Though writing is usually a solitary activity, Shannon Hale --- author of FOREST BORN, Though writing is usually a solitary activity, Shannon Hale --- author of FOREST BORN, ENNA BURNING and BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS --- often considers it to be a collaborative effort of sorts. Below, she reflects on the wholly unique and personal experience of reading, and shares her thoughts on the partnership formed between a reader and writer in order to tell a good story.
When I was in high school, I read THE STRANGER by Camus, and it turned me upside down. I remember feeling as if the world had fallen away from beneath me and I was floating in space. It was not a good feeling. I was terrified. What if the world meant nothing? What if all this was meaningless? Aaah!
In college, I had to read THE STRANGER again, and I was nervous, remembering my first encounter with existential horror. But this time...eh. It was just a story. And kind of a pointless one, I thought. I marveled at two such extremely different reactions to the same book. Between first and second reading, not one word of THE STRANGER changed. Only I did.
I've had this sort of experience many times --- a beloved childhood book reread, only to find it boring or poorly written; a despised book reread, only to love it. I’ve come to believe that when we read a book, 50% of the storytelling is the author’s part and 50% is the reader’s. I keep this in mind when I’m writing. I can’t control a reader’s reaction to my story, I can’t write something that will affect everyone the same way. We all come to books with vastly different experiences, beliefs, attitudes and questions, and so every reading experience is intensely unique.
I love this about books. I love how flexible they are, bending to each reader’s understanding and needs. I love being a reader, and doing my part to bring a book’s story to life. And I love being a writer, and offering up my own stories for others. As writer and readers, we’re a team, working together to tell a story. Let’s make it a good one!
-- Shannon Hale
