A number of people will tell you to write for your audience and to consider the fans as you plot out your book. They think that if you focus on writing for the people who are reading your book, it will make your work more popular.

However…

Authors should be willing to step up and take control of their story. They should do what’s best for the book, even if it goes against the predictions and hopes of the readers. You’ll have an infinitely better manuscript at the end if you stay true to the characters, the plot, and your vision.

But you can’t just tell your readers to set aside their feelings. Yet you shouldn’t give up your creative freedom.

Our brain wants us to seek the path of least resistance, the one that gets our work read. Meeting the expectations of those who voice their opinions is one way that we do this. We try to create our stories around what’s popular and what people expect to see in a book, even when it goes against how we feel the story should go.

A lot of the noise writers hear about their books usually has to do with the overall plot, character diversity, tropes, and point(s) of view.

So how does an author say “NO”?

@therealclarabigail some popular series should’ve stayed at three books ngl #writersoftiktok #writerslife #writing #advice #motivation #writingmemes #writingabook #writingcommunity #writingadvice #writingtips #writingcommunity ♬ original sound – clara abigail 🤍

Plot for the story

Your story still needs to make sense, even if readers are theorizing and hoping for a specific outcome. Shoehorning key events into your book to make readers happy might seem like a great idea but will it make a good story and will you be happy with it in the end?

There might be times when a theory just makes sense and is a great addition to your work, especially in relation to a series, but other times it might be to the detriment of the work as a whole.

Actionable Steps: Write out your plot and key events so that you can see your story from a glance and understand why certain points are in your story. Remind yourself that you are writing for the story rather than pleasing people.

If you receive pushback from your editor, agent, or publisher make sure you take the time to go over their notes and consider their perspective. Make your own list of list of why the events they are asking you to change are important to the story.

That way, if you are sure that the changes they are making are to the detriment of your book, you can base it on the points you’ve already written down and can speak to how their changes would negatively impact your book.

Develop characters based on the world

The characters you create should reflect the world of the story. Your characters should feel as though they are a part of that world rather than just a description on paper. Represent them in a way that feels authentic to your story.

Diversity is important but not when it’s just a way of making your book more acceptable in current society.

If you’re writing fantasy that includes the merging of races or creatures, it can be helpful to make timelines for yourself to keep everything as accurate as possible.

Actionable Steps: Write out the details of the world including the area, the politics, the races, the timeline of the areas, etc. Knowing your world can help you develop characters that fit into it seamlessly.

If your story is based on the real world and a real place, make sure to do you research and play around with what everyday life looks or looked like there. If it’s in the future you have plenty of liberty to make more changes but you still want it to feel real to the story you’re trying to tell.

If the only reason you’re including a character is to diversify your story and make it more palatable to judging audiences then that character is more likely to come across as one-dimensional.

When receiving critiques on your book, don’t fret if someone doesn’t understand why certain characters are or are not in your story. Your goal is to try to make it as clear as possible in the book but, even then, some people may be blinded by the current world climate and not understand.

If those people are your editors, agent, or publisher, make sure you explain it to them. Don’t worry too much about those outside of the publishing process. You can’t bend over backwards for everyone.

Don’t be swayed toward common tropes

If you don’t want to put a specific trope in your story but you’re seeing readers asking for it or critiquing that it would be better if it had that, don’t feel pressured. Just because a trope is common and people are into it right now doesn’t mean that it has to be in your book.

There’s no reason you have to put enemies to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden love, etc. into your book if you don’t want to. As you write you should be able to see what’s best for the story. Forcing things in, hoping it will make your book more popular, usually won’t meet expectations.

Actionable Steps: Make a list of major themes, tropes, motifs, etc. Know what drives your story and what elements are put in place for reader gratification.

By understanding what theme(s) are driving your book you can combat anyone who wants you to wedge in elements that don’t benefit the story.

Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it has a place in your book. You can kindly remind people of this when they feel the need to critique you by saying you should have included a certain theme, trope, motif, etc.

There’s a deeper issue if your publishing team won’t listen to what you want your book to convey.

Now, if they are saying that your book doesn’t come across the way that your explaining, you may want to reread your work and try to stay as unbiased as possible.

Write in a tone or POV that’s comfortable

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to which point of view they enjoy when reading a book. Many people are very vocal about this but it doesn’t mean that you have to cave to one or the other. Write in the POV that best tells your story and is the most comfortable for you.

You can even write in multiple points of view if you want. Just make sure that each one is essential to the story rather than just helping you rack up your word count.

Actionable Steps: List out your points of view. Document the journey of each POV. Note key events in each.

When you analyze your writing you should see if the point(s) of view your using are strong enough to tell the story. There may be a view that would tell the story better but it’s difficult to see this when you’re just reading through, especially if you have multiple points of view.

If you feel strongly that each point of view is absolutely essential to the book then you should address that with those asking you to change it prior to publishing. Your agent, editor, or publisher should be open to hearing your views.

However, in this particular area, you need to listen to the reasons they are asking you to change the points of view. If they feel the story isn’t strong enough the way that it’s written based on who is telling it, you need to take some time to step back and dive deep into their reasoning. Remember, they are reading it from a neutral perspective.

Regardless of point of view, StudioLink is the perfect place to post your work and find the audience who loves the way you write.

📖📖📖

It can be tough not to cave to the demands of the people reading your book but staying true to your story and characters will make your work better. That’s why saying no and standing up for your writing is important.

As a writer, you want people to like your book. You hope that everyone will be pleased with the story you’re telling but you can’t please everyone. Take the time to understand what you’ve written and then be willing to speak up as you’re working to publish your work. Everyone on your team should be supportive of your vision and hear you out. Don’t make yourself smaller just to get your book published easier.

Obviously, just saying “no” isn’t going to do anything. You have to block out the opinions and write the book how you think it should be portrayed. You want to share the best version that you can and even if it goes against what people think should happen, it’s your book and you should be proud of it.

If you’ve finished or are close to being done with your book and are looking to publish, Third Wheel Publishing is looking for new authors. Get the benefits of traditional publishing even without an agent. Submit now!