Message Board Topic 3/8

[Comicality]

Whenever an author writes a story...they are actually writing TWO stories. The story the author is trying to tell, and the story that is inerpreted by the readers taking it all in.

 

No matter how specific an author is, or how much detail they add to the text itself...it's naural for each and every reader to 'personalize' the plot and relate it to their own lives and experiences in one way or the other. And this is a GOOD thing, as it creates a truly concrete sense of realism for them.

 

But do any of you worry that your work is being misinterpreted to say something that it doesn't say? Do you worry that your work is being judged for the wrong reasons? Or that perhaps something you've written has insulted or offended some of your readers unintentionally? It's not your FAULT, the interpretation of you every word...but it *IS* out there in the open for any and everyone to decode and dismantle at will.

 

As a writer, does this bother you? Worry you? Or is it a non-issue? After all...it's not 'your' responsibility to sugar coat the thoughts of your readers, right?

 

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know!

[KiwiShadow]

Haha it's like when literary geeks see some powerful imagery in a novel that the author may not have intended because they look way too closely into something.

 

I think as long as people enjoy what I'm writing and it makes sense - how they perceive the content isn't up to me. I mean isn't this partly why some people LOVE some stories and other people hate the same story?

 

Hmm in terms of offending people, I usually include an extra note on my disclaimer if I think something might offend people. People are always going to disagree.

[Graeme]

Generally, I don't mind if different people have different interpretations of what I wrote, though it bothers me if someone tells me that they're offended. I generally try not to offend. Challenge, yes, but not offend.

 

There is one short story I wrote that seems to have roughly split the readers 50-50 on the interpretation. That's fine because the story was deliberately written to have two interpretations. The only annoying thing is that for one of those interpretations the story comes over as extremely weak. I could have done better in that respect, but I'm happy that enough people 'got' the other interpretation that it wasn't a complete failure.

[Tiger]

There is definitely a risk of offending people with what I write. It tends to be dark with lots of violence and characters, even main ones, who act in ways that some would consider wrong. That's because I like to write about the anti-hero, whose methods do not fall into what some would think a normal hero would do. For example, I think the heroes in a futuristic world in which the "bad guys" are in charge would act outside of normal boundaries and may be hardened by the violent world. I'm sure a lot of people misunderstand Julian from the DE series. He acts in ways that a normal hero would definitely not. He attacks the enemy with no restraint whatsoever, and he occasionally gets certain itches to do things that most find horrible. But again, he's in a world that's much different than our own where the "good guys" are considered criminals on the fringe of society.

[Nephylim]

There is definitely a risk of offending people with what I write. It tends to be dark with lots of violence and characters, even main ones, who act in ways that some would consider wrong. That's because I like to write about the anti-hero, whose methods do not fall into what some would think a normal hero would do. For example, I think the heroes in a futuristic world in which the "bad guys" are in charge would act outside of normal boundaries and may be hardened by the violent world. I'm sure a lot of people misunderstand Julian from the DE series. He acts in ways that a normal hero would definitely not. He attacks the enemy with no restraint whatsoever, and he occasionally gets certain itches to do things that most find horrible. But again, he's in a world that's much different than our own where the "good guys" are considered criminals on the fringe of society.

 

 

Oh I think Julian is a real heart breaker

 

To answer the question. I never think of or intend to offend anyone with my stories. I have to admit that I had qualms wiht Love in Chains but... Meh. I had the greatest fun writing it.

 

How people interret my writing has never worried me because I don't see that as my responsibility. I write what I write they read what they read. Simple as.