Sometimes, as writers, we ignore one of the greatest resources at our disposal: our own experiences as readers.
A vast well of knowledge resides within us, but sometimes we get caught up trying to figure out the rules and completely forget about that.
Our pet peeves as readers should guide us as writers.
Examples from my own personal pet peeves (and thus, my personal guides for my own books):
Blurb vs Review Quotes
I can’t stand a back cover full of review quotes. I want to see the blurb when I turn a book over, not some quote calling it “derisive” or “nebulous.”
Kindly fuck off with that shit.
I want to turn the book over and see what it’s about.
So when I publish, I put the blurb on the back cover. I might have a pull quote somewhere on there, but the blurb is front and center. (Well, back and center because it’s the back of the book.)
Series Numbers
I don’t typically write series (my current, almost completed wip being the exception), but from my experience as a reader, I will have Book One or Book Two or Book Whatever Number The Series Reaches on the cover and spine. There have been so many times that I’ve picked up a book and learned after reaching the end of it that there are 4 or 7 more books.
It’s infuriating.
So as a writer, I won’t do that to my readers.
Inconsistent Characters for Convenience
I hate when characters make stupid decisions that don’t line up with their personalities but are convenient for the plot. So as a writer, I won’t do that.
Head Hopping
I love books with multiple POVs, so I often write them. But I hate when the point of view changes without warning/within the same scene or chapter. Even worse… within the same paragraph.
So for the sake of my readers, when I change POV in a book, I start a new chapter and put the characters name below the chapter number, because that’s how I prefer to read it.
There are so many little things that we’ve learned as readers that can make us better writers or improve the reading experience as a whole for our readers.
So, next time you’re faced with a decision about your cover or your formatting or whatever, switch from writer brain to reader brain.
Do whatever wouldn’t piss you off as a reader.
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