the writer's idea of her story vs what the readers see

Kristiina · Nov 20, 2009

There is some discussion going on about the coming 'John Carter of Mars' movie on the Movies, tv and theater forum, and one of the things that does come out in that is how differently people can see the same story.

So, let's take 'The Princess of Mars' and the other books in the ERB Mars -series: a lot of people seem to see them as sort of very adult stories, full of violence and nudity. The way I remember them is pretty much something totally different, as romantic adventure stories, and something fully suitable for most children (ok, not perhaps small kids, but definitely teens and preteens).

Well, I have no idea how Edgar Rice Burroughs saw them when he was writing them, but considering how differently his readers seem to remember them I suppose there is a good chance a lot of us might be a bit surprised if it was possible to discuss them with him (and maybe good for our ideas it isn't, since the guy's dead).

So, do you ever worry about the reader interpretation of your stories, if and when they get published? Especially whether it might be something totally different from what you thought you were writing? And if the latter case, how does that reflect on your skills as a writer, or does it matter at all if the people are still enjoying the story even if they seem to think it's a different story than the one you thought you wrote?

backslashbaby · Nov 20, 2009

I'm trying to write mine so that it's seen differently by different people, so yes I think a lot about how folks see it. As long as they enjoy it, I'm cool. Actually, if they take some of the satire literally, they'll think I'm a bigot, etc. That's certainly not a pleasant thought, but I'm hoping my readers are familiar with satire. What else can you do?

JennW · Nov 20, 2009

This is a really interesting question. I think readers all bring different experiences to the table and everyone is going to see it in a different light. How different they interpret it may depend on the writing and the reading of it. Interesting.

Maxinquaye · Nov 20, 2009

Well, we all leave a lot up to the reader's imagination. I know when I write a scene I don't do that much description. I mention a detail or two to typecast the scene, so to speak, and show if it's a ghetto or a palace. I might mention a detail like a character having an Iitala vase rather than a wal mart pot.

In the vacuum that this creates, of course every reader will fill up with his own interpretation, and everyone will see something different. I think. It's an interesting question.

It sort of goes to basic human interpretation: do you see the color red as I do? How are we ever to know unless we can read each others' minds? Maybe my color red is really your color green.

You'll have endless variation of interpretation since it's a mind reading a text, and that mind will fill in the blanks outside your control.

Imbroglio · Nov 20, 2009

I think all people are going to relate to it in a different way, and that's perfectly okay obviously, but I think I would prefer that they view the book and understand it the way I want them to, because that's how I spent time writing it. I don't know if that's selfish.

And something else that's strange, I don't know if it's just me, but... I don't want people to over-analyze and go searching for social commentary that's just not there. Somehow, that seems... like people are trying too hard.

Libbie · Nov 20, 2009

Nope, I don't worry about it. I describe my characters very minimally, because I really don't give a rat's behind whether the reader gets the same image in their head as I get. I just want to entertain people with my writing, and however they approach that entertainment is perfectly all right with me.

Cool topic, though! I don't think I've ever thought about what ERB might have been thinking when he wrote his Mars stuff.

maestrowork · Nov 20, 2009

backslashbaby said:
I'm trying to write mine so that it's seen differently by different people, so yes I think a lot about how folks see it.

Same here. I try to write stories and characters with multiple layers. If some readers don't get the layers and read the surface story as is... that's fine with me. But if they're perceptive enough to get the deeper layers and interpret them through their own prisms, that's even better. For example, some readers thought TPB was just a romantic story about a guy trying to find himself. But once in a while a reader would ask me about the deeper meanings and symbolisms and themes, and that made me very happy. Sometimes they even found things I never consciously thought of (but probably subconsciously put them there). That's really neat.

I think when people see/read the same stories differently, it's a testament to the literary depth of that story. That the story could be interpreted so differently based on the readers' only backgrounds -- that only means the story touches them on a very basic, universal level and they're able to apply it to their own lives and situations. As a writer, I strive to add depth to any story I write. Whether I succeed or not is another matter, but at least I try.

MGraybosch · Nov 20, 2009

Kristiina said:
So, do you ever worry about the reader interpretation of your stories, if and when they get published? Especially whether it might be something totally different from what you thought you were writing? And if the latter case, how does that reflect on your skills as a writer, or does it matter at all if the people are still enjoying the story even if they seem to think it's a different story than the one you thought you wrote?

I don't really worry about it, but I know that readers will see Starbreaker differently from how I see it. If you'll pardon my geeking out for a moment, I'm going to compare the reader's perspective and the writer's perspective to two approaches for testing software.

For an author, his novel is a "white box". Not only does he know how the story works out, but he knows why it worked out the way it did. He knows this because he's the one who made all of these decisions.

For the average reader, however, a novel is a "black box". The reader only has access to the text, and can't pick the author's brain.

I think that literary analysis is really just a process of reverse engineering, an attempt to determine, with a text, how the author wrote it and why he wrote it as he did.

maestrowork · Nov 20, 2009

Interesting analogy (albeit a bit geeky!!)

But I don't think it's a matter of figuring out what goes on in the white box. I think it's a matter of perception. Like, I'm sure Microsoft thought Vista was the bomb and everyone should have loved it, but how the users see it is something different. Perhaps there's a disconnect? Perhaps the end users have totally different expectations and perspective? Or it depends on the user's background: They're going to see it differently whether they come from Windows XP background or Unix, for example.

MGraybosch · Nov 20, 2009

maestrowork said:
Interesting analogy (albeit a bit geeky!!)

I warned you it would be. This is what you get for letting programmers write as a hobby.

maestrowork said:
But I don't think it's a matter of figuring out what goes on in the white box. I think it's a matter of perception. Like, I'm sure Microsoft thought Vista was the bomb and everyone should have loved it, but how the users see it is something different.

Fair enough, but the point of a white box is that you don't have to figure out what's going on; you already know how it's supposed to work, so the only question is whether or not the implementation matches the spec.

maestrowork · Nov 20, 2009

MGraybosch said:
Fair enough, but the point of a white box is that you don't have to figure out what's going on; you already know how it's supposed to work, so the only question is whether or not the implementation matches the spec.

Even if it matches the spec (and most writers do, if they're good enough), there's still no guarantee that the users (readers) would see it the same way. Sometimes, it's because the specs do not match the user's expectations (I blame that on the requirement phase). Sometimes, there's a disconnect that no one understands.

The problem with the analogy, of course, is that fiction writing isn't like programming, and that makes writing even more open to interpretation.

(BTW, I used to be an IT Architect, so I know what you're talking about, although I'd never admit to be a geek)

Sevvy · Nov 20, 2009

I don't ever expect readers to see my story the same way I do for many reasons. Obviously everyone brings something different to the table, and things that may make sense to me don't necessarily make sense to others. Also, I know more about my story than the reader does, I understand the characters better, I know more about them than the reader does. What I reveal in the story is usually a sliver of the character's life compared to what I know in my head. But it's also not a problem if the reader interprets things differently. Sometimes I write something with two different interpretations in my own head! So yeah, I think it's good that people can interpret your story different, because it'll help keep the material fresh and make it re-readable.

Lady Ice · Nov 20, 2009

Good literature is basically a mirror- it shows you yourself.

This is what I like about theatre- that you can interpret a play in different ways, sometimes even contrasting, and still get a brilliant performance.

ishtar'sgate · Nov 20, 2009

Kristiina said:
So, do you ever worry about the reader interpretation of your stories, if and when they get published? Especially whether it might be something totally different from what you thought you were writing? And if the latter case, how does that reflect on your skills as a writer, or does it matter at all if the people are still enjoying the story even if they seem to think it's a different story than the one you thought you wrote?

I don't worry about it but it's happened to me. We all look at things through the eyes of our own unique personal experiences and perspective. Not everyone is going to enjoy my work. I get people who love what I write and people who hate it -in fact pretty strongly both ways. Some people 'get' it and some people are way out in left field. Their comments leave me wondering if they even read the story. But that's okay. My job is to tell my story the best way I know how.
I don't think it reflects on anyone's skill as a writer if readers interpret their work in a different way than the author envisioned. That's just human nature in action.

Z0Marley · Nov 20, 2009

Kristiina said:
So, do you ever worry about the reader interpretation of your stories, if and when they get published? Especially whether it might be something totally different from what you thought you were writing? And if the latter case, how does that reflect on your skills as a writer, or does it matter at all if the people are still enjoying the story even if they seem to think it's a different story than the one you thought you wrote?

I saw this thread and laughed. A week or two ago, I had my query in query hell on here. My story revolves around the Book of Revelation and someone sent me a PM saying I was a religious fanatic and that I was shoving the bible down kid's throats.

I remember laughing hysterically at the comment and deleting it immediately. I love theology. It's something I really enjoy studying, so I thought it was pretty natural that my stories work religion into them. Little did I know I was a finger pushing religious fanatic XD

If I ever get published I'm going to have some thick skin, for sure. /shrug.

folkchick · Nov 20, 2009

It's simple: there's no way to control someone else's interpretation, and you will drive yourself nuts worrying about it. I try to describe certain characteristics both physical and personality-wise, but I'm just a spark for a reader's imagination.

Mr Flibble · Nov 20, 2009

I have my themes in my stories

They are possibly not the themes that a majority might notice *shrug*

Who cares as long as people take what they want from your story. That's what I'm giving them - their take on my story.

I have often taken a completely different thing from a book than the author (publicly stated was) intended. Does it matter? No - cos I love those works for my reasons. If they aren't the author's reasons doesn't actually matter. That work spoke to me in some way.

That's enough for me. That my writing made someone feel something ( or think something) they wouldn't have otherwise done.

Matera the Mad · Nov 20, 2009

I coined the phrase "esthetic engineering" to describe the craft of conscious, deliberate communication, as opposed to "art", which is primarily self-centered. Art communicates, but what it says to diffeent people may be at opposite poles of meaning. Esthetic engineering, by definition, hits as close to the mark as possible; i.e. at least more close hits than way-off misses. I strive to be an esthetic engineer, not an artist. Considering how different the targets can be, I'll be very happy with an average 60% or better "getting it" score.

the writer's idea of her story vs what the readers see

Kristiina

In the land of frost, volcanoes, and well-armed wo

backslashbaby

*

JennW

Hangin' with my writing peeps

Maxinquaye

That cheeky buggerer

Imbroglio

PERPETUAL EXISTENTIAL CRISIS VICTIM

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

MGraybosch

Lunch Break Novelist

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

MGraybosch

Lunch Break Novelist

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Sevvy

Spec Fic Writer

Lady Ice

Makes useful distinctions

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

Z0Marley

folkchick

Not a new kid

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

the writer's idea of her story vs what the readers see

In the land of frost, volcanoes, and well-armed wo

~~~~*~~~~

Hangin' with my writing peeps

That cheeky buggerer

PERPETUAL EXISTENTIAL CRISIS VICTIM

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

Fear the Death Ray

Lunch Break Novelist

Fear the Death Ray

Lunch Break Novelist

Fear the Death Ray

Spec Fic Writer

Makes useful distinctions

living in the past

Not a new kid

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

*