Your Readers Can’t Read Your Notes

How to make sure your story actually exists on the page and not just in your head.

Last month, I hit 100 five-star reviews on Reedsy. If you’re ready to take your writing to the next level, let’s talk.

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A few weeks ago, I met with a writer to discuss her novel. She kept telling me about the elaborate magic system she had built. And honestly, it was pretty impressive.

Unfortunately, very little of it made its way into the draft I edited. When I read the book, I could see the magic, but I didn’t understand how it worked, where the power came from, or why characters used it in some situations but not others.

As we talked, she kept filling in the gaps for me. The character’s backstory. The history of the world. The internal logic of the magic. It was quite impressive, and I could tell she was proud of herself.

But she was also a little defensive and frustrated. She knew every single detail about her story; she just couldn’t figure out why I didn’t.

So I asked her to show me. Not to explain the details from her notes, but literally find the page in the novel that explains this. Point to the scene where the reader learns that.

She couldn’t.

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Photo by Lena Taranenko on Unsplash

A few weeks back, I mentioned two questions you need to constantly ask yourself when editing your own work.

The second one is a real bear:

Is it clear to the reader?

Readers can’t care about what they don’t understand. And too many indie writers try to be mysterious but end up just being confusing.

Here. Write this down:

Suspense doesn’t come from hiding essential facts. It comes from sharing enough so readers feel the tension of what might happen next.

If readers don’t understand what the character wants, what the stakes are, or why a moment matters, a scene that looks exciting to you won’t connect with them.

The magic your characters use? Sure looks cool, but eventually, if you don’t provide details about how it works, readers are going to disengage.

The problem is that you have the entire story in your head. The backstories, the motivations, the world-building. Maybe you even have a story bible.

But your reader doesn’t have your notes.

So how do you make sure it’s clear?

My suggestion is almost embarrassingly simple:

Every time you’re tempted to say “the reader will understand that,” stop long enough to prove it. Literally find the page.

Yes, I’m serious. Track down the page where you state it or in some way make it clear to the reader.

Yeah, yeah. Fuck that, right? “I’m not doing that. I’m sure it’s in there.”

Look, I get it. Making sure it’s there and rewriting if it’s not? That takes time. Energy. No one actually wants to rewrite scene five to ensure scene seven hits hard.

“My readers are smart enough to figure it out.”

Oh, if I had a dollar every time a writer told me their readers are savvy enough to understand.

Maybe they are.

But also: probably not.

Here’s what actually happens when most writers try this practical tip: they go looking, and they can’t find it. Now they're upset they have more work to do.

Or they do find something. “See, look. There’s a line on page 18 where he says his power’s waning.”

Except it’s buried in dense exposition, or hidden in a panel where the reader is looking at something else more interesting, and your reader blew right past it.

Sure, you found the evidence. You just can’t recognize that it’s not actually enough for your reader to understand.

Clarity isn’t one thing. It’s the right detail at the right time.

When possible, it’s shown, not told.

It’s world-building and character development.

It’s also want, stakes, motivation, world logic, cause and effect.

That takes time to weave into any narrative. It also takes awareness and effort. Experience helps. Do the work now, and it’ll be easier next time.

I’m obviously not solving all of this in one post. But my suggestion will help raise your awareness of what’s actually in your story vs. what’s still trapped in your head.

Because here’s what I know:

If you’re explaining your story to readers who have already read it, if you’re frustrated they’re not smart enough to understand your genius, it’s not their problem.

It’s yours.