Unique Interpretations

Authors are the creators of a story. They come up with a concept, they write and polish a story, and they send a certain message. Authors create a story to share with the rest of us.

While authors are the creators of the story, theirs is not the only correct interpretation of said story. Authors take ownership of their stories, and rightfully so, but they get angry with readers when they disagree with the authors' intentions. I've come to believe that the author's intent when writing a story is only one way to interpret it. Everyone reads a story differently - I don't believe any two people read and interpret a story exactly the same way. Depending on life experiences, education, etc., people notice different aspects of a story and read into certain parts more than others. Even when one person rereads the same story, they can interpret it differently. I love to reread books, and I have read all of my books at least twice, some many more times than that. And each time I read a book, I get something new out of the experience. Events that occur in my life between readings or even simply maturation cause me to take note of different parts of the story or to interpret a character's actions differently. I believe there is no right or wrong way to read. Each person's interpretation of a story is correct, because that is what the story means to them. Stories are very personal things, and we often relate them to our own lives in some way. Everyone is entitled to relate to a story however they can. While authors are obviously still the creators of the story, they are not always correct about its meaning. What the story means to the author may be very different than what it means to the reader. And that's just fine.