Two weeks ago I said Unintended Consequences was in the hands of some teen readers. Well, we’ve got the first reports back and I have to say I’m happy, and I learned a thing or two.
One of my teens is a very avid reader, and claims he can usually guess how the story will end. He didn’t see this one coming. I won’t say the ‘twist’ got him, because there is no intended twist. Instead, we have a natural flow of events that doesn’t come out quite the way he expected. That’s both fair play and a surprise ending!
Possibly the best part of the review was that he wanted to see the second one already (which is sitting on my desk in slightly edited first draft form). I’ll get it to him when I’ve got this one further down the road and that one is ready for people to see it.
Initially, I was just interested in feedback on the story. While I agree with Steven King and prefer to fix spelling/grammar issues when I find them, I wasn’t looking for feedback on grammar and spelling from the teens. But, they’re giving me some and its giving me something to think about.
My readers picked up on grammar and punctuation differences between sections, and could tie those sections to the correct point of view character. They’re telling me that my characters, and their reader experiences with those characters, are distinct. After a chapter or two they can tell who’s speaking/experiencing the action with no section header to tell them.
This is good. But, they also told me that some of the punctuation/grammar use for one character was annoying. Which is good, because the character is supposed to be annoying. But, it’s also a warning sign. I have to walk a balance. If the annoying punctuation/grammar helps make the character distinct and adds to the feel of the character, that’s good. But, if the annoyance is so great that the reader stops reading, that’s a problem. If the grammar and punctuation are annoying enough to drive the reader away, my stuff isn’t getting read.
There’s some good there, but I have to be aware and walk the balance.
Listening to reader feedback can tell you a lot. But, you have to put the work in and really see what they’re telling you.
The good stuff we want to hear.
The bad stuff (if given and received constructively) can be helpful.
The unexpected feedback leads us to new learning and discoveries.
If we’re not hearing new information, of finding new ways to apply that information, we’re not growing as writers. And, growing is how we get better.
Listen to your readers. Learn from them and become better.
As always, if you have any feedback, responses, or arguments for me, leave a comment.
Be successful dear reader, and I’ll see you next post
Forever Mountain Publishing 