Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartWhat does it mean to the reader?
I read this question recently and found it intriguing. Do writers really ever think about what it means to the reader when they are putting words together on the pager? I would almost have to say no, not consciously, anyway. I know I’ve never thought of writing that way, and maybe I should. Now, I do work toward an emotionally satisfying ending, likeable characters and a strong plot line, with conflict. Are those elements being available in my story what it means to be thinking about the reader? I’d sure like to think so.
I’m a reader, a veracious one. Maybe what I need to do to answer the question is to look at a book from my “Keeper Library.” Completely confused? I’ll try to straight it out with an example. I’m a huge fan of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Shanna. I’ve reread very few books, but this one I’ve read a number of times. Okay, that alone might mean that Mrs. Woodiwiss had been thinking, “What does it mean to the reader?” as she wrote the book.
Breaking the book apart I’d like to start with setting. It takes place on a Caribbean Island. What’s not to love about a warm tropical setting? That should mean that the reader would appreciate where the story is taking place. I did. It added to the appeal for me. Check, the author wins points with the reader.
Characters. Good- looking, spunky heroine who loves her father. Yes, I could indentify. Maybe not with the good looking part, but the other adjectives. I liked Shanna. I would be her friend if she was a real person. Check , another positive for the reader. Now, for the hero. Ruark, tall, dark and handsome, a little on the bad boy side, who makes Shanna see life and grasp it when he is around. Oh, yes, this feeds the reader. What did Ruark mean to the reader? He made me want to be Shanna. In other words, I was pulled into the book. Check.
There was a strong plot that kept me reading. I had a burning desire to know what would happened next. Would they get together, would they stay together, and could they make a life together? Ms. Woodiwiss did all that and more. Another check. She was thinking of the reader again.
Emotional satisfaction. I was more than satisfied with the ending, even surprised in some ways. Did I close the book with happiness in my heart? Check. Enough so that I wanted to read it again, and even more important than that, the book was memorable. High praise. Author thinking of the reader again, I believe.
So based on my unscientific analysis I would say that Mrs. Woodiwiss kept the reader in mind the whole time she was writing Shanna.
I’m going to start making a conscious effort to ask “what it means to the reader” as I write my own stories.
Do you have any thoughts on “what it means to the reader” might mean?
Tags: Kathleen Woodiwiss, Shanna, Susan May
About the author
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Susan Carlisle | http://www.SusanCarlisle.com Susan discovered larger than life romances at a young age and has a stash of keeper books under her bed to prove it. After publishing her nonfiction book Nick’s New Heart, Susan turned her talents towards fiction. Be it doctor, lawyer or international businessman, if he is a smart, sexy and sensual male he can be found in her books. Susan doubles as a wife, mother and high school substitute teacher when she isn’t dreaming of alpha males in foreign locales.
Her books are just spicy enough to be on the hot tamales plate before the hot, hot sauce is added. Nice and warm but won’t burn all the way down.
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August 24th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Susan,
Like you, I hadn’t thought about that before. I guess I assumed they’d like the same things i liked, (or else they wouldn’t buy it to start with) so I just tried to write believable characters, in an interesting situation and, in my case, put in a child whom they could fall in love with.
I’ll have to be a little more conscious in the future. Thanks for the reminder.
Sandy
August 24th, 2010 at 7:44 am
Good advice, Susan. A simple formula, not so easy to do. I think I’ll apply it to my new wip. Thanks.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Susan, this has been real food for thought. My guess would be that a writer has an idea and writes the story. Thinking of the reader probably comes in the second draft? Or do we, by using GMC and Break into Fiction and Save the Cat, create compelling stories that appeal to everyone?
I somehow feel I’m debating the chicken or the egg. Must have coffee now.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:12 am
Susan,
I think Kathleen Woodiwiss was the first romance author I ever read. I really enjoyed her books, too.
I don’t know whether I’ve ever consciously thought about what the reader would like when I’m writing, which is what we’re supposed to do. However, I’m an avid reader and I read a variety of genres, so I feel my tastes are representative of the typical reader. But writing for the reader is good advice.
Marilyn
August 24th, 2010 at 8:18 am
As a reader, I want strong characters and a believable plot. As a writer, I want the same, but don’t think about it that way when I’m writing.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I do remember reading K. Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers. And wanting to write like that.
I think the strong characters and good plots are what makes the reader feel drawn in.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Sandy,
I hadn’t thought about it either until I read that statement. It made me think I should think about it. Maybe we just do it without thinking as writers.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:50 am
Linsey,
You’re right it isn’t easy to follow.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Sally,
I’m a reader so I guess that even though I write what I like to read, at the same time I also think that another reader will also. But I do believe it may be about leaving the reader happy.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Marilyn,
“Ashes in the Wind” is another great Woodiwiss novel. Shanna was the first “big novel” I read and I still have the copy.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Debbie,
Chareacters are important. Sometimes I have a hard time making them strong enough for me and likable enough for the reader.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Maxine,
I think you’re right. Strong plot and characters are where it is at. Shanna was strong but she needed to grow up and see the world was more than just about her.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Geez, I hope it’s an instinctive thing because I don’t really think about what my writing means to the reader other than I want to give them the best book that I’m capable of.
August 24th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Carol,
I think that is really all it is about in a nut shell.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Susan,
I have read “Ashes in the Wind.”
Marilyn
August 25th, 2010 at 8:21 am
Hey Susan! Great post. I, too, find myself reading now as writer and writing as a if I were the reader. Talk about a tough job. There are some authors that just do this wonderfully. I haven’t read Kathleen Woodiwiss. I’ll have to find her.
Tami
August 25th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Oh, Tammy you do need to read Shanna and Ashes in the Wind. I re-read very few books but theses I read a number of times