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On Monday, I mentioned how an author can have an idea in mind for characters and stories, but a reader might see something else. That noble hero can be viewed as a pompous ass or fictional cultures can be see as immoral. It’s a shock to the system sometimes when you see that something you made is being loved or hated for a reason you never thought of. This is where problems can arise, so I’m going to list a few thoughts and actions to help a young writer through this situation:
- Don’t attack the reader and claim that they’re wrong, especially if they hate what you did. This is how an author can get dog-piled by 1-star reviews done to teach them a lesson. A reader’s opinion of your book is their opinion even if you view things differently. This is very true if you have other readers who came to your personal conclusions without your influence. If that’s the case then your initial thoughts are justified and you have no reason to fight. So you can vent to friends in private, but don’t start a public fight over it.
- Take some time to think about the differing opinion. It’s more beneficial to see where the person is coming from than steam over it. True, there will be readers who simply hate what you do and you should shrug them off. Can’t please everybody. The ones that voice a differing opinion on a character or plotline might have some intriguing insight for you to think about.
- Don’t let the perception of a reader influence your entire thought process. Just because someone saw something different in your words, it doesn’t mean your original view is wrong. You’re the author and you know where your story came from. In terms of a series, you know where it’s going. So, read, consider, and remember that you’re the one calling the shots in the book.
- If the reader’s opinion is rather extreme or bugging you, try to touch on it in a future book. I’m not saying ‘kill the reader’ in the book. I’m saying take what they say and implement it in some fashion. This can be anything from a new character that embodies the perspective in a cartoonish fashion to a casual acknowledgement of that viewpoint. For example, readers complaining about a character whining too much can be handled by another character pointing that out.
Legends of Windemere 
Very nice post. Love #3. Though, ‘kill the reader in the next book’ sounds fun, too! 😉
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A lot of authors do that. I haven’t, but I know many who do it.
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LOL!
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I’m one of them although Rise is free of personal vendetta….I lack one less nemesis in written form for the second book and it’s all for personal satisfaction (not a complaining reader though). Here is a question. Do you help some mates out by naming a character and giving them the honor of choosing their death?
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I used to name characters after friends. I still do it once or twice, but I’ve never asked them to choose their death. I have a feeling that it would be rather ridiculous.
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A lot of times it is a bit silly when they have no true interest in the story. When I was in my early days of writing it gave group participation of sorts. I had a poll amongst my friends on how to kill off my ex boyfriend. What won? Spirit possessing and a nice heart extraction a la Temple of Doom. Talk about great therapy.
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Yikes. Definitely braver than me. 🙂
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One has to wonder how many characters’ horrible tragedies were fashioned after real people (despite all those legal proclamations on the copyright pages about fictitiousness and coincidences)…
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I wonder now. Probably a lot more than we realize.
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Darn!! I can’t kill the reader in the next book?!? Well, that’s no fun. Seriously though, these are some very good points. Definitely something to think about as an author.
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You can. It’s always an option if you want to do it. Just can’t be really obvious about it.
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Good post! Logical and calm thinking. Goodrreminder to step back and be the better person
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Thanks. We all forget that at some point, so it’s good to have reminders.
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I’m with you on # 2 and 4. If people see things in a different way than the author intends, we should definitely consider how we got off track. What were we not clear on, or what did we perhaps not totally think through? But, also, if you can find new ideas in reader comments, it makes your fictional world richer and deeper. In other words, make lemonade from those lemons!
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True. Though, there is the chance that we were on track and somebody simply looked at it from a different angle. I’ve noticed that the actions of characters in the face of bad events tend to differ in perspective. For example, a character who was cheated on and simply leaves can be criticized. A reader might prefer they get revenge in some fashion.
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This is a really good post, thanks! Stepping away from writing can be difficult, especially if it’s a project you’ve been working on for a long time, as what’s in your head might not be translating to the page in the way you think it is.
I’m not normally one to plug (I promise!) but just this morning I posted about using beta readers to improve your writing, and it seems to fit with this post so I hope you don’t mind if I just stick this little link here, you’ll not even notice it much, it’s just…right… http://wp.me/p43ePE-57 ….
See? Barely a deny on this page 🙂
Thanks for always posting great advice, I follow regularly!
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You’re welcome and don’t worry about the plug if it’s connected to the topic. 🙂 Good point about us working on the project for so long giving us a different insight. It can also lead to a few parts being removed in the final edit, but over time the author forgets they were taken out. I know I have a few things that I keep thinking are in my stories, but I deleted them because they were amusing filler stories.
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