The spaces between sentences are where meaning grows. Writers use these gaps intentionally to invite readers to fill in what's missing, creating surprise, tension, or emotional depth through what remains unsaid.
Podcast: 083. Edward Yang: Yi Yi
Why does some writing make us pause between sentences when reading?
This is the "spaces between sentences", gaps in thought when one sentence ends and another begins. Sometimes the connection is clear. Other times, the reader must pause and imagine what connects them.
In writing, those "spaces" invite the reader to do part of the work. Instead of being told everything, the reader senses what's missing and fills in the gaps. The meaning or emotion often grows in that moment of quiet thinking.
For example:
- "It started raining. We ran inside." Clear cause and effect.
- "It started raining. She smiled." Why? You fill in the reason.
- "He set the photograph on the table. The room felt colder." You feel the grief without being told.
- "Everyone clapped. She was already gone." You imagine what happened between.
- "He closed the door. Ten years later, she knocked." That one space holds a decade.
Writers use this intentionally. Spaces between sentences are not empty. They're where the reader's imagination steps in. The space holds what's not said.