Audience Members and the Division of Roles

Six months ago, I wrote a casual entry about a celebrated writer. Several bloggers cherry-picked two or three sentences of the essay, quoted it, and the thing became some kind of viral nightmare. For almost a week, the thing drove traffic to this site and a slew of strangers stomped on my internet doorstep. Some wanted to know how much I knew about anything they knew, and if perhaps I did know things could they then disagree with me. You get the idea.

I've never been comfortable with that kind of attention. Sure, I don't mind when "The Real Deal" gets a marathon on television. It means triple digit visitors who want nothing more than to read someone else's opinion about an episode. People like to read about something they've just read or saw or heard. It provides a forum, an illusion of a shared experience. I get that. Those people are quiet and only occasionally leave a comment. I guess there really isn't much to fight about when it comes to home improvement shows.

But regular visitors here know I'm an odd bird. Those theater folks who I haven't successfully scared away remember my deep disgruntlement over the state of theater. It went on for years. I don't look fondly on it. In hindsight, I realize that it was an act of self-destruction to remain so miserable for so long. If I come down with some funky disease in a few years, I can blame it on all the negativity that I bottled up and tried to sell from 2003-2007. Four years of boiled-over despair. Yuck.

In any event, I've been considering the separation between audience, reviewers and producers (writers). Whenever I read book blogs, I get the feeling that they're written by audience members. They enjoy a book but they can't tell you why or how it works. They view the writer as a magician, meaning they don't understand how a book is composed and lack the empathy to understand the process.

That's not their fault. It's just a different perspective, one that definitely needs to be a part of the publishing world. But it doesn't replace the other perspectives out there - reviewer and producer.

It wasn't until I started reviewing books on a regular basis that I understood the delineation of these roles. There are times, for instance, that I forget I'm reviewing a book and will become an audience member. I'll merge with the book so mercilessly that by the time I finish I'll forget that I'm supposed to say something about it.

Some people have thought that this might be a good thing. They think reviewers spend their time only partially engaged, while the other half of their brain is thinking of something witty to say.

But that's not the case. I find that when I become an audience member, my critical mind is shut off. Rather than admiring the work, it becomes a part of my present. I no longer see the work because I'm so engaged in it. It becomes a part of me, and I can no longer see it. There is no value judgement in this merging. It is experienced regardless of how good or bad it is. By the time the last page is turned, my mind is blank. I have nothing to say about it, nothing logical or coherent anyway.

Which brings me back to the viral entry, the comment that ended up making the round of the blogosphere. Those who found the comment too "new agey" or touch-feely didn't realize that I play more than one role. I'm not only an audience member; I'm also a reviewer. But even more than that, I'm a writer. I can not only tell you about the structure of the book and why it didn't work, I can also tell you that, as a fellow writer, you better back the heck off of the material and process your emotional baggage before you pick up that pen again.

Only another writer could tell you that.

I bring this up because I think it's important to understand the role that you're playing when you comment on someone's work. There's no shame in being an audience member, so there's no point in trying to pass yourself off as a reviewer or writer. (You can always tell when someone is doing that. They tend to quote other critics and writers to lend themselves credibility.)

Remember, audience members are the most cherished piece of the puzzle. Without them, reviewers have no readers and writers have no clout.

Comments

[Joshua James]

great essay, I posted my thoughts on the subject on my blog.

[isaac]

Great post, Laura, just really excellent. I have nothing to add but bravo.

Okay, one thing I'll add... just to say that, as a reader of your blog from the miserable years up until now (I stopped reading for awhile when I thought you didn't want theatre people reading it, and then started again when I realized that wasn't true) I have to say your post-miserable period has been really great.

[Laura]

Thanks to both of you. I appreciate it. The past four years have been strange, and I never thought I'd end up living in Alabama - on a farm, no less.

Being a long-time regular reader of both of your blogs, I really do appreciate the growth and changes you both have been through. I wish I could see your stuff performed. Someday, I will make it to NYC again. It might be sooner than any of us think. :)