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You would think this is something that an author would be aware of, but I’ve found that many of us get confused by perspectives on our works that don’t match our own. There’s an odd pause that one has when faced with this. You have that moment where you’re sure the person is wrong and then comes the wondering about how they came about their decision. This can also lead to questioning if you did a good job conveying what you were aiming for. Funny thing is that you forget about those who look at your book the same way you do. The ‘anomaly’ gets your attention.
All of us who write have been on both ends of this and I’ve realized that this is simply part of the system. It’s funny how we accept that readers can have differing opinions on what an author means. Yet, reader and author disagreeing has a stronger impact. The truth is that if two readers have opposing views on a book then the author will either fall on the side of one or neither. This doesn’t make it wrong either because an author is a single entity.
My view of what my characters do is through my eyes while a reader has his or her own lens to see it through. I’ve run into this a lot. People see Luke Callindor differently than I do and various subplots have been questioned in ways that make me scratch my head. Did I explain it poorly? No because I can only do so much before I’m accused of ‘telling instead of showing’. I notice that it stems from a reader’s personal views on behavior. I’m guilty of this too because there have been books where I perceive a character as annoying while the author probably sees them as something else. It’s a challenge for an author because we can’t truly control a person’s perspectives. We can guide them as best we can, but you’ll always have those who see things differently.
So, have you ever created a character or perceived a character that the author/reader saw in an entirely different light?
Legends of Windemere 
As a reader, I know that I need to suspend my own history and beliefs in order to enjoy a story. I also know that nothing is perfect. I just don’t get all excited about something that goes against my own views. It’s fiction for crying out loud. I admire writers who can create anything because I’m just not that creative. But I also know that I may be an anomaly. Life is too short for readers to get twisted around something fictional. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Probably not the comments you were looking for though.
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I don’t think you’re an anomaly. Most people seem to enjoy a book and only go so far as having friendly discussions about the mythos. For example, who is the real hero of Lord of the Rings? That’s a popular one. In my mind that’s healthy and helps the series live on after it’s done.
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I get this all the times, mainly because I translate my moral viewpoints, actions,reactions into the characters I create and the vast majority has murky views on those or simply different ones then me.
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As an author, I purposely make some characters with opposing views and lifestyles from myself. I used to make all of them like me, but then I ran into trouble when I grew Windemere beyond a few cities. This seems to be where a few issues come about. Also, a wide variety of ideas on what Fizzle looks like.
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The characters I create with intention for them not to be liked – are the ones people dub most favourite, in my case. The ones I like they find righteously annoying 😀
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That’s strange. I wonder if we sometimes make our favorites a little too perfect without realizing it.
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Well, it can also be that I have the clear intention of weaving a story in mind. I write fantasy and sci-fi genre. I get the impression that people lately desperately want the characters to resemble them more. hence why, as we talked recently, they frown at magical objects and powers and similar. So, my weird species that I take rgeat care to create and make real are found boring, because they are not Human – like the reader is.
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I’ve noticed that too. There is a bigger interest in fantasy that is closer to reality. Along with that is a desire by some to have characters who share the beliefs and views of the reader. Maybe more people want characters that they can step into instead of having to analyze.
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You are completely right, Charles. Most of us bring a shade of our perspective to a book we are reading. For me a good book makes the characters “real” so I’m not surprised when they act differently than expected. They aren’t me, so why would they act like me? I like the fact that their behavior isn’t predictable it’s make them more believable! Even people we know surprise us at times because of the human factor (or elf, gypsy etc factor in your case :-)) to answer you end question: yes!! The fun part is when you begin to see a character you created in a different light 🙂
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I’m glad people see it as something fun. This stems from seeing an on-line fight between readers about a series. They had differing opinions on a character’s motivation and it got so messy.
It is more fun to read a book with ‘real’ characters even if they’re different in mindset and beliefs than the reader.
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I can’t even imagine telling an author about a character’s motivation. Ummm…they created the character. I also don’t get the online fights…smh
Plus, isn’t the whole point of reading to escape into a place where the outside world and our own opinions don’t really exist? i read to relax and to be transported to a place I am not. The more different the characters are from me and my world the better. That’s why I love fantasy and sci-fi!
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That is a major point, but a person can only distance themselves so much. You still take a part of you with you to some extent. The real trick might be to carry that part, but don’t let it color the world more than the world itself.
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Well put!! Love the last line.
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I’ve have people guessing at who my next book will be about (since I often introduce upcoming Heros as secondary characters in previous books) I thought I made it obvious, but I have readers guessing at anyone from the stable boy to the blacksmith…. (Scratch head in wonder).
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I haven’t had that yet. I get occasional messages about who the main character is. This seemed to be an issue when the 2 female heroes proved to be more powerful than the male who has been around longer. Anybody ever think that women develop faster? (Bad joke that just came to my head.)
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They might. I hadn’t really thought about that. Although, in the book I’m working on now, the Hero is definitely more developed (snicker) than the heroine.
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It goes back and forth depending on the events. The male started more experienced and catches up around the 4th and 5th book. It’s an ensemble cast, so it’s really hard to pick one or the other as the strongest. They’d all be dead if you removed even one.
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Wow. That’s cool. Interdependence.
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It really helps the characters grow and prevent any from being deemed useless.
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Good idea. 🙂
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Yep, right there with you. My two M/C’s Lena and Gabe in TOO are supposed to be somewhat mushy, irritating until they’re not in certain scenes (maybe too mushy for some in a fantasy), so I could try to step back and whip them into more admirable characters early on or let it play out. But hey, it’s the beginning of a romance and everybody knows you bring the mushy then. I think either way authors are masters of their well-thought out plots and subplots with the ability to make their babies shine.
Otherwise, us authors will need a crystal ball to see what traits and such our readers would like.
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I know most blossoming romances make me want to get checked for cavities. 🙂
I’m willing to bet that even with a crystal ball, we’d still have a difference of opinions from other readers. Can’t please everyone.
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It’s not even possible.
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So true.:)
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I’ve had that happen when I was reading. And I was beta reading, so I know the author disagreed with my perceptions of that character. I find it interesting when that happens.
And then I hosted that character on my blog and it got awkward, but what can you do? 🙂
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It’s hard for an author and a reader to handle disagreements with character perception. It can get pretty messy.
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Since thus far I only have poetry to relate to this issue, I find that this happens very frequently. Many times I have written something with one message in mind and the reader finds a totally different meaning in the words. I find this fascinating and not the least bit upsetting. I guess my goal is to make something that people can find their own meaning in, especially in the more obscure pieces where I haven’t specifically spelled out my intention. Novels are somewhat different, but sure I can see that characters might be interpreted differently than the author intended, though I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing. Great question Charles.
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Poetry has it a lot worse the prose. I remember writing a poem about a dragon in high school. It was supposed to be a descriptive poem. People made so many analogies to the creature and I was so confused.
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I have just finished beta reading for an author. I have never done this before. It is a special and unique relationship to have with another author. This author totally gets the whole reader/author perception thing and so do I, so it has been a nice working relationship. I could see where it could get sticky though.
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Definitely. I think with beta reading, the readers are volunteers and somewhat familiar with the author. That might make a small connection to the others’ ideas.
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An author friend said she went to a book club discussion about her book and was wowed at all the colorful opinions, analogies and such that came from the readers. Sometimes she wondered if it were her book they were talking about, because what they were saying about it never entered her mind as she was writing.
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That’s happened a few times with me. You get an idea in your head about how things are, so an outside opinion seems very foreign.
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Different people will focus on different things, too. I actually enjoy that they do. I will spend time reading Amazon reviews just for seeing the variety of opinions on works. Often an interesting debate.
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True. Though, it’s a little worrisome to see a debate on Amazon reviews. Maybe I’m just gun shy of Internet forums in general.
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Oh, I don’t mean a debate there, as in tow reviewer going at it or an author and reviewer going at it….just me reading different people’s opinions on books I have read. I totally avoid forums and avoid some places like the plague.
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Got it. I’ve seen the other options. Not pretty.
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Just put a dozen people in a room who don’t know each other, and instantly two people will dislike each other. Out of hundreds of readers, there are apt to be some who don’t get along with a character or at least view that character differently. It would be surreal if that weren’t the case.
When it comes to art and especially poetry, I feel it’s more important what the art means to each beholder than what it meant to the artist. There is a great quote along these lines, where the beholder asked the artist, “What does it mean?” to which the artist responded, “What does it mean to you?”
When you figure out how to please everyone, the universe will be wiped out through contradiction. 🙂
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Excellent quote. Though that last part makes me tempted to try and erase the universe. 😉
I agree that it’s important for people to take an individual feeling or perspective from art. It helps us grow and become free thinkers.
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I wrote one character as a hard-headed zealot, very beautiful and very manipulative. She only had a bit part in Book 1 and I didn’t intend to develop her further. She was just there to add a bit of life to one scene.
However, the Editor I use mentioned that he was particularly looking forward to seeing what she did in the next book. Long and the short, she became one of the main characters, I ditched the manipulative use of her looks and just made her aloof and somewhat opinionated. Having originally written her as somebody difficult and spiky, with the intention of her being unpopular, I got to really like her. She is one of the more popular characters. Which just goes to show.
Cheers
MTM
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You never know who people will love or hate. I’m waiting to see how some of the new characters are received in my newest book. I like hearing who the favorite characters are. Only one has been despised so far and it’s not one of the villains. Then again, I still have my monster villain to introduce later this year.
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You never known what people will see in your work. What experience they’ve had or what’s going on in their lives that colors the reading. That’s what makes it so interesting!
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Very good point about a person’s current life situation painting their perspective. I can imagine someone hating a romance because they recently had a break-up and finding a negative message in the characters.
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When I am reading a story or novel, I trust the author to tell a good story that can be followed. It doesn’t have to have a straight path and, in the end, it doesn’t have to ‘lead somewhere’. I have a perfectly happy /some times sad messy life and I like the fiction I read to have a bit of messiness.
As a poet, each poem is a very raw undeveloped character – a thought that caught my attention that I stop thinking about and start wondering about. I want my poetry to be brief and as powerful as the thought that caught my attention. I don’t like to tear stuff apart. I get very nervous if I think I’m writing something I expect someone to read. It’s bad enough that I have to live up to my own expectations.
Hoping all is well…
Ellespeth
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A bit of messiness makes good drama. Though, I’ve met some people who require some order to their messiness. Not really sure how to explain it, but they enjoy drama as long as it abides by certain rules.
Poets definitely have it rougher than prose writers. As you said, they tend to be more constant, raw emotion while prose can ease back on the nerves for a bit.
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