If you read my writing tips at all, then you know how I feel about withheld information. Yes, it’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine, one I sometimes overlook but never condone. But recently, I’ve run across an interesting trend: In the end, the great mystery (which was no mystery at all since the point of view character knew it all along) was utterly and completely lame. The great secret that has been keeping the hero and heroine apart for the entire book is….seriously?
I have to assume that the author knew the information was lame, and believed that if she revealed it up front we would no longer be interested in reading. That’s probably true, but at least I would have dropped the book from sheer boredom long before I lost hours of my life I couldn’t get back.
Here’s a thought: If you find yourself withholding information because the “mystery” of it is more interesting than the information itself, come up with more interesting information.