What do you see?

The creative process is an incredibly convoluted one. Or so I'm told. An author is hardly an author till he or she spends at least 5 to 10 years writing a novel. It is so difficult to express oneself ably. To say what you want. And to say it in a different, newer way or form. So is the writer an inventor? Possibly from what I read or hear. Masterpieces often are new ways of looking at the world. To have a world view no-one else has. "To go where no-one has gone before." Sorry. Just couldn't resist that. 

But today I'm not dealing with this creative process however convoluted it maybe. I'm dealing with the "after- phase" if you like. What happens after the author surrenders the creation into his/ her reader's hands? There the control exercised over that body of work comes to an end. It is then up to the reader to make of it what he/she will. I will give you a simple example. The phrase" naked and helpless" can be interpreted in myriad ways. The nakedness maybe symbolic or physical. Now what happens when a supposedly symbolic reference is taken to be literal? Then the gross meaning of the text is altered. What the author wanted to say is twisted completely. Because both physical and symbolic nakedness are miles apart. This was just an example. There are many more instances where the intent of the author is missed by the reader or misinterpreted. (Don't know which is worse). Our ways of perceiving things are always different. How can the author ensure that the work is interpreted exactly as he/she meant it to be? Well, in today's age of media and internet it's not difficult at all. There are plenty of talk shows, publicity where authors talk of their work. But without those explanations the author is at the mercy of the readers when the work is delivered to them. 

The creative process then includes an important chapter. That of the reader or the target audience as we call it today. Most books, of course, are easily interpreted. But ultimately the author has to leave it to the reader to see what he/she will. 

Which brings me to another question- what exactly do we mean by fiction? I've read of so many people talking of drawing on their real life experiences in fiction etc that I must confess I'm slightly puzzled. Then is fiction supposed to be based on reality? Is there something known as real fiction? As far as I know fiction is supposed to be just that. An imaginative account which has no basis in reality. If I was writing a real account it would either be a biography or an autobiography or.... Sorry. I can't think offhand about any other genre. Maybe we should add a new one called the real fiction genre. These are merely random thoughts and questions. 

My main issue( which I've wandered from) is that of interpretation by readers. The author is all powerful in the act of crafting his trade but once he has given it to his audience he/ she is at their mercy. All he/she can ask of the reader is- what do YOU see?