A writer's job is not necessarily to answer every question. It's okay to leave a few spaces blank. I'm not talking about plot holes or inconclusive endings, I mean that you should learn to master the fine line between telling a story to your audience and being well...annoying.
Have you ever read a book and found yourself grumbling, "yeah, I get it!" I know I have. Those authors who would rather pander to the reader than let me connect the dots on my own. I've been guilty of this blunder many times. Reading back on a chapter I realize that where I meant to instill clarity, I instead patronized the reader. You have to treat your audience as though they are smart. And even if some of the people flicking through your book aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, for those who are intelligent, the reward when they realize something left half-answered is an irreplaceable sensation.
I remember when reading Sherlock Holmes for the first time, I was thrown into the second act with a huge cliffhanger. That next half of the story demonstrated a completely different set of characters in a different time and place; for a minute I thought I was reading a different book. But when I realized what the author was doing, my eyes got that (what I like to call,) reader's glow and I giddily stamped my feet, sure that my assumptions were true. The confusion was all worth it. If Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose to simply state what was going on in a two, or three paragraph explanation, I would have been just as informed, though far less enthusiastic.
When writing your book or poem or whatever, don't neglect your job to set the scene and illustrate the characters. But when it comes to a complex plot, you don't have to explain everything right away. Even though the reader may be confused for a short while, they will reap the reward of being treated like an intelligent consumer when they figure it out for themselves before you reveal it. So the next time you find yourself wondering how to string out the suspense, or fill in the implied metaphor, continue mindful of the intelligent audience you hope to target.
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Writing to Smart Readers
A writer's job is not necessarily to answer every question. It's okay to leave a few spaces blank. I'm not talking about plot holes or inconclusive endings, I mean that you should learn to master the fine line between telling a story to your audience and being well...annoying.
Have you ever read a book and found yourself grumbling, "yeah, I get it!" I know I have. Those authors who would rather pander to the reader than let me connect the dots on my own. I've been guilty of this blunder many times. Reading back on a chapter I realize that where I meant to instill clarity, I instead patronized the reader. You have to treat your audience as though they are smart. And even if some of the people flicking through your book aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, for those who are intelligent, the reward when they realize something left half-answered is an irreplaceable sensation.
I remember when reading Sherlock Holmes for the first time, I was thrown into the second act with a huge cliffhanger. That next half of the story demonstrated a completely different set of characters in a different time and place; for a minute I thought I was reading a different book. But when I realized what the author was doing, my eyes got that (what I like to call,) reader's glow and I giddily stamped my feet, sure that my assumptions were true. The confusion was all worth it. If Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose to simply state what was going on in a two, or three paragraph explanation, I would have been just as informed, though far less enthusiastic.
When writing your book or poem or whatever, don't neglect your job to set the scene and illustrate the characters. But when it comes to a complex plot, you don't have to explain everything right away. Even though the reader may be confused for a short while, they will reap the reward of being treated like an intelligent consumer when they figure it out for themselves before you reveal it. So the next time you find yourself wondering how to string out the suspense, or fill in the implied metaphor, continue mindful of the intelligent audience you hope to target.
Have you ever read a book and found yourself grumbling, "yeah, I get it!" I know I have. Those authors who would rather pander to the reader than let me connect the dots on my own. I've been guilty of this blunder many times. Reading back on a chapter I realize that where I meant to instill clarity, I instead patronized the reader. You have to treat your audience as though they are smart. And even if some of the people flicking through your book aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, for those who are intelligent, the reward when they realize something left half-answered is an irreplaceable sensation.
I remember when reading Sherlock Holmes for the first time, I was thrown into the second act with a huge cliffhanger. That next half of the story demonstrated a completely different set of characters in a different time and place; for a minute I thought I was reading a different book. But when I realized what the author was doing, my eyes got that (what I like to call,) reader's glow and I giddily stamped my feet, sure that my assumptions were true. The confusion was all worth it. If Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose to simply state what was going on in a two, or three paragraph explanation, I would have been just as informed, though far less enthusiastic.
When writing your book or poem or whatever, don't neglect your job to set the scene and illustrate the characters. But when it comes to a complex plot, you don't have to explain everything right away. Even though the reader may be confused for a short while, they will reap the reward of being treated like an intelligent consumer when they figure it out for themselves before you reveal it. So the next time you find yourself wondering how to string out the suspense, or fill in the implied metaphor, continue mindful of the intelligent audience you hope to target.
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