When to be clear...

I am revising my novel, making changes here and there that relate to the theme and it is an incredible challenge. I want to pull the theme out a little bit more, but I don't want it to be too obvious. I don't like clear cut answers, or characters, I like things in the gray area, characters whom you love, though don't always like, characters whom you detest, but are forced to understand and empathize with. I like people to have a feeling about the writing, an understanding about the world the characters live in and to see the connections to their own lives. I like my readers to imagine those worlds, and the people who inhabit them, even if the pictures that they paint are different than the ones I see in my head. But of course, I want to clear. I don't want anyone reading and being confused and I need to make sure that all the seeds I lay are tended to. It is a challenging task, and an important one.

I have been revising all week, subtly changing lines here and there, choosing my words carefully, crafting images that will illuminate and not spell out the story. I am making progress, but there is more to do.

Tell me, do you like ambiguity or do you want things crystal clear?