Tuesday 17 July 2012

The problem with ambiguity

As I hurtle towards the end of my first draft I now find myself with the sticky question of how much to answer and how much to leave unanswered.  Obviously mystery is a key factor in drawing readers in, but if I leave things unanswered when situations arise that should answer them, I'll annoy people.  I am using an unreliable narrator, which I think helps to add to the mystery, as there is only so much he can see, only so much he can understand.  By the middle of the book it is more and more obvious what certain parts of the book refer to and I'm hoping that the reader's knowledge of this will add a sense of power and interest in how differently the protagonist views the world.  But if the reader is too far ahead of him in working out what is truly going on, will they get sick of him?  I am now in the position where I could conceivably answer all, some, or none of the questions in the book in the ending... I may have to do all three and see which works best.  To the people who have been reading my book so far and giving your opinion, I may soon be asking for your feeback on this point.  Gird your loins.

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