Search the site...

DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
  • Services
    • Ghostwriting
    • Content Marketing
    • Digital Strategy
  • About
  • Product
  • Publication
  • Services
    • Ghostwriting
    • Content Marketing
    • Digital Strategy
  • About
  • Product

How To Put Your Readers In the Right Mood

4/7/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
by Will Viharo

​The relationship between a writer and a reader is very intimate, at least on a cerebral level. You are alone together in the shared imagination of your creation.
 
And just like any other date with someone you’re trying to woo and seduce, you need to make sure you make the right impression, sustain their interest without being too self-indulgent, and address your audience with a tone ideally suited to the occasion…

As a reader and a writer, atmosphere is everything to me. I love inventing alternate worlds inhabited by unique characters doing interesting things in colorful locations that are hybrids of people and places I’ve actually known, combined with total fabrications.
 
Still speaking subjectively, the “feeling” of a book is more important to me than the plot. The same goes for movies and music. If the sensation is  special enough, I can visit members of any these mediums again and again, without losing my passion for the subject, because I’m continually drawn to that sense of being someplace else fascinating and comfortable. It’s like taking a mental “staycation,” any time of the day or night, wherever I happen to be.
 
Not every reader, or writer, shares this idiosyncrasy. That’s okay, since the experience of art appreciation is meant to be subjective. No matter how carefully you convey your words, brush strokes or song stylization, the person on the other side of the page or canvas or sound spectrum is going to filter your voice or vision via their own experiences and perspective. That’s what makes art such a unifying yet individualistic phenomenon.
 
Nobody Fails a Rorschach Test…
 
But since creativity is the sole expression of the creator, you need to remain true to your own specific agenda, even if you’re experimenting with the literary equivalent of free-form jazz, like Jack Kerouac’s famous stream-of-consciousness style in On the Road, meaning the structure is fluid and unrestrained, but intentionally so, like expressionist cinema or avant-garde paintings. This seemingly improvisational technique in itself requires discipline and purity of purpose.
 
Depending on what genre you’ve chosen, which then dictates a particular target audience, you will need to compose your work accordingly. And if you’re really aiming for something totally innovative, and possibly revolutionary, that risk will only pay off if you know exactly what “rules” you’re breaking, so the ultimate effect doesn’t come off as a total random accident. Readers can spot lazy writing almost instantly.
 
The only “rule” that ultimately matters to most readers is simple: don’t bore them. And since books take much longer to tell a story than a two-hour movie or a single painting, you will need to work harder to sustain interest.
 
One way to do that is to remain totally true to the tone of your piece, so that imaginary universe remains consistently tangible, no matter how fantastical it becomes. The reader should always feel totally immersed in the environment of the characters, even if the plot is taking its time unraveling. Just don’t meander as a narrator. Stay focused.
 
Repeat Business Depends On the Comfort of Familiarity…
 
True works of art always convey a very specific ambience, especially the visual and sonic mediums, but this can also be true in literature, even if it demands much more descriptive detail and concentration.
 
No matter how it’s later interpreted by fans and critics alike, if you “transcribe” the fictional world inside your head directly to the page, intact with all its intentional integrity, you’ve succeeded at least on an artistic level. Of course, commercial success is always the goal too, at least for professionals. And as a writer, that means never losing touch with your audience. Even if you can't see them, they can "see" you.
 
In order to make sure the reader doesn’t feel suddenly disconnected from the world of your story, you need to stay inside that realm yourself as you’re writing.
 
Your own immediate surroundings may or may not be conducive to this effort, and often the writer is trying to escape the harshness of everyday reality as much as the reader. The common goal is to make sure you’re taking the same journey at the same time. As tour guide, it’s your responsibility to keep your “passengers” engaged at all times, even if you’re resorting to inventive distractions while you’re clearing the path ahead. As long you both wind up at a mutually satisfactory destination, it’s all good.
 
Listening to music, essentially your own personal “soundtrack,” as you write can also help you maintain a consistent mood.
 
Always keep in mind that with your words, you’re implanting images and impressions inside your readers’ heads that, if you do your job properly, will wind up seeming like dreams or memories to them. Only these are portable dreams they can return to over and over, like a favorite getaway spot.
 
And if they enjoy hanging out at this place, they may want to check out others in your literary “resort franchise" for a second date. Because now they know they trust you.
 
 PHOTO: WOVOC

1 Comment
Richard O Snelson link
4/7/2016 03:50:33 pm

I traveled the journey you describe with my characters in The Hawksbill Crag. Thank you for a great insight in writing.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Digital Marketing
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Privacy-concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writing

      Get the run-down on all things digital in our WEEKLY
      ​
      newsletter!

      By clicking on the Submit button below, you consent that your inquiry, including your personal data, will be transferred to Digital Media Ghost.
    Subscribe
    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

DMG University
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2012-2019