This is a casual variation on a reading circle. There is no real obligation to read each others' stories (although many of us do read each others' work already anyway), and no structured weekly discussions. Just a simlit chit-chat thread for a group of friends to discuss topics like approaches to writing, story themes, character archetypes, and essential stuff such as undead gnome army world domination, all accompanied by a(n un)healthy side of pancakes.
So I've got a bit of a weird topic today so bear with me (very slow day at work haha) - I randomly stumbled across this video last night. It's quite funny and informative, but it is a half an hour long, so to sum up, the main topic is the death of the author, so basically the concept that whatever the writer intends to communicate through their writing is irrelevant, because it's what the reader takes away and the reader's interpretation that truly matters. The video goes over views on this in reference to famous literary fiction, but it totally had me thinking about simlit too.
I think there's quite a lot of emphasis on what the author intended in simlit, and obviously that's for a reason - it's much more of a two way street because for the most part, you read a story as it's still in the process of being written and you can always comment and ask questions as the story evolves, so it's much more of a two-way street than what you'd have reading a book. But it's interesting to think about what it means.
I remember in school I found any literature classes so boring, because the teacher would always force on us what the author meant before we even read the book, which just made me go "well why would I read it now, I'm told what happens and what it's supposed to mean." So it makes a lot of sense to me to focus more on the reader interpretation. But of course we all write hoping that people will understand what we're trying to communicate (actually, scratch that, because half the time I don't feel like I know that myself, so if you guys figure it out, please tell me :D )
I guess the other element is that none of our stories are finished yet, so obviously it's not the same case as with a completed one, since you still have plenty more to say in your writing. But I know that with my legacy story I did a few years back, I left the ending fairly open/had an ending that was kind of like a beginning, because I'm not really the type of person that believes all questions have to be answered and that there's only one correct way to answer them. I randomly picked up that save again half a year ago, because I loved those sims, but I only ended up playing for a few days, because it felt like it wasn't "canon."
Anyway, I'll stop my weird rambling - as you can see I'm pretty indecisive on it all - and go see if I can whip up more pancakes because I feel like we may be running low. But I guess my question was:
What do you think matters more; the writer's intent for the story or the readers' interpretation? And is that different for simlit specifically?
(And just to clarify, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this, my head just kind of got stuck on the idea - blame the video.)
I’m really excited that you’ve brought up this topic. It’s something I’ve wondered about when I was writing B2WS1 and came to a decision midway that I think influenced my writing, or at least the way I perceived my writing. So I’m loving this chance for a discussion. But I’m exhausted to the bone so maybe I’ll post something 12 hours from now. Hopefully I’m asleep in at least half of those hours so my replies will be coherent. But yeah just wanted to express my appreciation and Yeah I am super enthused to reply even if my mind is slightly bonkers at the moment. :D
Oh man, I am incredibly indecisive about things like this. This is a really interesting topic. I can see both ways being a valid way to write. I watched the video, and the narrator brings up some good points, but at some points, I was like, whoa, way too much literary theory that I know nothing about. But then she did go on to explain it.
I got a little long-winded and ramble in this post, and I talked a little about simlit, and non-simlit writing, and also my perspective as a reader and writer (I always feel weird saying this because I don't really consider myself a writer, it's just a creative endeavor that I enjoy). Okay, so here goes.
As a reader, I usually don't like to know much about the author when I start reading. This is hard because sometimes I will read popular books and I already know a little bit about the author. I did like how the video explained reading as being a sort of intimate experience between author and reader. That I can relate to. I do find myself connecting to the reading, and maybe the author on some level, because I like the way they create a character or how imaginative the work is. I probably do form subconscious opinions or ideas of the author as I read, like... oh this person knows a lot about biology (I just made something up here), I wonder if they studied it in college? Usually, it's pretty neutral observations.
After I have read a book, I will learn a little more about the author, because I like to know what inspired them to write or how certain life experiences influenced their work. I think because I've always been curious about people in general. And even if I don't like the author as a person, it usually doesn't influence how I see the book or the writing. I figure I liked the book for some reason, so it shouldn't lessen its quality because I don't like the author. Unless of course if the author is writing about something like finance (another random example) and it turns out they laundered a bunch of money or went bankrupt, then maybe I wouldn't take the book seriously anymore. I think non-fiction the author does matter, and you can't kill the author. The author needs to have credibility and knowledge of their subject in non-fiction. But I think for fiction, it is easier to dissociate the author from the work. In simlit it is even easier because everyone is anonymous. It is easier to “kill the author” because I’m not going to ask people about their personal views or personal history because that’s an invasion of privacy. I’m reading simlit because it’s fun and I enjoy the story, and I think it's kind of refreshing to have that anonymity.
As a writer, I don't know if it is completely possible to dissociate yourself from writing, at least for me it isn't. I know I try to be as unbiased as possible, but I still know that I bring my own opinions, background, views of the world with me when I write, no matter how much I try not to. I also think that the reader also brings their own background and opinions with them as well, and what I intended to write or convey may not be seen in the same way to the reader. Or the reader might interpret it a little differently than I had intended. I guess in this situation I think it's valid for the reader to interpret it the way they want even if that's not what I intended. Usually, when I see this, I'm like... that's interesting, I never thought of it that way. Sometimes I do offer my interpretation if I think the reader is lost (I'm writing some mystery with plot twists, so I don't want my reader to be completely lost and get frustrated). I think the more I write, the more I leave it up to interpretation. With my current story, I am not going to explain everything at the end, so the reader can formulate their own opinions.
I do agree that sometimes I write and I don't know exactly what I want to convey and I will just write the character interactions and leave it at that. I also am not trying to write something that is very deep, or life-changing, I mean I'm writing about a supernatural investigator, mer-people, and shapeshifters. :D I try to bring some real-life elements into it and try to make my characters like people you would meet every day (okay, maybe not Nancy Landgraab, I don't know any billionaires, lol).
So yeah, I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say in this post even. :D Basically, as a writer, reader interpretation is good and valid, but I also know that my own background probably does bleed through into the story, so I probably haven't completely been able to “kill the author” in my writing. As a reader, I don’t mind having things open-ended and I like being able to form my own thoughts on the reading.
Edit: Haha! Got my first censored word, it wasn't even that bad of a word, lol.
"mercuryfoam;c-17643274" wrote: It’s something I’ve wondered about when I was writing B2WS1 and came to a decision midway that I think influenced my writing, or at least the way I perceived my writing.
That's a good point, with simlit you have the added factor that the reader interpretation might then directly influence the author to add another layer into the mix.
I try fairly hard to not let the way readers might be interpreting events to not steer me from my original intention, but as the story is still being written and I am semi-fluid with some of it, I'd imagine it must register with me on some level, even if it's subconscious. It's a weird double-edged sword, because sometimes it gives you extra insight into themes you might want to develop more or haven't considered, but then on the other hand, you shouldn't let it influence you too much because the readers don't have access to the full story yet.
I've definitely done minor adjustments to some of the story based on reactions - not any dramatic plot changes or changes to how I see the characters personalities and/or relationships, just little things - for example (minor spoiler for chapter 35 of BC, though I think you're all caught up anyway)
The only reason Tomax is even present in this chapter is because when he was referenced in the past, the initial reader reaction seemed to be imply that the general consensus was that something incredibly sketchy went down with him and he's rotting in a dungeon somewhere, so I thought I best throw him in to show that he is just a scorned ex, but indeed "happy, healthy and alive" (well, happy is debatable, but you know :D ) and not buried somewhere in the magic realm gardens lol
@lone_cat I feel like you could branch into so many sub-topics on this, phew!
"lone_cat;c-17644038" wrote:
As a reader, I usually don't like to know much about the author when I start reading. This is hard because sometimes I will read popular books and I already know a little bit about the author. I did like how the video explained reading as being a sort of intimate experience between author and reader. That I can relate to. I do find myself connecting to the reading, and maybe the author on some level, because I like the way they create a character or how imaginative the work is.
Same, most of the time I don't look up anything about the author and I don't really care, but of course, with some prominent names, it's become impossible nowadays.
In simlit it is even easier because everyone is anonymous. It is easier to “kill the author” because I’m not going to ask people about their personal views or personal history because that’s an invasion of privacy. I’m reading simlit because it’s fun and I enjoy the story, and I think it's kind of refreshing to have that anonymity.
The great thing about simlit is that it provides a pretty blank slate to start off with, because you know nothing at all about the writer's background and experiences, like you said. Though as you make friends with people on the forums it probably has to impact the way you read a story on some level... and then arguably in the simlit realm you do end up talking to people whose story you connect with on some level, so I guess that's even more amplified there. Just by chatting in this thread alone, we will likely have a different perception of each other's stories than someone who would start reading them say, by randomly stumbling across them in WP reader.
(So guys, if you think something in my story is pants, do not hesitate to say it just because I feed you make-belief pancakes :D )
Unless of course if the author is writing about something like finance (another random example) and it turns out they laundered a bunch of money or went bankrupt, then maybe I wouldn't take the book seriously anymore.
Haha that reminds me of some of the law of attraction self-help gurus.
Or the reader might interpret it a little differently than I had intended. I guess in this situation I think it's valid for the reader to interpret it the way they want even if that's not what I intended. Usually, when I see this, I'm like... that's interesting, I never thought of it that way. Sometimes I do offer my interpretation if I think the reader is lost (I'm writing some mystery with plot twists, so I don't want my reader to be completely lost and get frustrated). I think the more I write, the more I leave it up to interpretation. With my current story, I am not going to explain everything at the end, so the reader can formulate their own opinions.
Yeah, you can get some interesting insights! I never know how much of my own view/interpretation to offer, I feel like sometimes I play it very safe and don't give people enough, and sometimes I tell readers too much :D Like, I don't want to spoil people, but at the same time some things might never be directly explained, which to me is fine, but someone might find that particular point really pertinent.
It's a weird balance, because you obviously want your readers to see your characters/story the way you see them, but then no two people will ever look at one story the exact same way - but that's also the awesome part about getting to discuss them.
I think most of the time, I'm pretty solid on how my characters would react in almost any situation, but I don't exactly have an analytical reasoning for it other than "I feel like I know them," so it's definitely interesting to see the points people bring up.
That, half the time my thoughts are just a non-verbal stream of goo, so how can I expect anyone to see things the same way as me? :D
Edit: Haha! Got my first censored word, it wasn't even that bad of a word, lol.
Haha wow, congrats, I feel like I randomly run into flowers all the time and I don't really think I'm that much of a potty mouth, it always surprises me which words are censored.
@ThePlumbob I got a little rambly and now I'm going to ramble some more.
I try fairly hard to not let the way readers might be interpreting events to not steer me from my original intention, but as the story is still being written and I am semi-fluid with some of it, I'd imagine it must register with me on some level, even if it's subconscious. It's a weird double-edged sword, because sometimes it gives you extra insight into themes you might want to develop more or haven't considered, but then on the other hand, you shouldn't let it influence you too much because the readers don't have access to the full story yet.
I definitely struggle with this. It is probably part of the reason I rewrite a lot. But yes, sometimes I get some really good insights into things and I incorporate that into my story. I also am open to constructive criticism and think that it is good in the right context, such as... I want to know if I have gaping plot holes, or if my pacing is a little off, or even grammatical errors (I'm terrible with grammar/typos).
Other times I question myself and have to ask, am I rewriting this because I feel it needs to be better? Or am I just trying to appease my reader? I definitely think that you should write for yourself and if you are just doing something to appease your reader, the writing loses some of its originality/creativity. But I'm also a people pleaser, so this is an inner conflict I struggle with.
Just by chatting in this thread alone, we will likely have a different perception of each other's stories than someone who would start reading them say, by randomly stumbling across them in WP reader.
Simlit is kind of weird that way because at first, it is very anonymous, but then you can chat with the author and figure out what they meant or ask questions that might change your view of the story or characters. So yeah, in some ways the author is more present in simlit writing than with just a random book or WP blog you might read.
Haha that reminds me of some of the law of attraction self-help gurus.
Oh man, I remember The Secret craze, and the author leading a sweat lodge retreat that injured/killed a bunch of people. Sorry to get morbid, but that's immediately what I thought of.
I feel like sometimes I play it very safe and don't give people enough, and sometimes I tell readers too much
I feel this way too. And sometimes it's hard to keep things secret because I get really excited about future events in my story and I want to share, but at the same time, I have to hold back because it's a spoiler.
It's a weird balance, because you obviously want your readers to see your characters/story the way you see them, but then no two people will ever look at one story the exact same way - but that's also the awesome part about getting to discuss them.
Yes definitely. I want my characters to be seen in a certain light, but I also get that, just like in real life, not everyone is going to like everyone or get along with everyone. I can't expect all my readers to always like or even see a certain character as I do and that is totally fine. It is always interesting to hear different viewpoints on a character/story.
This is the fifth reply I've tried to type; I keep skating along the edge of spoiling my story/making myself sound like a flippant cow.
What do you think matters more; the writer's intent for the story or the readers' interpretation? And is that different for simlit specifically?
Short answer: Writer's intent. Maybe.
Long answer: My intent for the story matters more to me as that is the part I control; I don't mind how people interpret my story because I have no control over it. Part of what I enjoy most about people and their brains is that a hundred of us will look at the same thing and all see something completely different. Obviously, as we as writers all do to some extent, I'm skewing some things to try and make people interpret a certain way; there are times when I definitely want you guys to be adding one and one and making five, but I don't feel like a failure/frustrated when it doesn't work out this way, because I can't possibly guess how everyone's brain is going to interpret everything. If you add one and one and get twenty instead then, great! In fact, better because then you are a new kind of brain for me to analyse and I try and figure out how you got there. Yes, I'm constantly analysing everything. Yes, my head really hurts. :D
Sometimes it's really interesting how people interpret what I was saying and I try to guess what each of my readers are going make of future events, but rarely change anything based on this, unless I feel that I can clarify something down the line with different wording or a better screenshot etc.
For SimLit specifically. It's a 'live' process, rather than a finished book which means it can be tempting to cave to reader's ideas/interpretations. Especially when they're better than what I had planned e.g. the predicted vampire apocalypse everyone was gunning for at the start versus whatever-the-heck it is that I'm actually writing, lol. If I didn't have book one pretty much written by the time I started posting, I might have been swayed by some of the reader suggestions and changed everything (no, @ThePlumbob, I'm not talking about Zombie Sandy...). It'll be interesting to revisit this topic when I get to book two and see if I've become a slave to everyone's interpretations/expectations. :D
Just to add: please don't read any of this is to say that I feel that your feedback and comments on my story are not appreciated. They very much are. They just aren't changing anything... yet. ;)
Other times I question myself and have to ask, am I rewriting this because I feel it needs to be better? Or am I just trying to appease my reader? I definitely think that you should write for yourself and if you are just doing something to appease your reader, the writing loses some of its originality/creativity. But I'm also a people pleaser, so this is an inner conflict I struggle with.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I try not to change anything, other than tidbits like the one I mentioned above, consciously, but it probably does influence me to a degree on a subconscious level. hopefully not to the degree that people are getting a totally different story than they would if I just wrote all of this ages ago and was it just publishing now. (I guess that's the cool thing about yours, that you wrote the core concept a long time ago, even though you have tweaked things - but I know that's not necessarily reader feedback and but just the way the story and the characters naturally evolved in your head over time :) )
Oh man, I remember The Secret craze, and the author leading a sweat lodge retreat that injured/killed a bunch of people. Sorry to get morbid, but that's immediately what I thought of.
That is exactly what I had in mind!
want my characters to be seen in a certain light, but I also get that, just like in real life, not everyone is going to like everyone or get along with everyone. I can't expect all my readers to always like or even see a certain character as I do and that is totally fine.
Oh definitely, I don't expect my readers to like the same characters I do (especially since I have a tendency to like the more controversial ones the best), it's lots of fun to me to see which characters resonate with who. Sometimes I can predict favourites, sometimes I'm surprised, but I do enjoy seeing who different people find relatable.
@SnuffyBucket
My intent for the story matters more to me as that is the part I control; I don't mind how people interpret my story because I have no control over it.
That's a really good way of putting it. I mean we have all started writing because a story came to our minds and wouldn't leave us alone, so of course our intent is the driving force behind it. You are probably further ahead in your story writing than any of us, so you're in a great position for not being swayed haha.
I think for now I'm more focused on my own intent (though it is plausible I'm getting at least indirectly influenced by some reader observations, it's too hard to tell), but when it's all done I'm sure I'll leave plenty open to interpretation, because that's the kind of stories I like as a reader. Plus, sometimes people see layers in the story that I didn't even realise where there, which is awesome.
no, @ThePlumbob, I'm not talking about Zombie Sandy...
I am so so so sorry for my mammoth comment. I’m basically regurgitating what you guys have already discussed above. Like @lone_cat ’s perspective on writer’s impossible disassociation from their writing, acknowledging reader pov, questioning who we’re writing for, @ThePlumbob ‘s aversion to knowing about authors, knowing your own characters deeply, intrigued by others interpretations, @snuffybucket ‘s views that reader interpretation is a collaborative process between reader and writer, and rarely changing anything from comments. (I especially like that last bit. :) Now you’ve indirectly given me the green light to go ham on your stories and I know that I wont’ hurt your creative process. I will be respectful ofc. Like how respectful I am of Caleb :lol: )
What do you think matters more; the writer's intent for the story or the readers' interpretation? And is that different for simlit specifically? Depending on which direction I’m applying these theories, writer’s intent and reader’s interpretation both matters to me. But if we’re taking this from purely the perspective of the reader and nothing else, I’d say readers’ interpretation triumphs my intent.
I agree with John Green that “Books belong to their readers.” If anyone added my sim characters to their universe, I’m not going to tell them that Curtis’s favourite coffee brew is a specific combination of roasted Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica beans. Or that one of the characters in S2 is pescetarian. If they want their version of Curtis to be the same, sure. But if they want him to like rainbow cake and ride a purple unicorn, that’s awesome too. Imo, readers are free to come up with whatever they want with my characters without me policing over what’s right or wrong.
That isn’t to say that I ignore writer’s intent or that I don’t have a strong idea of my characters. Those examples above are true to my characters. They will do that and respond to events a certain way based on who I think they are. But if readers did not get a particular trait or meaning from my writing, or saw my characters a different way than I do, then that is their ‘Truth’.
Death of the author ties in with my philosophy of life that there are many different interpretations of reality. Each reader has their own construct of reality, so each reader will interpret the story using their own narrative. There is no ‘right’ reality -- no one’s interpretation is better than the other, not even the author because everyone interprets events with their own personalised lenses so the body of writing in question is already skewed.
So in what circumstance is my intent more important than the reader’s since I apply both? To me, writer’s intent is important as the backbone of my writing. My writing must be strong enough to convey the story and characters so that they are able to guide readers in getting to know who they are. My writing must showcase their deepest desires, strengths and flaws. My writing (or pictures since simlit :lol: ) must portray their world vividly. My intent must be strong right at the very beginning to provide the base and clues for others to construct their version of B2W and its characters to be as similar as my own, but it doesn't need to be the same.
So I encourage readers to pen their hypotheses, their predictions or analyses of my characters in my comments. I won’t necessarily agree with them even though most of the time I sound like a Yes man. But that's because their interpretation is valid from their pov. Unless asked, I usually refrain from presenting mine (unless the event touches me deeply and I want to discuss about it). Otherwise, I want to see from another lens instead.
Extra ramblings: *hides* I didn’t use to think like that. If you caught my story in the earlier stages I used Author notes to explain a lot of theoretical concepts or workings of the story. I’ve since erased a lot of it because I decided DotA (Death of the Author, not the game rofl) was more important than my intent, but I have left snippets of my notes because as the video explained, writer’s intent is impossible to be disassociated from writing. Pause the video at 16:22 for Foucault’s slide of questions that debunk DotA.
When I was writing B2W, those same questions plagued me, only modified in the realm of my story. Here they are:
Each character I’ve written are (to me) representative of real people out there with the same challenges and adversities. With what authenticity do I have that I write their story?
With what legitimacy do I write and cast people of color, survivors, victims, the marginalised and taboo parts of society, then say that my background doesn’t matter?
With what authority do I insert parts of my construct of reality into the story, then flip around and say that my views are not important?
I’m forever a fan of DotA. But it would be hypocritical of me not to acknowledge the importance of writer intent because seriously, writer influence is everywhere in their stories (or at least mine). From Grim spewing chaos theory when explaining mortality to Athena, to Scorcher’s subtle push at moral relativism towards Kirino as he descends into madness. I am at every level, conveying something to readers that may or may not be personal to me. And finally, there is purpose in my writing. My writing explores questions I have about love, second chances, morality, loyalty, etc. My writing brings to light the parts of society we don’t talk about. My writing is to heal, to dissect, to understand, to tell a story. So writer intent imo, in this context, becomes the spine of the book and is impossible to disassociate.
On a related note, I empathise and can identify with John Green’s public backlash. I feel the same even without the backlash. And I believe that a part of him wrote Fault in our Stars to heal from the loss of his friend, similarly as I wrote for mine. But the world twisted it into something ugly. Poor guy, no one has done that to me thankfully since I’m doing simlit. I have no doubt that if I were a published author, the validity of my story, my identity and background will be scrutinised to bits. (From the video: “What kind of grown ass man writes s.ex scenes about two dying teenagers?” --> lololol I feel called out bahaha. :joy: )
Anyway, that’s my take on the importance of weighing both DotA and writer intent. I personally apply DotA for reader perspectives and takeaway, but solidify writer’s intent through story telling itself.
P.S - Hence why I'm vocal in comments because I think writers like reader interpretations. I rein it in based on author replies. Some have writers intent dialed to 100% (like I'm definitely not going to comment on Anne Rice’s works after that video haha!) But if I like the story enough and have some form of bond with the writer, I’d just yap whatever comes to mind. I don’t think they’ll take it too badly if we don’t see eye to eye. :lol:
@mercuryfoam Woah, that was one insightful nap you took there! Because if this is you on limited sleep, phew!
I think the conclusion I've currently (you know how flakey I am) come to is that while the story is being written, the author should really put their own intent above reader interpretation, because otherwise they’ll likely end up presenting a story that’s not particularly cohesive… and from a reader perspective, interpreting that would be messy and unsatisfying. But once the story is finished, I think it’s totally the readers’ prerogative to assign whatever meaning to all of it that speaks to them personally.
Why I’m saying this applies once the story is over and not throughout is – using your example above, maybe the kind of coffee Curtis likes is really essential to the plot for some weird reason, but you only introduce that information to the story halfway through, at which point it would take precedent over whatever the reader’s idea of Curtis’s preferred coffee was up till now (wow, I feel like I’ll now always think about what kind of coffee Curtis likes lol :D ).
So I’d agree about what you said about the reader’s ‘Truth,’ unless it’s a question of something that’s plot critical, which in an unfinished work is harder to pinpoint. But that would apply to more tangible things like what you said above – definitely less so about character traits, because like you said, there’s a different interpretation of our reality for every person out there, and in real life, we can’t see the inside of anybody’s head either – so how could their be an absolute about a character’s personality, if we can’t even fully have that IRL? But of course I'd say that, because I'm not a fan of absolutes in general.
Death of the author ties in with my philosophy of life that there are many different interpretations of reality. Each reader has their own construct of reality, so each reader will interpret the story using their own narrative. There is no ‘right’ reality -- no one’s interpretation is better than the other, not even the author because everyone interprets events with their own personalised lenses so the body of writing in question is already skewed.
You've put this far more eloquently than I ever could! *bows*
If you caught my story in the earlier stages I used Author notes to explain a lot of theoretical concepts or workings of the story.
Oh I think I remember that! I can see how there would be a merit to that kind of thing for more factual context, like say, history specific to your Universe. Kind of like how Tolkien wrote the entirety of Silmarillion to explain all the weird books and myths his characters referenced. Crutial to the story's enjoyment and finding something of meaning in it, not necessarily, but some people love extra lore (full disclosure, i could not get past two pages of Silmarillion)
I think the lore side generally is tricky, at least I know I struggle with it, because I don't necessarily want to shoehorn it in - it's not something that feels like it would come up in conversations, but it does bear relevance to the plot. I am actually thinking of something specific in my story here, that I have only said in comments but has not been directly referenced anywhere in the story, since it never fit, and that sort of bugs me because it does have some importance - and it's not one of those open to interpretation characteristics, it's something more "factual". Hopefully I'll find a way to squeeze it in somewhere without making it seem out of place haha. Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent!
Each character I’ve written are (to me) representative of real people out there with the same challenges and adversities. With what authenticity do I have that I write their story?
Foof, that's a big burden to take on. And exactly why I decided to write a story about elves and spellcasters and vampires and fairies :)
I'm definitely not going to comment on Anne Rice’s works after that video haha!
Lol I found that so funny, because I had no idea, and I'm pretty sure Anne Rice's books have been a big influence on me since I read several of them countless times and I love them. But in case she's somehow lurking around here, this does not equate to fanfiction, my characters are my own, and they're their own kind of weird :joy: :joy: :joy:
Woof, looks like I missed quite the discussion here yesterday! I’m so sorry for being a snail, guys :mrgreen: most of what I would have said has already been talked about, so I’m afraid I don’t have much to add anymore.
Death of the author ties in with my philosophy of life that there are many different interpretations of reality. Each reader has their own construct of reality, so each reader will interpret the story using their own narrative.
This sounds awfully familiar to a conversation we had a while back! :mrgreen: I agree with @mercuryfoam about how reader’s interpretation is more important to my than my intent – to a certain degree. Everyone has their own personal version of your world in their head, and are experiencing your story in a way that they enjoy. It ties into the talk that mercury and I had about Schrodinger's cat, and accepting multiple versions of truth. I actually take great pleasure in writing scenes that can be interpreted in many different ways, and seeing what people choose to see. Readers often surprise me with insights and ideas that I hadn’t even considered, too.
The only danger with the back-and-forth relationship between writers and readers while you're still writing is indeed, as you guys mentioned already, that you may start subconsciously trying to appease readers, or explain your thought process too much in order for them to see “your” version. @ThePlumbob is right with that they can’t see the whole story, and their ideas may not work for future plot points at all. If you tell them, you spoil future events. If you change the story, you ruin story beats (especially if you’ve been working towards them for a while). Worst case scenario, your plot won't fit together anymore and crumbles out from under you. But I can imagine it's also not fun for the reader. I've experienced that a few times myself. I'd be excited about a prediction/idea I had for a story I'm reading, so I shared it with the author. They then proceeded to explain in detail what was actually going on, and how my theory could not be true. It cleared things up - but it also pretty much killed any enjoyment I had in analyzing the story. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I think it's important (especially in ongoing stories) not to kill the author in favor of the reader. But I think it's just as important not to kill the reader for the sake of the author's vision.
About The Sims 4 Creative Corner
Share screenshots, stories, builds, custom creations, mods, challenges, and funny moments in our Sims 4 Creative Corner.