this is sort of a weird question but how do you balance clarifying parts in your stories when asked with not wanting to lay out everything? you seem like you have a good grasp on what to tell and what not to. I just have a hard time imagining myself explaining details of one of my stories without feeling like Iâm infringing on the territory of a readerâs interpretation (or basically just being pedantic). how do you decide?
i always feel like i over-explain, personally. explaining or talking about writing (and art in general) will always sound conceited (i could go on a whole essay tangent about it), so donât worry about that part.my fast and loose rule is only elaborate on things you would be upset about if someone misinterpreted them, or if you want to elaborate.have designated parts of your story that are âopen contentâ for interpreting, for your sake, so that you know what to not touch, and for your readersâ sake, so they have something to specifically focus on and interact with. in turn, also have designated parts of your story that are âhard canonâ to you, which are supposed to be read only one way, with many details in the story to back it up.when asked about things that are tangentially nudging up pretty close to your open content areas, technical non-answers that mainly point out specific details in a way that leads the reader onto a specific interpretation, but donât necessarily state it, and elaborating on several possibilities without favoring any of them, are good ways to go.
at the end of the day, though, donât overthink it. some interpretations are bad. theyâre absolute garbage. some make other readers uncomfortable. some are just confusing or literally deliberately ignoring canon. some (dare i say Many) interpretations are good to bat down.YOU are the writer, your readers are asking questions because they like your ideas and they want to know more from YOU specifically. your skill and personal style as a writer comes from where you personally draw the line, so go with what feels right. trust that the way you intended for your work to be understood is the best and most satisfying possible interpretation.your audience is feeding off your hype about your own stories, donât snuff out your own flame while itâs still a spark, and elaborate on whatever the fuck youâre hyped enough to elaborate on âcuz people who like your work are not nearly as critical as you are, theyâre just excited that thereâs more at all, usually.