Vagueness Is Not Tension

Tension is the second-most critical element of a successful story—the first being a relatable, engaging main character. Tension, also known as drama or conflict (in the broadest sense of the word,) is what makes the reader turn the page. It is the emotional driver of the story.

Tension must be organic, and it must be specific. Don’t blindfold your reader.

Vague descriptions or intentional obfuscation of details does not create tension.

How Tension Drives the Story

Characters should have rich histories and complex lives, and where their lives intersect with other characters with different histories, friction can occur. Two siblings may have different views of their parents which lead to arguments every time they are together. A homeowner may drive their neighbor nuts with the noise they make fixing cars in their driveway. A woman’s jealousy of her husband’s mistress can lead to homicidal tendencies.

All of these are examples of friction points that cause tension, albeit some more than others. But taking the last example, it is easy to imagine a story where a wife becomes concerned her husband is always away. His excuses are found to be lies, and after following him, she discovers the truth. If deeply and richly presented, a reader will turn page after page to discover what the wife knows, what she learns, and how she responds. The wife’s emotional journey drives the story.

This example, even though short, is specific. We know the players (the wife, the husband, and the mistress) and we know the main events (lies, investigation, and confrontation.) The details could be set thousands of different ways, but the main conflict is clear. The reader is able to create a mental image of what might be going on and understand where that conflict, that tension comes from.

Tension builds and generates suspense from the sequence of actions and how they build on one another until everything comes to a head in the climax of the story.

Vagueness Is Manufactured Tension

Many writers, however, want to build that tension by not spilling the beans to the reader. They hold information back or obfuscate it using generic pronouns. “She could never forgive him because of that thing that happened in that place with that guy.” What?!?

Unfortunately, this is a representative type of sentence I’ve encountered in many stories. The author thinks they are building tension by keeping the details secret. Maybe “that thing” is an event we’re already aware of, so it’s actually an obvious reference. Maybe “that guy” is a character we’ve already met but the author doesn’t want us to know what they’ve done—even if the characters themselves know.

To me, this is lazy-ass writing. The author is simply trying to manufacture suspense by getting the reader to turn the page to find out who “that guy” is. If the story is well-written, suspense will build naturally, and even if the reader knows who “that guy” is, the confrontation and final outcome are still unknown.

A good writer understands this and shares their character’s story fully. Withholding information from the reader that the character knows, is lazy and obvious. So is obfuscating details with vague pronouns—pronouns that are not clearly linked to a specific, clear noun—pronouns like it, that, them, something, whatever, etc.

Write with Specificity

Don’t hesitate to write clearly and concisely. Explain events. Share histories. Put all that emotional baggage the main character carries right out there in the open. Let the reader understand who that character is and connect with them.

The whole point is to take a reader on a journey, not hide things from them and spring it all at the end. Writing with specificity will connect the reader with the main character, relate to them, and join them on their emotional journey through the pages of the book.

Treat the reader right, and they will come back for more.