Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ambiguity

Picture this: you're reading a novel and are about halfway through, there's several characters talking and one of them references an event that - while not overtly important - happened during the time frame of the novel itself. The characters elaborate enough so you aren't sitting there scratching your head but they don't truly explain/show what happened.

What do you think? How do you feel?

I was talking to a friend the other day and we had a pretty in-depth discussion on ambiguity. It ended with me finally sorting out my emotions and thoughts on the matter. 

In short: I think it's a good thing.

My reasoning is this: if we are aware, as readers, that events are happening outside the scope of the novel that we're seeing it manipulates our subconscious impressions of these characters. How, you ask? We're being shown that we aren't necessary for these characters to exist. Their existence doesn't depend upon us reading the novel. They are more than what we see. 

This, in turn, makes them more real.

(As an aside: way too much ambiguity is bad! Just like anything else in writing, it's a fine line between an author doing this well and completely butchering it.)

How do you feel about ambiguity? Any other tricks you can think of to manipulate* your readers?

*Don't even pretend you don't want to manipulate your readers. You do. You want them to care about your characters. 

29 comments:

  1. I like some ambiguity - especially in the conclusion as life doesn't tie everything up neatly with a bow and I like fiction that reflects that. I don't like so much ambiguity as I'm reading a book that I'm left scratching my head and trying to figure out what is going on as that takes me out of the story.

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  2. I like when I get the impression that the characters have things they say and/or do that I'm not privy to. It does make them feel more real. So long as the author isn't having them be ambiguous solely for the fact of disguising the real motivations. That feels like I've been cheated.

    Definitely a fine line to walk!

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  3. As long as it's done well, I like it. That was one thing I appreciated about Beautiful Creatures.

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  4. whoa! i'd never thought of that! brilliant melissa!!!

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  5. I like it, as long as there is a little explanation as to what it was. Just enough to get an idea.

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  6. Some ambiguity is okay. Too much manipulates the reader.

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  7. I like ambiguity if it keeps the reader interested but not frustrated. I don't know if I'm skilled enough to put in a healthy amount!

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  8. Our characters sometimes dictate information important to them. We must decide, is this too much or should I incorporate it into the story. After that, we must be careful not to give it as an information dump. I don't know about you, but there aren't any dump trucks passing along the street in my wip. LOL
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  9. I was reading City of Bones, and this happens during a couple of pages. It's nice when it's interesting and explains a bit of relevant background to previous scenes, but if it lingers too much on details, I get easily distracted and want to skip a few pages to get to the point. But I agree that it does make the world within the book seem more real. :)

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  10. I like the feeling that characters have hidden histories or actual lives, and yeah, I think some ambiguity helps create that effect. But as they say, everything in moderation. :)

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  11. I like ambiguity in endings. For sure. Like The Giver? Genius.

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  12. Whoa! Deep (What you talking about, Willis?). Very cool to look at it that way! It's a precarious balancing act---somewhere in the middle is good!

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  13. I don't mind some ambiguity, but too much just doesn't work.

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  14. Ambiguity done right--and not too much of it--can be very intriguing. That's one of the things I want to look for in my WiP as I revise.

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  15. Well, it's always the withheld information that keeps us reading further. So I agree that it's important. I guess it's a fine line between intriguing your reader and simply alienating them.

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  16. I think it really depends on the book style. I've been immersed in mystery of late, and THERE, the I would assume I was only being given a little because somebody was going to give me more later and it would be important. A mystery cannot have things like that unless they are connected to clues (whether real or red herrings, but it CAN'T just be dropped). Suspense, I might expect it to come back too--probably would. Other genres though, I think I'm more comfortable with it just being a topic of discussion (though the discussion better reveal something we need to know)

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  17. I don't mind it in manageable doses. You're insights of it are brilliant, though, Melissa! :-)

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  18. Too many layers and you're left with a convoluted mess though.
    And I like to pretend my readers are Gumby figures as I manipulate them...

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  19. I do like ambiguity. I also like to write it. It hints, it tantilizes, and, as you said, it gives the reader the impression that there's more life going on between the covers, even after the book is closed.

    Great thoughts!
    Jen

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  20. I like it! and I like to write it. It's fun to think about future readers working through all the little factors of the story.

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  21. See why I love the blogging community? I've never paid attention to ambiguity in a book/story. I'm always into the story....

    Now, I have to pay attention....

    Thanks for the insight!

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  22. I agree 100% with what Maria M said!

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  23. I think Hart had a great point about genre.

    Mysteries are focused and there are reader expectations about hiding & revealing information. Dropping entirely irrelevant detail in could easily be seen as going against the "rules".

    Genres like sci-fi and fantasy, at the other extreme, are all about world building, so I think those little details on the edge of the story are important. Not just events, but places, history, characters, technology...little snippets that hint of a wider world beyond the immediate needs of the story. These give your mental peripheral vision something to work on, and fool you into fleshing out the unseen rest of the world for yourself.

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  24. That a lot to wrap your mind around. I think I happen to agree, and I don't think you could of put it much better. It adds another dimension to the book. Something good to think about.

    Heh heh, this was so awesome, I have an award for you. ;D
    http://capriciousexistence.blogspot.com/2011/01/awards.html

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  25. I like some ambiguity. The problem is starting to be ambigious and then leaving too much out. There's a fine line between teasing your readers and losing them because you've left them clueless. I think hooking the reader allows you to manipulate them, but you need to reward them for all that manipulation you've done. There has to be a payoff and explanations at the end!

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  26. I'm with you . . . it all depends on how it's done. I don't like feeling confused. But I don't mind knowing the characters do exist outside of us. :)

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  27. Great post! I agree--ambiguity adds depth to the novel. If there's absolutely NO ambiguity in a novel, it's usually because the author has felt the need to give us WAY to much information than we need for the purpose of the story. I agree 100% with what you said about it making characters more real. And it always makes me want to know more, which is a good feeling when reading a novel :)

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  28. Definitely a fan, but I think you need to be careful about the way you use it--when I see something in a book I don't quite understand, I think it helps if I have a hint as to whether this is (a) a thing I just don't know the whole story about or (b) a thing I should note very carefully because it is A CLUE and I will have to piece it together with other info first!

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  29. Too much of it can feel like you're being cheated. And sometimes it can be awkward:

    Character #1: Remember last week when we went shopping?

    Character #2: Yes! We bought that bag of pears.

    Character #1: They were delicious.

    Character #2: One did turn out to be a bomb though.

    Character #1: Yes. That was unfortunate.

    Why not just show us? It sounds like it might be something cool to see... and it also doesn't make sense that these two people would be randomly discussing this. It's kind of like an information dump.

    But, if it's well done, I agree with you that it can add to the idea that the characters have a life outside of the story.

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