Expectations Successfully Unsubverted

All writing tells some sort of story and when readers show up, they arrive with an expectation. And that expectation is something you’ve delivered in some way. For an established writer, the reader may be returning due to a positive experience they’ve had in the past. But a new reader? Your title, description, and your opening are going to be the main players here, barring any sort of external marketing.

So, properly setting expectations is vital, and you’re going to establish some whether you’re intending to or not. The reason you want to do so intentionally is because of what’s more important—delivering. Readers are expecting something out of the story, and it’s the reason they’re reading to begin with. If you don’t deliver on that after leading them to believe they’d get it, you risk losing them forever.

Setting Expectations

Early on, I faced an issue with my novel—Twilight Wolf. I had several readers give me feedback about various things that weren’t working for them, and I couldn’t really understand what was going on. Grammatically, everything was fine. I knew the story and I was delivering it the way I thought it needed to be delivered, yet something was broken.

The solution actually came from an unexpected place, but once I saw it, I knew what was wrong. I watched ‘How to Begin a Movie’ by YouTuber The Closer Look. Don’t let the title skew your expectations though. I realize it’s directed at movies, but a lot of storytelling techniques aren’t confined to specific mediums like video, audio, or writing. And this video absolutely applies to writing as well.

In the video, the specific thing that put me back on track was his examination of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The opening scene involves Indiana Jones stealing a gold idol from an Aztec tomb. This sequence isn’t part of the movie’s main plot, but it’s still vital because it sets your expectations.

Back with my readers, the specific thing that unified all of the problems had to do with improperly setting expectations. Most, if not all, of us are familiar with the exchange where Little Red Riding Hood is talking with the wolf, who’s pretending to be her grandmother. It’s iconic and it’s where I wanted my story to start.

When my readers were going through the story, they were wrongfully assuming that it was a retelling or reimagining. And the wrongfully here isn’t on them; it’s on me. The story isn’t this, but I provided them no reason to believe otherwise. So, when the events start moving off the script, it’s an unexpected twist...but not in a good way.

The solution involved introducing a prologue for my Red Riding Hood character, who was only adopting this mantle as a persona. In the prologue, you start within Mioko’s—the protagonist—point of view. You meet the villain, are introduced to some portal magic, get a sense of what Mioko’s goal will be, and see why Grimm’s Fairy Tales gets mixed into the equation.

With the prologue in place and properly setting expectations, I was free to start the story where I wanted. It fixed all my previous issues and actually improved the reader’s experience. When Mioko plays along with the wolf, while intentionally trying to derail the expected conversation, it’s amusing because the reader is included on the joke.

Expectations and Click-bait

I’ve seen a lot of titles the past few weeks with click-baity titles. And part of the problem with such titles has to do with establishing expectations. If a video or article delivers on what the title suggests, no big deal. But if it doesn’t? That’s where it becomes an issue. There’s no denying that those sort of titles can increase your views, but if it’s a first time viewer and you don’t deliver what they’re expecting... They’re likely a last time viewer as well.

I had this exact experience with a writer a few weeks ago. Their title led me to expect a specific thing, so I read to find out more about it. I was then disappointed to find the first several paragraphs were about something that wasn’t related to my expectations at all. If the article ever got to the information I was after, I can’t say. I stopped reading pretty early, and that’s a problem we all face as writers. There are a lot of writers out there and if you can’t deliver what the reader wants, they’ll just move on to the next one. It’s not personal.

Don’t let that fact discourage you. The existence of competition is a great thing and it’s what you want. I touched on rivals back in this article, so check that out if you’re interested in seeing my thoughts on it.

Another thing I mentioned in the same article was Your Lie in April. I bring it up again for a separate take away though. There’s a particular scene that comes up where Kaori asks Kosei, “What do you want to say with this piece?” It was a fair question for Kosei, but it’s also a very important question for You—the writer reading this.

Beginning with this very article, I aim to ask myself this question for each new thing I write. And I encourage you to consider doing the same. It doesn’t really matter what it is you’re writing. There’s a story present. Ideally, it’s an intentional one. If it isn’t intentional or if you just don’t know what story you’ve included, maybe this question can help you find your answer.

The answer to my own question was this:

I want to share what it took me far too long to learn. And I want to impress upon my fellow writers the importance of setting expectations.

Did I reach you?