IWSG: Give Them What They NEED!
Our IWSG question for August 3 is — When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original, or do you try to give readers what they want?
First off, trying to give a collective group of readers what they think they want is the first way to dry up your creative well. Trying to second guess their wants, desires, and demands is next to impossible. “More of the same” can become a death knell to creativity. This is timely to me because I was just reading through the reviews for a new book from a very popular paranormal series author. Readers were having an absolute fit because the writer had DARED step outside the formula. They demanded she produce exactly the same storyline, give them a carbon copy of the earlier series books. They—very loudly and obnoxiously—were ordering her to stay within the parameters THEY wanted for her creative property. Not just a few, mind you, but thousands! What a nightmare to be a prisoner of your own popularity.
Writing, for me, has always been about the story of the heart: Characters you can’t stop thinking about, scenes and bits of dialog that haunt your dreams and bedevil your waking hours. You can't WAIT to get back to telling their story. THEIR story. Not the readers’ story. Of course we want readers to love and obsess about our plots and characters. OUR plots and characters. And there is nothing wrong with writing the stories/series they’re begging for. But letting anyone other than your muse dictate the direction of your passion isn’t fiction, it’s work for hire.
I laugh because one of my first fan letters was from a woman who demanded my next book feature a blond Norse hero and a heroine with long flowing red hair. She went on to describe exactly how she wanted to see her fantasy played out on my pages. Considering I was writing about the American West, it just wasn’t going to happen.
Readers don’t always KNOW what they want or what they’re going to absolutely fall in love with. Some of my favorite Keepers are books that I never thought would interest me . . . until I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Formula writing can put creativity inside a restrictive cage that says, “You can’t do that!” After 70-some books, my reply to that is, “Watch me!” Because surprise keeps things fun and fresh for both writer and reader. It doesn’t have to be a complete makeover every time, but it has to provide something exciting and fresh . . . for both writer and reader.
How about you? Do you prefer to know what you’re getting or to be surprised? Can’t wait to scroll through your answers.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the August 3 posting of the IWSG will be Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
I agree with you that you can't figure out what readers want or chase after what you think they want. It's much better to write from the heart like you do. I like surprises in stories too.
ReplyDeleteI especially like it when my story surprises ME!
DeleteGreat insights. There are things I'll listen to--like if the readers say they want more tension or more emotion--because those are signs I'm doing it wrong! But yeah, the characters don't listen to no one when it comes to telling their stories. Trying to make them actually stalled me out for 2 years.
ReplyDeleteBest to let them do their own thing . . . then edit the heck out of them!
DeleteYou've written enough books to know the balance. Besides, it's impossible to give readers exactly what they want because they all want different things.
ReplyDeleteHopefully that reader found her Norse-redhead story somewhere...
LOL! One hopes but it wasn't from me.
DeleteWhen we write from our heart, characters we love, our readers will get what they want, even if they don't know what they want. I was a vampire story virgin (same with shape shifters) until I read one of your books. Wow. I didn't know how much I would enjoy those stories. I didn't know what I wanted. You opened new worlds to me. So keep writing those great characters in interesting settings.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Di. My pleasure to corrupt errrr convince you to try new worlds. I've sure enjoyed visiting them!!
DeleteLOL on the fan who wanted that Norse character in a western. Too funny. I would hate to be a prisoner of my popularity. But then, I have to become popular first, for that to happen. LOL Love the blog! Love your fan stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane! I would much rather write under the radar than be in the constant spotlight! Though the money would be better . . .
DeleteThat's why I wouldn't want to become too big of an author because there's a danger of being trapped into a pigeonhole. I'd rather have a smaller audience who are willing to take a chance on being surprised.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree!
DeleteSounds like your fan needs to write her own book!
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I do have expectations, especially of series writers. I've had two instances where the focus of a continuing crime/mystery series suddenly became thinly veiled political screeds. Not saying the authors aren't entitled to write what they want, and I would never leave hateful reviews. I just don't buy their books anymore.
We can't choose where their stories go . . . sadly. So we have to write our own.
DeleteYes, you can't satisfy every reader's wish. They all want different things. You have to write for yourself and hope your vision would find its readers.
ReplyDeleteIn my writing, I comply with the genre expectations (I write speculative fiction). The rest of it - the characters, the plot, etc - I write for myself.
Exactly!!
DeleteI couldn't agree more! And some of the writers I love (Diana Gabaldon, Charlaine Harris) both venture out of strict genre rules regularly, and the results are compelling stories with characters I fall in love with. One of the things I find most frustrating about the publishing industry is how risk-averse it seems to be. So many agent wish lists read like they were written by the same person, because it feels like trends trump everything else. Even the requirement to submit comps enforces the idea that your story should be similar to something else written in the last few years. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteTrying to write just what the readers want seems like a recipe for disaster! I do try to stay within the generic expectations (I write cozy mysteries, so I'm not going down the dark and dirty paths. Unless I write something outside that genre, in which case I make sure it's clear that it's not a cozy mystery). But I also try to give my imagination free rein within those parameters, and I'm not ever going to try to be like all the others writing in my genre.
ReplyDelete