Literature What Keeps You Reading?

[A Guileless Fable]

Okay, well I am inspiring to write a fiction book, and I


want to know what makes you, the reader, read.


Just jot down a few aspect or qualities a book must have t


o be readable, so I may better my writing.


Please and thank you!

 

[Lithia]

I work in a book store so it's safe to say I do a lot of reading and part of my job is recommending books. When I look for something to read I usually pick something that has a bit of everything in it. I like there to be relatable characters, a bit of romance, action, mystery (or something to keep me guessing), personally I tend to go for books that I feel take me to another world. I live here in this world and go to work every day, I want to read about magic, the paranormal, or books set in a different time period. Most of this is all personal preference so everyone will feel differently but those are my reading tastes. Hope it helps!

 

[Lady Odyssey]

What really gets me reading is character development. To me, the most important aspect of the book is when a character develops mentally, emotionally and physically. After all, what's the point of the plot if, say, a smartass jerk is still the same even after he/she saves the day? I don't pull through if characters stay the same throughout the book, simply because it gets boring, bland and predictable. For example, look at the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I mean yes, it was an alright movie. But there was not much character development, and in less than twenty minutes, I predicted the whole movie plot, and was correct. There was no real twists, really, and I got bored fairly quickly.


So, on top of character development, the plot is mighty important as well. If a reader can predict the whole plot not even ten chapters in, something's very wrong. A fun aspect of a book is to keep the reader guessing and coming up with possibilities in their mind, and then when a plot twist occurs it will leave them shocked and mind-numbingly blown, forcing them to set the book down for a while to go over what had happened in their mind. So please, don't make a predictable plot if at all possible; you want to keep readers guessing what will happen, and that will generally keep many people really happy (such as myself).

 

[A Guileless Fable]

@UnknownRunner


I completely understand. I will try to make the story


as mysterious as I possibly can, because I to dislike a


predictable ending.


Thank you both! This will help me greatly.


Luckily I finished the first chapters of two of the books I'm


writing and is looking for critiques on the both of them. If you'd


mind helping this stranger out with critiques it'd be greatly appreciated.


Don't know how to make links so I'll just put it on the best of my ability.


Stalker Diaries:


http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-r-j-mcintosh-stalker-diaries/


Tales of Callester


http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-r-j-mcintosh-tales-of-callester/

 

[Prudentia]

http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-r-j-mcintosh-stalker-diaries/[/URL]


Tales of Callester


http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-r-j-mcintosh-tales-of-callester/

I will look into today (evening)!

 

[A Guileless Fable]

@TheWretchedEgg


Aww baby! I love you!

 

[Kaerri]

I checked "character development" but what really draws me in are the characters. Maybe they develop, maybe they don't - but do they feel like real people, or just cardboard stand-ins? Plot is important to me too, but for me, characters are just a bit more.

 

[DisneyGirl]

It's the characters for me personally. If you think about it, we fall in love with a story because of the characters.


A good plot is great, but I think strong characterization is better. You can have a so-so plot, but if you have great characters, you have gold; you can have a great plot, and bland characters, but the story won't be great.


When we think of our favorite books, even ones with great plots, like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, we think of the characters we connect to. We think of Harry, Hermione, and Ron; we think of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. We remember and cherish the memories we have in living in these characters' worlds with them. To us, they are our friends.


So I say, if you get your readers to relate with and want to follow your character(s), you're on the right path.


Oh, and romance. You can never go wrong with adding romance.

 

[EvilFishy]

There are always going to be people that like your writing and people who don't. Obviously different people respond to different genres in different ways. It is always nice to stay true to who you are as a writer. All the same, good character development is necessary. Make sure that they are actual people and rounded and complex. The plot, though it can be rather basic and simple, should contain at least one unique or interesting quality, which could even be the characters. I would say to try not to get too bogged down with details. Stick to the storyline without too much deviation. Everything should have some sort of purpose.


I am in the process of attempting to put my ideas onto paper, and it is not easy. I don't always like how I write/what I write. I tend to get very obsessed over the use of a specific word or detail. But, lately, I've been trying to push myself beyond all of that to simply finish the thought/idea/paragraph/page/chapter/story. Remember, you can always go back and edit as necessary.