: Re: Can you go against the Reader-Response? So, as I'm writing, I noticed something I've been subconsciously doing for a while: "Oh, you're concerned about something, guess this is a red-letter

@Lengel543

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Take solace in the fact that most people will not read your story. If you manage to reach 10% of people, that would be a phenomenal success. For the other 90%, the reader response will be boredom and disinterest. I don't think there's ever been a story with universal appeal, and even the most successful ones probably don't get higher than 1%.

If you're lucky, your story will find its audience. Some people who will pick it up and keep reading. The trick is not to induce the correct reader response in everybody, but to help the story find those people that will have some response to it.

It sounds like it's one of those scifi stories that obsesses over realism and worldbuilding. If that's the case, then the worst thing you can do is dilute the mixture. We know there's an audience for those kinds of stories, and we know this is the sort of thing they like. Indulge as much as you can and assume that your readers are as smart about this stuff as you are.

In fact, it's probably better to assume that your readers are smarter than you. A little paranoia may spur you on to more research.

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