Why might a writer of creative nonfiction leave out some details?

Answer 1

It is a very good idea to withhold information from the reader. But you do not want to withhold too much. Because the reader could become so confused, they throw the book across the room. What you want to do is withhold just enough information to cause the reader to want to find out more thus to turn more pages. But then in turn, If you tell the reader everything up front why would the reader continue reading the book to the end? They wouldn't need to.

Answer 2

A writer of creative nonfiction might leave out some details to maintain the flow of the narrative, protect the privacy of individuals involved, or streamline the focus on the main themes or messages of the piece. Omissions can also create intrigue or invite reader interpretation, enhancing the overall impact of the writing.

Answer 3

Oh yes, authors often withhold information from readers. There are a number of reasons for this. Readers have some intelligence, and can figure out some things for themselves; indeed, many readers would feel insulted if an author told them too much, implying a lack of intelligence on the part of the reader (unless, of course, the book was written for very young children, who prefer to be told everything). Furthermore, some information would simply not be interesting. Readers do not need to know everything in order to understand what they are reading. And in addition, the lack of information in some cases is used to create an artistically interesting ambiguity. The fact that a given piece of literature can be interpreted in more than one way can itself add to the interest of the writing. So there are a number of reasons to withhold information.