What a gift to meet with real readers and hear their responses to your writing! My dear friend and writing buddy Nancy Burke had the opportunity to experience this cherished gift firsthand recently when she met with the Great Writers book group at Watchung Booksellers, our beloved indie bookstore here in Montclair, New Jersey. Together, they explored her novel, Only the Women Are Burning. What a fun evening!

Luckily, I was there, too, and had the chance to listen to the kinds of questions readers ask and what they enjoy. Here’s a quick recap:

Readers enjoy knowing where a story springs from: One of the first questions readers asked was how Nancy came up with the theme of her story, which revolves around a series of women spontaneously combusting in a suburban town. Nancy talked about sitting by a pool one sunny day years ago when the image of women unexpectedly burning flashed across her mind. The vision intrigued her and set her on a long, fruitful journey.

Readers love hearing about the act of creation: Readers love hearing the inside story—the ups an downs of writing and revision. Nancy’s story took years to evolve and ripen. In all, she went through four major revisions. The book club readers really enjoyed hearing about how different strands of information—from ritual burnings in India to Wilhelm Reich’s energy theories were woven together in the novel.

Readers enjoy sharing what they found believable and authentic: Nancy’s novel crosses genres—it’s part sci fi, part thriller, part domestic drama. While the publishing industry finds it hard to categorize, the book club readers don’t mind a mixed-genre story. In fact, there was enthusiastic support for the way Nancy artfully wove her character Cassie’s marital problems into the sci-fi and thriller themes. People loved her portrait of Pete, Cassie’s distant and clueless husband.

Readers love learning about what’s next: Nancy talked about her latest project: turning her novel into a screenplay and the difference ways of viewing a story that a film requires.

Readers can reveal so much to us as writers! Unlike critique partners, who give us technical feedback, readers respond to a story as a whole. They enjoy it, not just as entertainment, but as a slice of life that either rings true or doesn’t. Hearing their honest responses about what worked for them can be both fulfilling and fruitful. Let’s keep our readers in our hearts and minds as we all write on!

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