{"id":1136,"date":"2018-11-05T20:04:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T01:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/dremadeoraich\/?p=1136"},"modified":"2018-11-05T20:05:07","modified_gmt":"2018-11-06T01:05:07","slug":"a-surprising-truth-subtlety-makes-fiction-stronger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/05\/a-surprising-truth-subtlety-makes-fiction-stronger\/","title":{"rendered":"A Surprising Truth\u2014Subtlety Makes Fiction Stronger"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently critiqued an excellent short story for a fellow Critter<\/a>, a soft sci-fi piece with some hard sci-fi elements, which takes place on a distant world and has a \u2026 unique twist. From the moment I started reading it, I was hooked. The author doled out hints and clues about this world in tantalizing nibbles so that if I wanted to know what the heck was going on, I had to keep reading. (Not that I\u2019m complaining. I loved every minute.) In my critique, I lauded her use of subtlety in this short story, to which she replied that others had described her work as \u201ctoo subtle.\u201d They wanted to be told up front what was going on and how it was going to differ from other stories.<\/p>\n

\"\"I\u2019ve heard the same thing from critiques of some of my own works. Even in pieces with an end twist that was part of the story\u2019s entire point, I\u2019ve gotten comments that a reader wished they\u2019d known that little surprise detail up front.<\/p>\n

Seriously\u2026where is the mystery in a story where every little thing is defined? Who wants to read a fictional tale where everything is known from the outset?<\/p>\n

Okay, let me step back. Readers of fiction span the spectrum of likes and dislikes, so I suppose there are probably readers who do want little mystery. Who do want everything explained. Who don\u2019t want to have to figure out for themselves what is happening.<\/p>\n

I am not one of them. I like the challenge of trying to put the clues and hints together for myself. I\u2019m not talking about narrative that confuses when it isn\u2019t intended to. That is a problem. But for me, a book that spells out every point in excruciating detail is B O R I N G and most likely to end up in my \u201cdid not finish\u201d category.<\/p>\n

For me, there are a number of reasons why subtlety makes for a better story. I\u2019ll share four.<\/p>\n

1. I love a good puzzle or game that makes me think. Same with fiction. I like to find clues in a narrative and piece them together myself, bit by bit. Even when every new clue disproves my prior theories. No, especially when new clues twist the enigma and make me reconsider everything I thought I knew. Not just in mysteries or thrillers\u2014other genres can also have an element of surprise for the reader. The challenge of figuring it out on my own devours me, stretches my brain, keeps me turning pages. A story that explains itself assumes I am not capable of connecting the dots for myself. Please do not insult my intelligence. Thanks.<\/p>\n

2. I prefer the \u201cless is more\u201d approach. I want to imagine at least part of the setting, aspects of the character, for myself. Give me the overview \u2013 sights, smells, sounds, atmosphere\u2014but just enough that I can deduce the rest as the action unfolds. I\u2019ll grant that some types of stories require more description. Second world fantasies, where the world itself, as well as its culture, are entirely fictional may require more description to properly ground the reader in this new place. Or perhaps there is a specific characteristic or detail that is essential to the plot, one which the reader must comprehend if they are to grasp the basic foundation of the story. Fine. Do what\u2019s necessary to establish requirements. Once that\u2019s done, however, step back and give the reader room to picture the rest on her own.<\/p>\n

\"\"3. I like to make my own way into a story. To experience it at my own pace. To find and follow the breadcrumbs that lead me from beginning to end in a natural progression, even when they seem to be out of order and make no sense. For me, obvious directional signs left in the narrative because the writer doesn\u2019t think I as a reader will understand where the story is taking me are like B-movies where actors overexaggerate facial expressions and stage or post-production crew leave clearly inappropriate elements in the scenes \u2013 an airplane in the background sky of a medieval fantasy. As components of story, such blatant pointers don\u2019t help, and they can certainly detract from the flow.<\/p>\n

4. Remember that old saying from school? \u201cTell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.\u201d The same applies in fiction. I don\u2019t want to be told how a character is feeling. I want to at least see it on the page. Better yet, I want to feel it with them. I want to be so engrossed in the story that the world around me disappears. Showing and drawing in the reader requires a higher word count than a simple telling, but it is so much more effective. Telling is the sledgehammer. Involving requires subtle turns of phrase, exacting word choices, nuanced meaning.<\/p>\n

In a novel or story where I am given too much explanation, I tend to skim over large segments that seem to rehash what I\u2019ve already been told, or that seem filled with irrelevant backstory. Works like this are, for me, like a room full of shouting people. After a while, you stop hearing the noise.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, in a story where clues are delicately laced throughout, where every word is perfectly matched to its intent and each is necessary to the story, I don\u2019t skip a single one. Books like these are akin to a whisper, one that focuses your entire attention on its point. You lean toward it, not away. For me, this sort of subtlety in fiction tends to grab\u2014and hold\u2014my interest longer.<\/p>\n

But I am only one type of reader. Your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n

What about you? What role do you think subtlety should have in our writing or in fiction overall? In your opinion, which books and stories apply it well, and which do not? Do you feel subtlety is overrated in fiction? Why or why not?<\/p>\n

Talk back!<\/p>\n

See you next week\u2026<\/p>\n

Sledgehammer Egg photo courtesy of pexels<\/a>
\nPuzzleHead photo courtesy of pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently critiqued an excellent short story for a fellow Critter, a soft sci-fi piece with some hard sci-fi elements, which takes place on a distant world and has a \u2026 unique twist. From the moment I started reading it, I was hooked. The author doled out hints and clues about this world in tantalizing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-posts","category-on-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-ik","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5960,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/bobiverse-series\/","url_meta":{"origin":1136,"position":0},"title":"Bobiverse Series","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"May 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Dennis E. Taylor Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency Worldbuilders Press I originally reviewed book 1 (We Are Legion) in the Bobiverse series back in December of 2024, and highly recommended it for sci-fi fans, and especially fans of Star Trek. I finally got around to reading the other four books\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Book2-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":986,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/07\/planetside\/","url_meta":{"origin":1136,"position":1},"title":"Planetside","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"August 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Michael Mammay Harper Voyager; ISBN: 978-0062694669 Paperback, 384 pages. \u00a92018 When the son of a powerful politician goes missing on the front lines at Cappa Three, General Serata calls Colonel Carl Butler to investigate. 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Powell.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ragged-Alice-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/action-brutal-coerce-40721.jpg?fit=4360%2C3628&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1136"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1140,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1136\/revisions\/1140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}