Since we’re talking about the spoiler thread, I wanted to move up a point I made there into the general blog. Whenever a writer’s book is published, the author ceases to be its only point of reference. Whatever is put it to the text must stand or fall by its own merits. I can’t stand over the shoulder of every single person who buys my book and say, “What I meant to say on page 65 is…” so readers are free to make up their own inferences, symbols, memes, and subtext. Maybe it’s there; maybe it’s not; maybe it’s there and I never even realized it. None of it is right or wrong. (Hey, you’re talking to the girl who got a review saying that Rites of Spring (Break) was an allegory about the Iraq war.)
With the advent of the Internet Age, more readers than ever can communicate with an author to ask what they meant or where they are going with a series. “Spoilers” are no longer confined to the few people who attend a booksigning or speaking event. Anyone with a computer can find out what an author said about their book series. It’s both a boon and a curse. Interacting with any creator about their work is a wonderful experience — to be able to listen to a DVD commentary or watch an interview or ask them a question in a chat room — it’s great! Or it’s a nightmare. What if they tell you what you don’t want to hear — that no matter what you, personally, think about those underpinnings of romance between character X and character Y, they aren’t getting together. That Piz, absent any remotely interesting qualities, is somehow the man for Veronica? (Hey, she went for Duncan, too. Apparently she likes ‘em boring.) What if they tell you that character Z is getting offed? (Poor Little Nell — not even a letter writing campaign to Dickens saved her!)
What if talking to the author turns you off the work entirely? What if you learn that they write right-wing military thrillers, but are actually bleeding heart liberals? (Or, you know, vice versa?) What if you learn that they don’t even care about all this political stuff you uncovered in their work? What if you think they are telling a fun, popcorn, rip-roaring space western, and they start going on and on and on and on about metaphysics and existentialism all this other crap (which, sorry, Joss, love you to death, but enough already with the Sartre).
As an author, I go back and forth as to how much I should tell a reader who wants to know more about my work. After my first book came out, I went to a book club. The members asked me all sorts of questions about what so-and-so was really thinking in this scene. “What do you think?” was not an acceptable answer to them. They didn’t want to debate it amongst themselves, they wanted the definitive answer straight from the horse’s –my– mouth. But sometimes, when I gave them answers, they didn’t like that either. For instance, the majority of the club had decided Poe was secretly gay and secretly in love with Malcolm. My startled blurt of “but Poe is straight!” did nothing to convince them otherwise, nor did my later entirely reasonable explanation that his love for Malcolm was entirely platonic and based on society loyalty and camaraderie. Apparently, I was as much in the closet as Poe. (I totally sympathize with Ms. Rowling.) Then, when Under the Rose came out, the questions changed from “Is Poe secretly in love with Malcolm?” to “Is Poe secretly in love with Amy?”
Whatever Poe is, you can guarantee it’s secret. 
I love to talk to readers about my books, but at the same time, I am never sure what I should say. I don’t want to disappoint them in advance if I’d been hoping for a particular development, but occasionally it’s hard to tell if they are asking for spoilers, or just for clarification. And since they went to the trouble of asking me rather than just talking about it with their friends, “what do you think?” probably isn’t the answer they are looking for.
I’m constantly amazed and impressed by the inferences that my readers have picked up on. After finishing the most recent book, a few have actually gone back to previous books to mine for clues. It makes me so excited to see other people as into this world as I am. So when they want to talk to me about it, of course I want to respond. What color are Amy’s eyes? Hazel. What kind of underwear does Brandon wear? Boxers with funny patterns on them. Are Josh and Lydia really in love? Yes, yes they are. Why did Poe have a change in heart? Because he realized that his loyalty to his own club should supersede his own selfish ambition. Why does Brandon like Felicity? Because she committed when Amy couldn’t, and she sacrificed what Amy wouldn’t. What is Amy’s favorite color? Yellow.
Who is she going to end up with? That one’s a secret.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:12 am
I know this wasn’t really the main point of the post, but Rob Thomas said on the third season DVD commentary that during that scene in the finale when Logan punches out that guy and Piz is standing there watching and Veronica looks at Logan, that in that moment you can see that Piz knows that he’s eventually going to lose Veronica to Logan. So rest easy!
(Here’s hoping Logan and Veronica get back together for good in the movie.)
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September 25th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I haven’t been able to bring myself to rewatch S3, and it’s not on the top of my list to buy, either. (We’re waiting on S3 of HIMYM.) I’m not sure I entirely remember all of it. Not that I thought Piz was long for that world…
And I don’t know if she belongs with Logan, either (I really liked the push-pull aspects of Season 2). And I didn’t like the S3 “de-clawed” Logan who was steadily dating Veronica, so maybe that’s why I liked it when they were star-crossed and couldn’t work it out. I know, I’m sick.
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September 25th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
In some ways, I think this dovetails with the Midnight Sun leak. Does it really count what the author says? If it isn’t ‘published’ is it canon? Heck, she COULD write Midnight Sun and have James kill all the Cullens even though it would contradict Twilight.
And in my opinion, she needs to write another book if she wants Dumbledore to be gay. I’m not saying he isn’t or can’t be gay, just that she didn’t write it yet.
In comic books it isn’t uncommon at all to change ‘canon’. Wolverine has so many ‘beginnings’ as to how he became wolverine that you get to pick your favorite.
As an aspiring author,I don’t have your experience in dealing with talking to people about my work, but personally, I think I can say something is going to happen and then write the book completely different. For example, you could say right now, Poe dies when Brandon accidentally runs him over. Doesn’t mean you have to write it.
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September 25th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Dumbledore can be gay without it being written. Just like Amy has eyes even though I have never mentioned their color.
Yeah, I can lie and say all these things are going to happen or not going to happen, but the fact of the matter is that I know what’s going to happen. I’ve written it. To me, it’s already happened. So if were to say otherwise, it’s a lie.
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September 25th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Of course Dumbledore can be gay, and it may just be a case of ‘Author thought it was obvious, but reader missed it’. Does it fit with what she wrote? Sure, but it doesn’t require it. He could have cared for Grindelwald without being sexually attracted to him.
IMO – at this point – he’s rather non-sexual. I’m just saying…
And I am pretty sure Amy has blue eyes and Brandon doesn’t wear underwear.
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September 26th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I’m of the camp that a writer doesn’t have to state something in the book for it to be so. Are you saying that Snape was also asexual until you find out in Book 7 that he had a thing for Lily Potter?
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September 26th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
In the context of the book, it is unknown. It really could have gone any direction. Maybe he was Dumbledore’s boyfriend. Until then, we didn’t know. Rowling may have known(but then again, she may not since if it didn’t come up, she might never have thought of it.)
To some extent I agree with you. An author can make statements about a book that aren’t in the book, but are essentially true. The author can hold secrets that are essentially true as well, but if it isn’t in the book, in the event of a tragedy and copyright mismanagement, or something, someone could alter that reality.
Honestly, what the author thinks only matters as long as they hold the copyright… Unless it is in the book already.
The difference between you and I saying who Poe tapped is you have the authority to make it so.
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