To create a story that feels as if it could leave the page: That’s the dream of many writers. But to pull it off means leaving space for the reader. Celeste Ng, author of the newly released Everything I Never Told You, explains:
… you need to leave a few unmapped places so the characters can step beyond the boundaries you’ve sketched, a few strings untied so that the puppets can move freely without your hand. In other words, you need a little ambiguity: a space, however small, for the reader to fit into the piece. A story needs a little room for the reader to interpret, to bring in his or her own perceptions and conceptions.
But, you might ask, what is the difference between meaningful ambiguity and authorial indecision? Read Ng’s full essay at Glimmer Train to find out.
For more on writing craft & technique:
- Smash the Blasted Scales by Julian Zabalbeascoa
- One of Your Most Valuable Writing Tools by Sandra Hunter
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
thank you. Yes some freedom for the reader to put in missing pieces allows space for the imagination. The imagination is why people read, or watch movies or anything.
I went back and read the beginning of the Gunslinger by Stephen King to see how Roland was initially detailed as to me he becomes an epic character of ruggedness. But the details are sparse but the details that are used are all carefully chosen to do a lot of work in painting the picture.
Disclaimer: I have not yet read the full essay. That said, I was immediately reminded by Celeste’s “unmapped spaces” of Hemingway’s line about a character’s inferred past. In important respects the ideas are the same, but not quite. When the writer confronts the question of what will the character do next, Hemingway draws on the character’s experience, while Celeste draws on the character’s impulses. Experience can be explained; impulses are often surprising, and leave strings untied. No doubt, at some level, the two writers are talking about the same thing.