Silencing the mystery...

Being mysterious is a great character trait for surly wizards and drifting gunfighters. However, it gets tiresome quickly. Within stories it's not so bad. Gandalf is rarely straightforward about his plans and methods, yet we love him as a character. Sherlock Holmes has practically no back story, is frustratingly scarce with his thoughts, and yet he is the model detective. Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, is only known for being kind and a fan of reading while the rest is a mystery.

However, if we met these sorts of people in regular life, we'd either tear their heads off in frustration or ignore them completely. It's awfully hard to get to know someone who's hiding behind a veil of mystery. I've tried to figure out why some people do this, and I have to admit complete failure--unless the answer is these people are auditioning for parts in movies. In full disclosure, I've used this tactic in the past to get out of circumstances I didn't like, and discovered it's really mentally exhausting to keep this up for very long.

Stories trade in mystery as part of the essentials of plot. If everything is explained and up front immediately, then why bother working through the story at all? So, yes, mysterious characters in stories are great. I love knowing Sherlock Holmes is ahead of me, or that Belle reads and loves so readily. Why should everything be explained? Life is hardly so kind, so I don't want my stories to be either. Yes, let loose the mysteries!

- M