Why writers need to care about the reader journey
An author’s job is to please and delight readers. This is the joyful, beautiful, wonderful gift of being a writer. Writing success is directly linked to how well we can engage readers. If you are not considering what a reader experiences when they read your story, then it will be incredibly challenging to figure out how to become a successful author. Of course, everyone’s definition of success in writing is unique, and it should be. But if you want to define writing success by having a wide readership or selling lots of books (and let’s be honest, most of us do), then you have to be intentional about what your readers want and how to deliver it to them. As a book coach and developmental editor, I help writers design an intentionally pleasing reader journey because I believe that is the key to writing success.
“...what draws us into a story and keeps us there is the firing of our dopamine neurons, signaling that intriguing information is on the way.”
― Lisa Cron, Wired for Story
What is the reader journey?
The reason people seek entertainment in the form of stories (whether it’s books, TV or movies) is because they want an emotional experience. Does your story succeed in delivering an authentic emotional experience to your reader? A reader journey is the rollercoaster of emotions that your reader experiences and enjoys as they read the story. It’s difficult to deliver an authentic experience. Often, emotional experiences in stories can either feel absent or forced and shallow. Your job is to find the place between these extremes so that it hits the right spot for a wide variety of readers.
Delivering too shallow of an experience might be like a Christmas movie with the same tired storyline, barely scratching the surface of human emotion. I’m talking about the kinds of movies that make people roll their eyes and cringe every time a heartfelt scene comes on. On the opposite end of the spectrum are new writers who forget to include character elements like arc, worldview or deep need and write only about plot events. The only emotion these plot-heavy stories illicit is boredom. As novelists, we can do better! It takes time, practice and training, but when you learn story structure, theme and character arc AND how to combine them, you can successfully take your reader on a complex emotional journey that leaves them feeling fully engaged with your story and completely satisfied by the end of it.
Story sructure and the reader journey
Remember that rollercoaster of emotions I mentioned earlier, well it’s not random. We don’t want to be playing with our readers’ emotions in a way that frustrates or annoys them. For example, by killing off a beloved character for no good reason. This is not the experience readers are seeking. They actually have subconscious expectations for when things will turn and change in a story. We should aim to meet those expectations by paying close attention to story structure. Story structure helps us with planning the right timing for turns in the story. The timing is based on what our readers expect. You can analyze any movie, and you’ll discover that it has similar timing. For example, all stories begin with a status quo and then an inciting incident that upsets that status quo for the main character. You can’t get away with NOT understanding structure because a sloppy structure will make readers quit reading your book. If readers can’t finish your book, you’ll get low readership, poor sales and bad reviews.
Character arc and the reader journey
Even if you have a perfect understanding of story structure, you need to combine that with a compelling and believable character arc. Structure when it’s plot heavy is typically not enough to entice and engage readers. Why? Because they are seeking to journey along with a character they can identify and empathize with. You need to give them that by creating a flawed character who gets fixed through the events of the plot (or who resists fixing if it’s a tragedy). Story structure, when done correctly, is actually more than plot. It’s plot (events of a story) combined with character arc (character transformation). A reader cannot feel emotions without an avatar who is feeling, experiencing and interpreting the events of the story. Amateur writers write about events, but pro writers write about characters transformed by events. There’s no way for your reader to take an emotional journey without a thinking, feeling and growing character whose shoes they can step into for the length of the story.
Theme and the reader journey
Theme is your opportunity to speak deeply on something important and leave your readers with a lasting impression of your novel. This is what makes them recommend it to other people. Theme is your chance to go beyond the Hallmark Christmas movie and speak about real issues and human experiences that are relevant or important to your reader. Writers resonate with great themes on a deep level. This doesn’t mean you have to write an issues book or hammer people over the head with moral lessons, but it does mean ruminating on a universal truth that perhaps not enough people are talking about. Whatever you do, don’t forget about this important aspect of your novel because it deepens the reader experience and creates a more profound emotional journey for them. The result? They’ll be singing the praises of your book long after they’ve finished reading it.
If you’re looking for help designing a novel that caters specifically to the reader journey, don’t hesitate to reach out. I give writers feedback that is directly rooted in good quality storytelling. I also help writers who are feeling stuck with their stories and aren’t sure how to move forward. Get in touch for a free 30-minute chat to see if my services might be right for you.
