Clarity is overrated - let the reader work for it
I was seconds away from saying yes.
The call felt like any other - catching up, reminiscing - until suddenly, it wasn’t. My old friend, someone I respected, made his pitch. The opportunity checked every logical box. Profitable. Structured. Proven.
I had said yes to things that made far less sense. So why was my stomach twisting?
For years, I ran my business like an overstuffed inbox - always scanning for the next urgent thing, convinced that the real opportunity was the one I hadn’t seen yet. I chased every pivot, every shiny new strategy, always certain this would be the one to change everything.
The moment he finished talking, I felt that familiar rush. The adrenaline. The this could be it.
The words formed in my mouth, the same ones I had said so many times before—
“I’m in.”
But something else came out instead.
“I don’t have the bandwidth right now.”
Silence.
Even I had to sit with it. It wasn’t an excuse - it was the truth. I was stretched thin, running on fumes. My business wasn’t thriving, but for the first time, I had the sense that jumping ship wasn’t the answer. Maybe, just maybe, the real breakthrough wasn’t somewhere else - it was right where I already was.
A month later, I got my answer.
And thank God I turned down this opportunity - when everything in me said I should take it.
Clarity Is Overrated - Let the Reader Work for It
I almost told you what this story meant. I almost connected the dots for you, spelled it all out, and made sure you didn’t miss the lesson.
But that’s not how the best stories work.
Stories aren’t instruction manuals. They’re tension, mystery, and meaning waiting to be discovered - not dictated. The moment you fill in every gap, you take away the reader’s chance to think, to feel, to make the story their own.
We’re taught that clarity is everything. That if we don’t explain, people won’t get it.
But that’s a lie.
The best stories don’t tell you what to believe. They pull you in, give you just enough, and let you decide what it all means.
The Power of the Unfinished Thought
Your brain craves resolution. It can’t stand an open loop. This is called cognitive closure - the human instinct to complete a pattern, to answer an unfinished question. The moment a story leaves a gap, your mind rushes to fill it in.
That’s why mystery novels keep us hooked.
That’s why song lyrics stay with us long after we hear them.
That’s why an ad that suggests instead of states is more persuasive.
When we let people do the work of connecting the dots, they don’t just read the story.
They feel it.
Where to Leave More Gaps in Your Storytelling
In Your Narratives: Stop tying everything up neatly. If you have to say, And the lesson is… you’ve already lost your reader’s engagement. Trust that they’ll find their own meaning.
In Your Marketing: The best brands don’t explain - they evoke. Nike doesn’t say, Overcome your excuses and achieve your goals. They just say: Just do it.
In Your Social Media Content: Post more questions than answers. Let your audience step into the space and make the connections themselves.
The stories we work for? The ones we have to think about? Those are the stories that stick.
Your Turn
Take a recent story you wrote. Now, go deeper:
Rewrite the Opening: Start at the moment of highest tension. Cut the setup. Drop the reader in.
Strip Out the Safety Nets: Remove any part where you explain what the story means. If you see phrases like this taught me that... or what I realized was... cut them.
Find the White Space: Look for sentences where you could say less and suggest more. Replace direct explanations with sensory details or actions.
End Without Wrapping It Up: Leave your reader thinking. Give them an open loop that sticks with them long after they finish reading.
Then, test it. Share it with someone. See if they lean in. See if they ask about the meaning instead of being told. If they do, you’ve done it right.
The best stories don’t hand you the answer. They make you want to find it yourself.
Prefer listening to reading sometimes? Want an extra layer?
Press play for the ‘Narrated Insights’:
Today’s Mega-Prompt: "Open-Ended Story Enhancer"
Most stories get ignored because they tell too much and show too little. The real magic? Leaving gaps for the reader to step into. Today’s mega-prompt doesn’t just tweak your writing - it transforms the way your audience experiences your story.
Paid members get exclusive access to a step-by-step process that turns a flat, predictable story into one that hooks your reader in seconds, forces them to lean in, and lingers in their mind long after they’ve read it.
Here’s a sneak peek:
"Adopt the role of a renowned digital storytelling strategist with a proven track record of transforming aspiring writers into high-converting copywriters… your task is to take a recent story the user has written and elevate it to a new level of digital engagement."
This isn’t just about improving a story. It’s about making your audience feel something so deeply they can’t help but take the next step with you.