Hell hath no fury like a reader scorned….

Or sorely disappointed.

Hi all,

Another writer buddy of mine was having a discussion on her blog about the ‘gun on the wall’ idea and that, if you show something early on in a story, you’d better eventually wind up using it. I always like to make my character take the gun out of the desk drawer before they use it but I digress…..

Mostly though, I do agree with her in that if you have a set-up for a story, you should carry it out. Like the majority of writers, I have been on both ‘sides’ of the counter so to speak, being both a reader and a writer. Nothing and I mean, nothing is more frustrating to a reader, well at least to me, if a writer has a great set up (background) and doesn’t move the plot forward in the manner that the reader thinks it will go. Yeah, I’m one of those people who have thrown books across the room. And why? Because I became so frustrated with the story, I felt cheated in a way. Almost like having the proverbial rug pulled out from under one. And that doesn’t feel good at all.

Now, I know sometimes one does have to include a ‘surprise’ ending or put in things to make the reader jump (akin to walking through a haunted house and jumping back when the ghoulies run out shrieking at you). Yeah, that is ‘fair’ and is part of the writing craft. No, I’m not speaking of those writing tricks. I’m talking about the reader feeling ‘cheated’, that is, the story not going in the direction that they’ve expected it to. And for some stories, the setup to carry out the plot is great, Many times I’ve gotten half way through a book and thought, “Gee, the writer had a great beginning. I wonder why X didn’t happen.” Depending on how emotionally invested I am in the story, my language may be harsher than just using the words “Gee” but I think you get the idea.

In any case, when you as a writer, deviate from a plot line as you’re writing, you should think about why you’re going off on the tangent and how far ‘off’ you are moving from that original setup. Because while a few readers may applaud your idea to move off in a fresh, new direction, it has been my experience, both as a writer and as a reader, that the average reader will not take so kindly to this too far into the tale. Particularly, if you, the writer has just set up a great path for the plot to follow. Because the reader will wonder (and often, not too forgivingly) why you wrote path Y when they thought the character was going down path X. And depending on their mood that night while reading your book, it just might be thrown against the wall. Or on the floor. And if you want to build a readership with writing a series, um, yeah, this isn’t the best way to do it.

So, I guess my advice for today’s post is to be a good salesman. Your ‘product’ is your book and therefore, you should deliver what you promise. In other words, don’t cheat the customer. Much like in any other transactions that occur in life, it’s bad for business.

Take care all,
Chris