The "Wise Reader" Method for Author Feedback

A writer needs feedback on his work especially during the first few draftsof a story. He needs to know what works and what does not, what to cut, what to expand, and so on. While many of us would like to help our fellow authors in this endeavor, most of us are not (mercifully) experienced critics or book reviewers. We read or hear a piece, form a general impression, and then are at a loss for words beyond, "It didn't do much for me," or "I liked it," or "That's pretty good."

Here is a more effective way to read or listen to an author's work, and thenrespond. Advocated by Orson Scott Card in his book How to Write Fantasy & Science Fiction, he calls it the "Wise Reader" method. Briefly, the aim of the method is not to tell the writer what or how to revise (how to fix anything) but instead to report your response to what he has already written so he knows where a story needs work. In Mr. Card's words:

"Rare is the writer who actually knows what he's written when it first comesout on paper. A passage you think is clear won't be. A character you think is fascinating will bore other people silly because you haven't yet grasped what it is that makes him interesting. But you won't know it until someone else has read it and told you.

"Who? Your workshop? A teacher?

"They really can't do the job you need. You need someone to read it now, today, the minute you finish it. Someone who is committed to your career and wants you to succeed almost as much as you do.

"In other words, you need a spouse, or very close friend who is a brilliant critic.

"...Here's the good news: You can turn almost any intelligent, committed person into the Wise Reader you need. But first you have to understand that a Wise Reader is not someone to tell you what to do next, it's someone to tell you what you have just done. In other words you want your spouse or friend to report to you, in detail and accurately, on the experience of reading your story."

Card goes on to say that he prefers a Wise Reader not have formal literarytraining, lest he is tempted to diagnose, analyze, or offer prescriptions. Card says:

"...[Don't] imagine for a moment that he [the Wise Reader] can tell you how to fix your story. All he can tell you is what it feels like to read it."

So how do we become Wise Readers for authors sharing their work with us? Here are five key points a Wise Reader monitors as he reads a story. (Keeping pencil and paper handy during this process is most helpful):

* High Interest? What parts of the story kept you riveted to your seat? Werethere parts where you lost interest or found your mind wandering? Were thereparts that were out-and-out boring?

(This helps point the author toward sections of the story that needrevision, rearranging, or cutting.)

* Engaging Characters? What did you feel about each character? Love him? Hate him? Captured by him? Filled with apathy and inertia? Did you keep getting him confused with another character, or (really bad news!) forget who he was from chapter to chapter?

(This lets the author know when his readership is feeling the right thingsabout a character, and for the right reasons.)

* Clear Presentation? Did you understand all the scenes? If a scene is meant to convey mystery or confusion, did it come off that way? Were there places where you had to reread to get the picture of what the author was trying to say?

(This points to places where exposition is not handled properly, or the writing is plain confusing.)

* High Credibility? Were all the scenes, characters, actions, and dialoguebelievable? or were there spots where you simply could not buy what washappening in the story?

(This highlights cliches and areas needing better detail and explanation.)

* Effective Resolution? What do you think will happen next in the story? Arethere areas of confusion remaining, questions left unanswered, issues leftunresolved?

(If the reading is a fragment, questions left unanswered will notify the author about the conflicts and tensions he has successfully created. On the other hand, in a scene or complete work, it can also tell him what he has failed to explain to the reader's satisfaction.)

Card ends his exposition on wise readership with good news and bad news. The good news, he says, is that industriously applying the method assures an author his work is as polished as he can get it, and increases, perhaps dramatically, his likelihood of publication. The bad news is that no one becomes a part-time Wise Reader. Once we have learned the technique, we apply it to all the books we read, all the movies we see. We find ourselves grumbling over art we used to enjoy in blissful naivete. Nonetheless, wise readership is worth the effort and cost because, in the end, it make betterreaders and writers of us all.

by Fred W. Hansen