A Life of Their Own, by Lori Roberts Herbst

“All worthy work is open to interpretations the author did not intend. Art isn't your pet — it's your kid. It grows up and talks back to you.” ― Joss Whedon

 

Remember the Dress Debate a few years back? Some of us saw a gold dress, while others saw blue and black. I fell into the gold dress crowd, and even today, knowing the dress was actually blue and black, I can only see gold.

 

Then there’s the Old Woman or Young Woman illustration. When I squint and tilt my head just so, I can sort of make out the image of the old woman, but it’s not an easy feat. I’ve seen the sketch dozens of times over the years, and despite the knowledge that both representations exist in one drawing, my brain always gravitates toward the young woman.

 These two examples came to mind because I’ve been thinking lately about perception and interpretation. In addition to English and journalism undergrad degrees, I earned a master’s in counseling, so I’m fascinated by the inner workings of the brain. But it was a recent Facebook sequence that reignited my interest in the subject.

 

It started when I created a series of Getting to Know You posts spotlighting the cast of characters in my Callie Cassidy Mystery series. Each post included a brief question-and-answer scenario with the character—entertaining tidbits designed to help readers learn more about my characters’ interests.

 

A funny thing happened. Several loyal readers disagreed with some of the character assessments. For example, one reader mentioned that the Maggie I portrayed didn’t look at all like the Maggie she knew from the books. Another reader messaged me to say I was wrong about a character’s enjoyment of travel. “He’d really rather stay home,” she wrote.

 

And so it went. I admit I was surprised. I hadn’t anticipated anyone would hold such strong views about the Rock Creek Village characters. Readers seemed to enjoy the series of mini-interviews, but they weren’t shy about letting me know when their perceptions differed from my own.

 

They did realize these characters were figments of my imagination, right?

Turns out, the characters had blossomed into figments of my readers’ imaginations, too—and what an unexpected gift that is for me. It means characters I created have taken on a life of their own, one that exists outside my brain, my fingers, and my keyboard. It is gratifying to know that readers have become so immersed in my fictional world that they can picture it—and the people in it—so vividly. 

 

“Every writer can tell you that a book is only truly alive when it finds passionate readers who bring it alive in their imaginations.” —Julia Alvarez

 

In retrospect, I suppose I should have realized this would happen. I was an English major, for heaven’s sake, so I know how interpretation of fiction works. Readers are influenced by their own context, which means the truth of a book is of necessity subjective. I can’t find evidence to prove this story, but I remember reading that Robert Frost once anonymously wrote in to a literary magazine to explain the meaning of a poem he wrote and was told by the critic that he was dim and clueless. (Side note: if you ever want to engage in a hearty dialogue on poetry, dive into the discussion surrounding Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”)

 

My personal version of misalignment with an author’s analysis lies in my own haughty disagreement with Stephen King’s interpretation of Needful Things as portrayed through his personal narration of his audiobook. I submit he just didn’t get it quite right. As if I know more than he does about his book…

 

But then again, perhaps I do. Perhaps his characters, his stories, live differently in my brain than they do in anyone else’s. That’s a good thing, right? It verifies the notion that fiction can absorb us, stimulate our imaginations, make us think, cause us to feel. And isn’t that the overarching beauty of fiction—of art in any form? In my humble opinion, it’s what we need more of in the world. (Not-so-subliminal messaging: read more fiction and create more art.)

 

What book’s characters have come alive for you?

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Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. To find out more and to sign up for her newsletter, go to www.lorirobertsherbst.com