It’s your dream to write a book that makes people feel something when they read your words and get to know your characters.
But how do you ensure the reader feels what you want them to feel?
And where do you start??
By managing reader expectations.
What are reader expectations?
Expectations are not predictable events within a story but promises made (by you) and kept in surprising ways.
These promises start at the 30,000-foot view and work down to word choice the deeper the reader gets into the story.
Some of these promises include genre, theme, and structure.
Let’s start with managing the expectations of GENRE.
Genre is a fancy way of applying a category to the book you’ve written. It’s also the number one way readers pick what to read next. Think about the last time you went searching for a new read. There are certain types of books you’re drawn to, even if you’re a “mood” reader, so you pick one based on what kind of story it is. Your readers will, too, and you want to be clear about what kind of story you’re providing.
Consider broad categories like mystery, romance, horror, and sci-fi/fantasy. There are so many sub-genres that it’ll make your eyes cross, and each has different requirements, so let’s keep it basic for now.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Horror?”
Maybe some gore, like in the movie Carrie or monsters, like in Josh Malerman’s The Bird Box. Perhaps you thought of something else.
The point is that you thought of something specific.
All of the above books share several elements. You can read more about genre essentials HERE.
When managing expectations (AKA, getting the reader to feel what you want them to feel), it’s best to be as specific as possible about your genre.
Learn the conventions, tropes, and intricacies as best as possible and stick with them. Just like you pictured something specific when you read the word “horror,” you want your audience to think something specific when they think of your book.
THEME is another way to manage emotional expectations
…and ties very closely with genre.
Since most writers don’t set out to teach lessons, I work theme around genre. More than likely, your imagination turned to what kind of story you’re writing first or second (sometimes not, but that’s for a different article). From the story that’s formed in your head, you can then start coming up with a theme, or global story lesson, that ties everything together.
The genre usually affects the theme, so figuring it out is partly done for you.
What a relief! Don’t put too much pressure on making this something different and unique. I’ve written an article on how you should stick with a broad theme and what twists and adjustments you can make to keep readers interested HERE.
What about STRUCTURE expectations?
Structure is a challenging topic because there are so many different forms of that can be used.
It can get confusing!
*Do you use Save the Cat or Snowflake? What’s the difference between the 3 Act and the 7 Act?*
Honestly, it doesn’t matter what structure method you prefer because each story you write may require a different approach.
What matters is that you pick one and stick with it for an individual project.
Why?
Readers need a familiar rhythm to fall into. In art creation and endurance sports, we call this flow. The reader wants to enjoy the story without seeing the words on the page, without having to work too hard at what’s coming up next (but just hard enough to be engaged).
Proper expectation management can literally make or break an experience.
I recently went on a bike-packing adventure where I expected the views to be magnificent.
And they were!
A friend I met along the way had extremely high expectations of the location of the huts we were staying in. No wonder, the views from the first day could never be matched.
It caused her to be, well, a little disappointed.
I didn’t have much expectation of them or where they were, just that they had food and water, so I was pleasantly pleased with one in particular. It met all my expectations, yet it was a surprise that it still fit into the genre of “hut location.”
Maybe that’s stretching the metaphor a bit, but you get the point. I knew what to expect, yet was happy to see when something was a little different. Kept promises (the hut) in surprising ways (location).
This also doesn’t mean lowering your expectations of yourself, dumbing down your writing, simplifying a complex plot, or lowering your reader’s expectations. That’s to say, manage expectations with the three elements (to start) from above.
Keeping your promises in a surprising way is a sure-fire way to manage your reader’s expectations. Start with expectations, learn what they are for each component in the type of story you’ve written, and then see about twisting them.
To help you batten these and three other expectations down, I’ve created a FREE downloadable workbook to help you do just that. You get the workbook right away, so you can start as soon as you finish this article.
You’ll also receive weekly tips on how to set a solid story foundation for the greatest emotional connection, insights, writer resources, and expert advice delivered straight to your inbox.
So, what do you think? What one element above have you dialed in to help manage reader expectations? Lemme know in the comments!