Regardless of what genre we write, our writing must progress and change. Part of that is a learning curve all writers go through. To remain current with the market and not have each book we write an interchangeable carbon copy we must change and add conflicts and problems for our characters to solve on their way to their happy ending. Fans don't always like how authors change and grow.
So how do you deal with fans that don't like the new conflict your characters face? Abigail discusses this with regards to her own writing.
I’m starting to realize how difficult it is to evolve and
change as a writer. Not the evolving
part - that happens naturally – but dealing with reader reactions. Those of us
who write in the “comfort reading” genres discover quickly that many readers
who love our first book(s) would really prefer that all future books stick very
close to the same pattern. Those
readers end up feeling betrayed when a new book isn’t what they expected, and
as an author, I have to be careful to stay clear of those angry readers so that
I don’t turn into a book-manufacturing machine. I’ve read too many books by talented authors who are afraid to
move out of the reader’s comfort zone, and instead end up with interchangeable
books.
I understand the readers’ position very well. Some of my favorite writers started out with
books that were light hearted and low in angst (my favorite), and when their
later books become progressively darker, I didn't like it. But as a writer, I found myself doing the
same thing and noticing that most of my fellow writers followed the same
path. It seems to be part of the
author’s journey to start looking into more complicated characters and
situations as time goes on, but the dilemma is dealing with those reader expectations.
The expectations can be astonishingly precise. My earliest books had 100% happy
endings. By the time I wrote Mr. Darcy’s Undoing, there were painful
issues to be resolved in the course of the story, and the ending is only about
95% happy. Darcy marries Elizabeth and
they’re very contented together; all the other main characters also end up
happily married and secure in life.
There are only two ever-so-slightly bittersweet notes. One is that Darcy and Elizabeth aren’t fully
accepted by London high society owing to some of their earlier struggles, but
that doesn’t bother them since they don’t like to go to London during the
Season anyway. Also, their wedding unexpectedly takes place a week early after
they’re caught in a compromising position, but Darcy is thrilled to be marrying
Elizabeth sooner, while Elizabeth would have preferred to wait, but thinks it’s
probably for the best this way.
For me, those two things are just part of life not being
perfect all the time, but I’ve had several readers tell me they didn’t like the
book’s unhappy ending. The first time
that happened, I was completely baffled, since at the end of the book every
single character was happy, but I eventually realized that in my earlier books,
there hadn’t been even a suggestion of life being less than perfect or that
there could ever be lasting consequences of mistakes that were made.
In the end, though, it all comes down to who I write
for. While it’s very difficult for me
to let go of thoughts about what readers will like, I’ve learned from hard
experience that trying to write anything but the stories that appear magically
in my head is the surest road to writer’s block. These days I look at my manuscripts and think uncomfortably about
the readers who may not like it, and then I remind myself of the new readers
who discover my later books and think those, like Baby Bear’s porridge, are
just right.
What about you?
Abigail Reynolds is a physician and a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast. She began writing the Pride and Prejudice Variations series in 2001, and encouragement from fellow Austen fans convinced her to continue asking "What if...?" She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Madison, Wisconsin.
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- As a reader, how do you feel when your favorite author changes style or adds darker or lighter conflicts?
- As a writer, do you notice your writing changing and growing the more you write?
MR DARCY'S UNDOING-available in e-format and print
A passionate new Pride and Prejudice variation explores the unthinkable-Elizabeth accepts the proposal of a childhood friend before she meets Darcy again. When their paths cross, the devastated Mr. Darcy must decide how far he'll go to win the woman he loves.
How can a man who prides himself on his honor ask the woman he loves to do something scandalous?
And how can Elizabeth accept a loveless marriage when Mr. Darcy holds the key to her heart? As they confront family opposition and the ill-will of scandal-mongers, will Elizabeth prove to be Mr. Darcy's undoing? Chapter 1 excerpt
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