evolution_rex
Inkling
This is where I feel conflicted. I like to write things that are cryptic, basically writing riddles within my stories. I do that because that's what I enjoy reading. But I understand that most people find it pretentious, overtly complicated, pointless, and as you say 'punishing'. A lot of people don't want to read a riddle, they want to be entertained. But then there are people like me and others who enjoy stories with deeper meanings and cryptic messages. To me that's entertaining. I can't possibly write a story I wouldn't want to read, but I'm aware that it's not what everyone wants.Anyways, yes, I write certain kinds of symbolism into my own work, but I try not to hammer it home and punish the reader for the sake of my own cleverness. I think it can quickly turn into writerly self-pleasure (or FASTER SKATING, if you've been here long enough to remember our MS rhyming substitutions), and readers respond negatively when they see it.