Why Your Character Needs Secrets

Ever wondered what makes a book so gripping you just can’t put it down? What clever techniques or tricks an author uses to keep you turning the pages, eager for the next word, sentence, or chapter?

Conflict, questions, surprises, and action are the key words. These elements provide excellent methods of creating suspense, however one of the most powerful tools for suspense building comes in the form of secrets.

Nothing builds mystery and tension quite like a good old secret, and every character must have them. Why? Because much like reality, no one manages to get through life without them. As Taylor so eloquently puts it, everyone’s got bodies in the attic…

Now just to clarify, I am in no way insinuating that we are all homicidal maniacs…honest! Some secrets may be completely innocuous and lacking in significance, however those secrets that sit at the other end of the spectrum, well they are a different matter entirely.

A secret has the potential to create immense pressure, and the greater its significance, the more it distorts the narrative surrounding it. Individuals may resort to deception to safeguard it, employing misdirection or behaving in ways that deviate from their usual character. These actions, driven by the need to conceal the truth, serve to heighten tension and complexity, ultimately fueling the development of the plot.

Secrets can be powerful motivators, forcing a character to act in a certain way to protect their secret or to resolve the problems it causes. A character's secret, whether it's a hidden past, a lie, or a shame, adds layers and makes them more than a one-dimensional figure.

How a character reacts to their secret being threatened, or when it's revealed, can be a crucial part of their development, showing their true nature and forcing them to grow or decline.

There are of course rules to abide by in order to make this method work for your story. The secret must serve as a pivotal element within the narrative and ideally be intricately woven into the plot’s progression while remaining authentic to the character’s established traits and motivations.

In fiction, secrets can generally be categorized into two types. Author secrets are the plot twists and surprises that the author deliberately withholds from the reader, revealing them at strategic points to serve the narrative. Character secrets, on the other hand, are the hidden truths or personal histories that characters conceal from one another, often rooted in their moral compass or formative traumas. These character-held secrets may, depending on the storytelling approach, also be concealed from the reader.

As the author it is up to you to decide if you share your characters secrets with the reader.

The reader either wants to know what the elusive secret is, or they want to know if and when it will be revealed.

By keeping vital information from the reader or other characters, writers can build suspense and conflict. The tension often comes from the possibility of the secret being revealed. When the reader shares the knowledge with the character it builds a connection, pulling the reader deeper into the story and creating empathy between reader and character. When they don’t know, it provides questions which motivates the reader to seek out answers.

Suspense arises when the audience holds knowledge that remains concealed from the characters, creating anticipation for the moment of revelation. Tension emerges when a single character possesses information unknown to the others, fostering conflict or unease within the narrative. Mystery occurs when all parties, including the audience, remain in the dark, prompting curiosity and engagement as they seek to uncover the truth.

The moment a secret is exposed can be one of the most impactful parts of a story, providing a "shocking" twist that changes how the reader understands the character and the plot.

Take some time to contemplate precisely what secret it is that your character is hiding, and why are they protecting it? What could be lost if the truth comes out? Should it eventually be revealed, or is it better left buried?

Whether your story’s secret is known solely by you, confined to a single character, or shared among select characters, it serves as a fundamental element in cultivating suspense. This deliberate withholding of information not only serves to heighten intrigue but also engages the reader’s curiosity, which ultimately contributes to the creation of a compelling narrative that is hard to set aside.