Trusting Your Reader = A More Immersive Experience
You may be saying, “Kourtney, what are you talking about? How does trust create an immersive reading experience?”
Well, Dearest Writer, let me ask you some questions:
Have you ever worried your readers won’t figure out what you mean?
Have you ever wondered if you’re confusing your readers?
Have you ever asked yourself, “Will my readers get this, or do I need to explain more?”
Maintain the illusion for your readers.
We all remember how disappointed Dorothy & Co. was to find out the wizard was just a man.
Conveying your message is important. Showing the readers exactly how you visualize your story is key.
But sometimes, in your effort to do that, you overexplain. You wander into the ✨Telling Territory✨ and you only want to be there intentionally.
Yes, as you may have guessed, the ability to trust your readers is just the age-old writing craft technique of Showing vs. Telling in a fun little disguise.
If Show v. Tell was a person it would be Dwight.
If you’ve been in my circle of trust 😉 long enough, you know that I prefer to use Show More Than Tell because telling does have a purpose.
Trusting your readers is all about believing they can and will pick up on the things you leave as clues in your backstory, world-building, characterization, etc.
Now, keep in mind, this trust level changes based on your target readership:
What’s obvious to an adult who has more life experience might not be obvious to a teen.
What’s obvious to a teen might not be obvious to an adolescent.
What’s obvious to an adolescent might not be obvious to a child.
When you tell and overexplain your characters’ emotions, thoughts, and even their actions, the curtain opens. The illusion is gone. The readers can see you now. They know a writer is telling them a story rather than getting sucked in and forgetting they’re not your main character.
✋🏼 On the other hand, telling and overexplaining is manipulative. It is an (unconscious) attempt at controlling how your readers respond to the characters and the action.
Distrusting your readers isn’t done on purpose, it’s a way to ensure your intent is understood and your readers aren’t confused. But…
It shatters the immersive experience because your reader isn’t given the chance to figure it out on their own. And that’s exactly what they want to do!
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