linguistic anthropologist Shirley Brice Heath has said that readers value surprise above all else in a story. If you were my student I’d tell you to create a clear scene. Render the setting and physical actions without judgment or summary. Use simple Recording Angel as if you were a camera. Allow your reader to determine the meaning of the events. Let your reader anticipate the outcome, then—boom—spring the actual intention, the surprise.
Consider This: Moments...
