: One option is to give the reader more information than the character has, a la "little did he know..." etc. That way the reader can know what's going on, while the mystery remains unsolved

@Sue2132873

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One option is to give the reader more information than the character has, a la "little did he know..." etc. That way the reader can know what's going on, while the mystery remains unsolved for the character. I don't know if that's what you're going for here, but it's something to consider.

You can do it with direct author asides, explanatory footnotes, or (my preferred method) brief interludes from other characters perspectives. Done well, it actually increases suspense, and some writers use it as a method to add tension to scenes that are otherwise flat.

For example, nobody cares that bob is carefully considering whether to buy an apple or an orange, and it makes a pretty boring scene. But, if its preceded by an interlude where we see an apple-shaped bomb fall out of the assassins bag, suddenly bob's dilemma assumes a whole new weight.

Bob doesn't know why the grocery store suddenly explodes, but we the readers do - and that knowledge allows us to enjoy bobs confusion, without being bewildered ourselves.

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