As a writer what’s the one most important thing you crave? To write that best seller? We all have that dream, but there’s something deeper than that, something that’s crucial to our success. Can’t think of it?
We – writers – want our readers to absolutely fall in love with our books, our storylines, our characters, and impact the readers for a long time.
Does this make us selfish? Of course not. Without that goal our writng is rushed, pushed off the cliff to a certain failure. Our readers must always be in the back of our minds for it’s the readers who make or break us.
Understanding the various types of readers will make your writing life less complex. Readers pick up a book to enjoy for several reasons, some which are:
- To escape present dilemmas – they want to remove themselves from reality and step into your world for entertainment
- To help them with present dilemmas – they’re seeking advice and solutions in non-fiction books to help and guide them in their real world. In fiction, they can attach themselves to your main character, fully understanding what that protagonist is going through having been in that situation, cheering/crying/agonizing/supporting the character as the reader moves along in your book
- To be thrilled/frightened/held in suspense – another form of escapism for entertainment: they buy mysteries/dark fiction/paranormal because the reader enjoys figuring out a puzzle, thrills when they spot a clue/foreshadow you’ve tossed in the mix, grasp that book when you’ve upped the suspense/edge-of-your-seat fear portion in a chapter and can’t stop reading
- To be loved – romance readers enjoy the deep hero and heroine characters who endure heavy hardships/turmoil/upsets. Readers step into the hero’s or heroine’s shoes, connecting with the world you’ve placed them in, regardless if it’s a historical romance, paranormal romance, or any of the other sub-genres in romance, including erotica. The readers thrill for romance is the over all emotional connection that pits hero and heroine in different situations.
As you can tell from the above, the writer who understands what a reader is seeking can easily absorb and transport readers into the fictional worlds he’s created. The writer who causes a reader to believe the fictional character is ‘real’ and worries about his/her fate in the story is a writer who most likely will succeed building a lifetime of readers.
If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment and click on SUBSCRIBE above to get email notification of newly posted articles.
Comments
I agree with you, Lea. We must always write with the reader in mind. Thanks for illuminating what different readers are looking for. Great article!
Hi Lea,
Great article! You covered all right reasons for writing in this.
It amazes me how, when you attain all those things, the money flows in. A good friend of mine has found success writing romance stories because her audience literally fell in love with her.
I agree also. We absolutely have to take the readers' feelings into account when writing.
Like, Kathy said, thanks for bringing what readers want to our attention.
Great article as usual.
All great points, Lea. A writer can't satisfy every reader, but if he/she writes with a particular type of reader in mind and does her best to fulfill that reader's expectations, I agree a fan base will soon develop.
Lincoln Literature Examiner
I don't remember who said it, but I love the quote: "Write the book you want to read." Thanks for the interesting article.
Yes, if we only write to please ourselves, then we run the risk of doing only that.
As writers we do always need to keep our readers in mind. When I write poetry, I want to move the reader, to make them feel an emotion. If I don't have a picture of my reader I'm not going to get very far. That said, as a poet I don't want to pull my punches because there are some readers I might annoy or offend.
You're right of course, Lea. The reader is the reason when we write for the market.
I, too, agree, Lea. I try to picture who I'm writing for when I'm crafting my stories. It changes with the type of story I'm writing. Thanks for sharing.
Great article. I have a friend who won't talk to me until I finish the story I began for her 20 years ago... we write for our readers, bless their hearts!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!