What Readers Give Writers – Jane Kirkpatrick
The words “to read” come from the Norse language and they mean “to unveil a mystery.” I love that! When we read, we peel back the outside of the story seeking the secrets the author has buried inside. But are also unveiling our own mysteries, our own journeys to the interior. When readers take the time to share some of those discoveries with an author, it is a treasure indeed.
Once I named a character Mazy Bacon. I wanted an English sounding name. And I gave her a dog named “Mr. Pig.” We had such a dog, a big black lab who slobbered and made noises when he ate so we called him “Mr. Pig.” Imagine my surprise when a reader asked “Did you give Mazy the last name of Bacon because of Mr. Pig?” I hadn’t but I could see how she found humor in that Bacon selection…though maybe not so much for Mr. Pig.
I often get corrections from readers, or things they think are corrections, and they can be helpful making second editions more accurate. A reader of my latest book told me that one didn’t “ride on an oxcart.” Instead, one walked beside the wagon on the Oregon Trail. That piece of history had escaped me…it won’t again and in my latest work in progress, I had occasion to make sure my character had yokes and not harnesses to deal with.
Another reader told me that she has my books sent to the Federal prison where her daughter resides. “We read the books and then when I visit we have something to talk about that isn’t full of all the pain and disappointment that led up to our being in that room with guards at the doors.” That mom went on to say that the characters and how they solved or didn’t solve problems helped them solve their own issues.
That woman’s words saying how a novel could touch their lives touched mine, giving me renewed encouragement to tell the stories I’ve been given the best way I know how and to trust that I’m not alone in the process. Thank you, dear readers!
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