#5: Readers’ Demands

I comment a lot about putting the readers’ wants ahead of the author’s. One reason is because beginning writers don’t usually consider their audience when they start a story. As you have seen in the writing tutorials, there are many options that can be influenced by thinking of them instead of treating them as the enemy to be conquered. Most readers get a kick out of getting replied and having an exchange of ideas with someone whose works they enjoy.

Alas, every fandom has its trolls. The outright nasties are easy to spot and ignore (for the most part). What is harder is dealing with otherwise nice people who think they are entitled to something different from the author. While feeling that way is fine, behaving like a troll to get your way is not.

“Tell writers what you think, don’t be a troll in your comments, give the readers what they want, write the story you want to;” all sound like massive contradictions and yet they are not. Readers want to be entertained and a writer shouldn’t compromise on the themes and plot out of fear of offending someone. Readers sometimes catch an error that was missed and a writer also shouldn’t be lazy and gloss over mistakes. But what if what is under contention isn’t a mistake according to the author, but the reader is casting it as such?

When this happens, what the author says goes. The reader has the options to keep reading or quit, politely stating what the personal issue with the story is or not. What the reader doesn’t have the right to do is turn into a troll about it.

Where I have seen it get ugly usually concerns the sex life of the characters. This is also why I think a sense of entitlement is the root of the behavior. The following hypothetical situation is not a personal attack on anyone’s values. If you read a story in which the main characters are having premarital sex and you don’t believe that should be written about in a positive light, how should you not respond?

1. Stop reading so you won’t be corrupted and delete all alerts so you won’t be tempted to read more of it.
2. Send a review to the author saying that it was too graphic for your sensibilities, but you’ll be looking for their next G-rated story, and then stop reading.
3. Wag your finger at those naughty characters and keep reading.
4. Send a review to the author pointing out how they are in danger of the fires of Hell unless they delete this dreadful smut and beg for forgiveness for writing it in the first place. How dare this author besmirch your eyes with this filth!

Everyone who picked D gets a gold star. This is the wrong way to share your beliefs and borderline censorship. When the author has rated and put a disclaimer explaining why this story has its rating, you are not entitled to have the smut (or whatever else is objectionable) blacked out so you won’t see it. This falls under your responsibility as a reader.

Tone means so much as well. Is D really the way you would phrase the issue to a friend’s face? Does saying it to someone you really don’t know make it acceptable behavior? Regardless of what your personal beliefs are, “do unto others as you would have done unto you” is a good code to live by for everyone.

Personally, I have only experienced the nice version of this disagreement. One of my beta readers for my Biker Mice From Mars series Wars Are Won by Those Who Dare had let her son read the first and third stories and he was a fan. The second story had mature content that happened on camera. She asked if I minded making a PG-13 version she could share with her son. I didn’t have a problem with that and ended up making both versions available at the BookWorm’s Library.

Now everyone go and play in your fandoms, and try to get along with all your playmates.