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Literary suspense doesn't always require a dramatic event.
A writer can simply withhold a crucial detail and reveal it later.
The reader may understand that something is missing without knowing exactly what it is.
Small clues can then gradually narrow the possibilities.
When the missing information finally appears, earlier scenes can suddenly acquire a different meaning.
This technique works because readers naturally try to predict what information has been deliberately withheld.
A carefully timed revelation can therefore transform something the reader already encountered into something completely new.
© Encyclopaedia Britannica