 pages. When you get to the bottom of Page 50, ask yourself if you're really liking the book… And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/give-a-book-50-pages-when-you-get-to-the-bottom-of-page-50-ask/) [Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/) > [Humor is how you change people's opinions, and if you can make someone laugh, they'll listen, even if they hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/humor-is-how-you-change-people-s-opinions-and-if-you-can-make-someone/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [I am more comfortable doing comedy, and I want to perform comedy. When you can really make someone laugh, that's a healing experience. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-tenuta/i-am-more-comfortable-doing-comedy-and-i-want-to-perform-comedy-when/) [Judy Tenuta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-tenuta/) > [If I can make someone laugh, I lift them out of their fundamentally tragic existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-miller/if-i-can-make-someone-laugh-i-lift-them-out-of-their-fundamentally/) [T. J. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-miller/) > [I love people who make me laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-love-people-who-make-me-laugh/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [Write a smart joke and people want to talk about it and keep the dialogue going. Also, if you can make someone laugh, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/write-a-smart-joke-and-people-want-to-talk-about-it-and-keep-the/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) > [Making people laugh is one of the highest achievements you can have. And when you can make someone laugh and cry, alternatively, as Chaplin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/making-people-laugh-is-one-of-the-highest-achievements-you-can-have/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [There's so much living to be squeeze into the cracks of one little day. You can make someone laugh, smile, hope, sing, think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/there-s-so-much-living-to-be-squeeze-into-the-cracks-of-one-little/) [Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/) > [I took my first acting class at age 6 because I found out that's what Carol Burnett was doing - acting. Also she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lakin/i-took-my-first-acting-class-at-age-6-because-i-found-out-that-s-what/) [Christine Lakin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lakin/) ## More by Chuck Palahniuk > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/his-saliva-tasted-like-the-wet-dicks-of-ten-thousand-lonely-truck/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“shoulder. They weigh that much. Tyler’s a banquet waiter,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/shoulder-they-weigh-that-much-tyler-s-a-banquet-waiter/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“We drive west the rest of the night, away from where the sun will come up, trying to outrace it, trying not to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-drive-west-the-rest-of-the-night-away-from-where-the-sun-will-come/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Just for the record, how I feel right now is very terrific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/just-for-the-record-how-i-feel-right-now-is-very-terrific/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Nobody's told me anything to date that I've been completely reviled by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nobody-s-told-me-anything-to-date-that-i-ve-been-completely-reviled-by/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/then-you-re-trapped-in-your-lovely-nest-and-the-things-you-used-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Waiters will always pee in soup, people will always fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/waiters-will-always-pee-in-soup-people-will-always-fall-in-love/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Branch Bacardi, star of The Da Vinci Load, To Drill a Mockingbird, The Postman Always Cums Twice, Chitty Chitty Gang Bang, The Twilight Bone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/branch-bacardi-star-of-the-da-vinci-load-to-drill-a-mockingbird-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Every unkind remark or crude gesture by others is a blessing, an opportunity to exercise our own capacity to forgive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/every-unkind-remark-or-crude-gesture-by-others-is-a-blessing-an/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Nuestro deber es enseñar a esos hombres y mujeres la libertad a través de la esclavitud; y el coraje a través del miedo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nuestro-deber-es-ense-ar-a-esos-hombres-y-mujeres-la-libertad-a-trav/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) [Explore all 2,041 Chuck Palahniuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only place where you can really surprise or shock the reader, or make someone laugh, is on the lower righthand corner - the very last panel - so as you turn the page, the payoff is in the upper lefthand panel. To pace every story so that there's a setup and a payoff at the page turn was a huge challenge; it's a part of the medium and you really have to learn what can be done in the medium.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chuck Palahniuk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surprise-or-shock-the-reader-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surprise-or-shock-the-reader-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/chuck-palahniuk-37_books_the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surp_1783362.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only place where you can really surprise or shock the reader, or make someone laugh, is on the lower…” — Chuck Palahniuk", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chuck Palahniuk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only place where you can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surprise-or-shock-the-reader-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-only-place-where-you-can-really-surprise-or-shock-the-reader-or/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```