I had my first run in with a fan this weekend. Honestly, I'm not sure how I felt about it. We were at a party that I was throwing, so it was in the comfort of my own home. Admittedly I was beyond intoxicated at that point, but a good friends girlfriend had shown up with my book in hand and was so ready to talk about it.
Which was sweet and awesome. I wasn't prepared, but I mean, I wrote it, its not like I needed notes to keep up.
I was proud, at first, but then she started trying to pick apart what she thought as plot holes.
For instance. There is a scene where my MC is in an abandoned city and she walks past, or into a cinema rather, and the lights are on. How are lights on when there is no power in the city?
Now this conversation stemmed into my friend and his girlfriend delving into how that's a plot hole and how I shouldn't feel bad for missing it and how an editor would catch that but I should note it and exploit it in later books.
Drunk me went through an "oh my god how did I miss that" moment...but then I remembered, wait, man, you're kind of good at this- trust yourself.
My response was, "Did you finish the chapter?"
"No"
"Well finish the chapter."
She then took the book and sat down in the party and ignored everyone else and literally the next page she stood up and said, " WOW, itmakes so much sense why that was happening now."
Cool, be humble. But I was still a little annoyed that I was being doubted by someone who had just needed to turn the page to get their answer rather than trying to pick me apart at a social event I was throwing.
Is that normal?
She did, however, makeup for it by talking about my prologue and how my MC is never given a gender until halfway through Chapter 1 and how amazing she thought it was that I made a point to have a gender less prologue given the big gender debate sweeping our society.
I mean really I just don't think that someone being hunted gives a rats ass about if they are male or female, they are an animal and animals want to survive.
But she applauded it as this social justice toward the struggle, which felt nice that people can read into things like that.
I guess, it just really all set in for me that the public will think of things I never imagined were in my work, and I need to be prepared for that.
How do you mitigate reader doubt, or someone trying to pick apart something you later explain?
Which was sweet and awesome. I wasn't prepared, but I mean, I wrote it, its not like I needed notes to keep up.
I was proud, at first, but then she started trying to pick apart what she thought as plot holes.
For instance. There is a scene where my MC is in an abandoned city and she walks past, or into a cinema rather, and the lights are on. How are lights on when there is no power in the city?
Now this conversation stemmed into my friend and his girlfriend delving into how that's a plot hole and how I shouldn't feel bad for missing it and how an editor would catch that but I should note it and exploit it in later books.
Drunk me went through an "oh my god how did I miss that" moment...but then I remembered, wait, man, you're kind of good at this- trust yourself.
My response was, "Did you finish the chapter?"
"No"
"Well finish the chapter."
She then took the book and sat down in the party and ignored everyone else and literally the next page she stood up and said, " WOW, itmakes so much sense why that was happening now."
Cool, be humble. But I was still a little annoyed that I was being doubted by someone who had just needed to turn the page to get their answer rather than trying to pick me apart at a social event I was throwing.
Is that normal?
She did, however, makeup for it by talking about my prologue and how my MC is never given a gender until halfway through Chapter 1 and how amazing she thought it was that I made a point to have a gender less prologue given the big gender debate sweeping our society.
I mean really I just don't think that someone being hunted gives a rats ass about if they are male or female, they are an animal and animals want to survive.
But she applauded it as this social justice toward the struggle, which felt nice that people can read into things like that.
I guess, it just really all set in for me that the public will think of things I never imagined were in my work, and I need to be prepared for that.
How do you mitigate reader doubt, or someone trying to pick apart something you later explain?
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Seriously.
If I ever do get ardent, about anything, please spray me with a hose.