How do writers feel when people read their writing?

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Hello reader!

I often wonder about who you are, where you’re from and how you feel. Each view on a post represents someone out there. Perhaps we know each other, maybe we’re just strangers. Either way, the relationship between a reader and a writer is quite special. Reading someone’s writing is like looking through a window into our lives. When you read between the lines, you can gain an understanding of who we are even if we’ve never met.

There are the moments when a particular sentence or passage touches you because it’s said in a way that you see yourself in those words. As a writer, that’s powerful to understand that our writing had an impact on someone else. After all, it’s magical how these lines and scribbles called writing can evoke feelings when combined properly.

My attitude towards writing continues to change as I grow up and experience more. I was interested in how other writers felt when people read their writing. Here’s what YAA bloggers had to say:

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“I feel elated when people read my writing. If they comment positively, it improves my day significantly because it shows that I have been successful in connecting with my audience and giving them the message I had intended to give. I take negative criticisms in a constructive manner and apply those to the next article I write to improve it.” – Gayarthi Menon 

“It’s a sense of empowerment. Especially as a young writer, it feels powerful to know that my voice can be heard. As youth, our perspectives matter. It is a chance for us to eradicate the stigma that youth are disinterested in intellectual topics. Yet, here we are, exploring the beyond. Therefore, the negatives never outweigh the positives. Of course, I am going to receive negative feedback. But I will learn from them. However, it is still my voice that I want to convey. It is what I know best and they say to write what you know.” – Rebecca Yang

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“Writing is an adventure. When you first start a draft, there may be some part of you that will try to cater to a specific audience or maybe you’ll even write what you think other people want to hear. Many people, specifically me, have a ton of opinions and sometimes those opinions aren’t exactly popular ones.

But to me, writing is about expression, it’s about finding yourself more than it is about entertainment. There is no truer way to understand yourself than the moment when you see a phrase written down, and published to the Internet, and you are okay with knowing that your words will be there forever. When you don’t get that feeling, you rewrite and edit until you do. Sometimes, you discover thoughts or opinions that you didn’t know you had before. Being able to entertain others is an added bonus.

When you receive negative feedback, it’s a sign that you’ve done something right, that you’ve made a strong enough point that the reader has been compelled into taking time out of their day to say something to you. Positive feedback means that you’ve helped someone, made that person laugh/cry/surprised, or simply had enough personality show through that he/she couldn’t help but share his/her glee. Either way, these comments let you know that there are people out there who you’ve influenced (even if it’s only in some small way).

I’m a super verbal person and writing is a way for me to get my thoughts out there instead of having to explain the thoughts 24 times to 24 different people. Having family and friends comment is great, because it shows that they took the time out of their day to read it and accept your views. At the end of the day, the feedback (or lack of feedback) you get on your posts might not tell you anything. Maybe there weren’t a lot of readers the week your post was published, maybe there was another post hogging the spotlight, or whatever other reasons. At the end of your adventure, if you’ve come out of it a better person, that’s all that really matters.” – Ailin Li 

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 I also asked my other friends what they thought:

“I remember the first blog I wrote and my Grade 8 teacher’s daughter commented and it made me so happy. She took time out of her day to not only read my writing but comment and try to help me out of a tough situation. As time went on, people stopped reading my blog, but it didn’t make that much of a difference to me because I was expressing my own feelings. When I had no other person to rely on I had my writing.

As high school came along, more people cared and mattered. For me it became a form of communication. Especially for the things I would hesitate to say in person which turns out to be a lot, I could do it easily through writing. My texts and messages are paragraph after paragraph. My friend made me a beautiful little quote card. It says: “Your writing matters. Your writing is your art and what makes you happy.”

As I was going through tough times, one of the only ways to get to me was through writing. I luckily have not gotten any negative feedback on my writing, although I know there are many improvement to be made. I have restricted myself recently from posting blogs because I feel like it’s a way of publicizing my feelings. But I’ve been looking at it the wrong way! Yes, I write for others. But I write for myself too. It makes me happy and so I will do it more often!” – Nabila Esmail 

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“Writing has a purpose, whether it be for an audience or an escape from reality. Some people write under forced circumstances. Some people write for leisure. Whatever the reason, writing often exposes a side of us that not many people know, even some of our very close friends. When I first meet someone, I notice the way they present themselves and adjust myself accordingly. For example, if a person is very talkative, I will take the time to listen and respond with questions to let continue the conversation.

But when I’m writing, I am talking to myself. I’m using my perspective and my thoughts and writing them down. So whenever a close friend/family member comments on my writing, I am… flustered. I’m not sure if that’s the right word, but I feel embarrassed. How I write is so different than how I present myself, I feel as if I’m fake towards people. I also feel that they are closer to me because I just shared something of myself with them, and it’s pure.” – Crystal Hon

Conclusion

At our most recent YAA meeting, we were shown some stats about the blog. Above is a map detailing where our readers come from and it just goes to show how far-reaching of an influence writing can have. Hopefully you learned something about the special relationship that readers and writers have.

After talking to other writers about their experiences, I’ve realized something about myself too. I was once embarrassed to have people comment on my writing. I used to write only for personal pleasure or for expressing my feelings, but I’ve gradually realized that I write for an audience as well. Someone’s reading these very words right now, and if you are that person, then I appreciate you taking some time out of your day to do so.

Writing connects us with others. It is empowering. It is an adventure and a form of expression. It is art. It has purpose. With that said, all that’s left is to continue writing. The journey doesn’t stop here. 

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