Reaching for the 'Whoa, you went there?' beyond trust: Why you shouldn't meet user expectations (This week's Three-Topic Story announcement)

'Please don't betray my expectations' and 'Please exceed my expectations' sound similar, but they are quite different.

The former can be reached by playing it safe,
while the latter requires the courage to stray from the path just a little.

Writing is sometimes like that, too.
Providing what the reader seems to be looking for. Organizing useful information. Adjusting the tone to be relatable. Making it easy to read.
All of these are correct, important, and not a single one is wrong.

But you know, writing that is done solely based on that 'correctness' is sometimes like a brand-new plastic container. It performs well. It seals well. It doesn't leak liquid or odors. But it's not something you'd go out of your way to show off to your friends.

Meeting expectations is the foundation of trust. It's better to be easy to read than hard to read, and better to be clear than confusing. People who can properly deliver what readers want are, of course, strong. It's important not to stumble there.

However, if you only stay there, your writing will eventually end in 'expected satisfaction.' It's comforting, like a set meal you've had before, but it's not something you'd feel the need to call someone to tell them about.

This is where I get stuck.
Isn't it weak to just meet expectations?

At the very least, I feel that's not enough for writing that stays in one's memory. While delivering what the reader wants, you need to take them just a little bit outside of that assumption. Not just landing safely, but making them think, 'Oh, you're going there?' I think this is what it means to exceed expectations.

Trying to do this is a little scary. You think, 'What if I'm off the mark? What if I miss? What if the reader says, "No, that's not what I'm looking for"?'

Yeah, I get it. Even though the phrase 'exceeding expectations' sounds glamorous, the footing is actually quite treacherous. It's like taking a detour on your way home. It might be a shortcut, or it might lead to a strange parking lot. It's a bit unsettling. But there is scenery that can only be found on that one path you strayed onto.

Readers don't know their own desires.

Writing it like this sounds quite arrogant. But, perhaps it's really true.

No, I'm not looking down on readers. It's just that people are surprisingly bad at saying what they actually want. It's like those nights when you want to eat something at a convenience store, but you don't know what you want, so you walk around the aisles and end up buying the same thing as always. It's like that. The desire is there. But it doesn't have a name. That's why even if you just pick up the demands the reader voices, you might not reach their true desires.

So, what the writer should do is not just follow the demand, but perhaps read a little deeper into it.

For example, if a reader is looking for 'useful information,' they might actually be looking for 'I kind of like this person's perspective' more than the usefulness itself.

While saying they want 'relatable stories,' they might actually want to be betrayed just a little bit.

Don't just meet the surface-level expectations; touch the desire underneath that the person themselves hasn't even put into words yet. This is where exceeding expectations happens for the first time.

Look, Snoopy doesn't just end at being cute. That dog, despite looking soft, sometimes has a strangely philosophical face. Well, he is philosophical, though. Even though he's just lying there, he makes humans think a little. I think that's his strength. He properly meets surface-level expectations. He's cute. He's approachable. He's comforting. But there's a little bit of the unexpected beyond that. That's why he lasts so long.

Writing is the same; exceeding expectations doesn't mean becoming eccentric.

It doesn't mean you have to say weird things, and you don't have to flip the script every time. If you do that, you just become an unsettling person. What's important is to shift just half a step from where the reader thinks you're going. Insert a strangely human weakness into a useful story. Mix a slightly unsettling honest opinion into a relatable story. Let them touch the coldness of reality just once before a gentle conclusion. Those half-steps are what stick in the reader's memory.

Writing that meets expectations is consumed.
Writing that exceeds expectations is saved.

You want to read it again. You want to tell someone about it. It stays with you, like, 'That one sentence really bothered me.'
Once you reach this point, writing becomes an experience, not just information.

Constantly updating yourself isn't a competition to say cleverer things than yesterday.

I think it's about reading the contours of the reader's expectations and placing yourself just slightly outside those contours. Don't just play it safe; step half a step into the unknown.

Because of that half-step, a new product announcement doesn't just end as a new product. It's not just lining up conveniences like a shopping channel; it makes people think, 'Whoa, you were looking at that?'

Readers haven't fully articulated their own desires yet. That's why the writer's job isn't just to deliver what was ordered.

I think it's about quietly getting ahead of them and handing them the 'what I wanted' that they haven't even named yet.



Super Writing Habit x Weekly '66-Week Writing x Running' is now accepting participants. (Free for anyone)

《This week's Three-Topic Story》

1. Spring specialty
2. Flying get
3. High-grade crocodile leather

Please use the hashtag
#ThursdayIsThreeDay
.

Anyone can participate.
The deadline is tentatively next Wednesday, April 22nd.
It's okay if you're late.


#AfterSchoolWritingClub
[Image cooperation: Sachiwa]

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