The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The question being asked this month for May 2021 is: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn’t expect? If so, did it surprise you?

Reader Surprise & Reader Expectation(s)

While I like to think that not much surprises me anymore, there have been two times when I was surprised by what a reader asked or expressed.

The first time:

Upon learning I was an author, the individual asked, “Have I read anything you’ve written?”

I’ll leave you with that one for a second. (Are you laughing yet?)  I wanted to laugh but didn’t. I stared for short moment, thinking, how do I answer that one? I came up with:

“Since I don’t know what you’ve read, I have no idea.”

He blinked a few times. I’m not sure if he realized what he’d actually asked or not. Thankfully, someone else was already talking about something else.

The second time:

A reviewer responded to my novel, Grendel’s Mother, a book where I gave voice and a backstory to a character from Beowulf who previously had no voice. I stayed true to Beowulf and all incidents regarding Grendel, his mother, and Beowulf’s interaction with them.

Even someone who hasn’t read Beowulf can still read and enjoy Grendel’s Mother. It’s a stand-alone novel.

The reviewer’s comment essentially was, “I’d like to see a sequel.”

Say what? Did you actually read my story? Truly, an impossible feat considering the events at the end of my story. Because the review was online, I didn’t respond, as a good author shouldn’t.

As I was telling someone later about this comment, they said, “Well, couldn’t there be a sequel with Grendel’s children?”

I continue to be surprised.

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