- Knowledge - Emotional stimulus - Possibility to identify myself to someone - Action and pace - Good writers voice - Story itself - Interesting characters - Interesting story world - Good twists - Interesting meta levels: narrative, character arch, information, philosophical, value... - Archetypes - Style - Tools for thinking - Writing recources - Humor - Selfhelp tools and recourses - Relaxation - and something else.
It needs a premise that captures my interest, and preferably interesting characters. If you can write a bit unique, that's a big plus. Just keep in mind there's a reason why most people write the same way. Going all unique often ends up poorly. Great when it works, bad when it doesn't.
Hi @Tenderiser Just generally what do you expect/like in a story? I could put it the other way Have you ever read a story and thought something was lacking? If so what was it?
Entertainment value, good writing, plot, reasonably developed characters. An understanding of how spelling and grammar works.
I expect/like: Grammatically correct with no or few typos. Correctly formatted. Cohesive plot. Believable character actions. A satisfying ending. Intrigue and tension to keep me turning the page. Likable characters. Things that have made me put books down: Badly written. Present tense. Unrelatable characters. Poor use of flashbacks, dream sequences, coincidence, or deus ex machina. Characters doing illogical things. Characters acting out of character for no good reason. Accents written phonetically. Boredom with the story.
Agreeing with @Tenderiser , plus I'm also highly influenced by a pleasing writing voice. A good-enough story with a pleasing voice often makes me happier than a much better story with a more generic voice.
For me, the book has to keep my attention, have a believable plot, and have likable characters. Not all the characters have to be likable, but the main character at the very least should have some likable features.
I like surprises. Nothing too off-the-wall or illogical... but I think a good plot twist can keep me hanging onto a story, even if it isn't written exceptionally.
I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that one of the biggest draws of a story is watching characters you love struggle through hardships and succeed. There's something really cathartic about watching fictional figures struggle, fail, strive, and eventually achieve their dreams. There's something really wonderful about that perfect, emotional happy ending.
Well I try and avoid things like deus ex machnia stories, or because the plot demands things that break the established rules. Characters that rely on foul language in every line of dialogue is also a deal breaker. Though I do enjoy a well put together and cohesive story, even though the last book I read was so campy that I have no idea who decided it needed to be published, but it did have the merit of not making things too easy for the MCs. While I can forgive a bit of fluff here and there, taking 100 or more pages to build up your world/politics/whatever in the middle of the story is kinda a stretch for me. Not that I haven't enjoyed a few books that have done this, but it usually kills the pacing and tone severely. Subplots that add character are nice, but not ones that are just extra little add ins that go absolutely nowhere just for the sake of having them. It really all falls down to a writers style and delivery. This can even impact how you read the story, as well as note the differences in how they work based on a newer book and one that has been around for 40+years. I read for entertainment, but I don't want to feel like I was tossed into a hot mess that was slapped together in a weekend bender, nor something that would be akin to sinking in the tar pits with the damn dinosaurs. Can't really say what I like about a story until I have read it and taken the time to consider it in it's entirety. Everybody gets what they want from any given story, and we all have things we enjoy and others don't, and vice versa. Though for me I look for something fresh and interesting, and where possible outside of my genre/author comforts, but it is difficult when you are trying to sift through so much to find one that you spend so much time waffling on whether it is worth reading or not that complicates the hell out of the whole experience to begin with. It does help to cut out some themes or topics that are of no interest to begin with.
I expect to learn something from it. Basically, that's it. The way the story is told is what helps me learn and be satisfied. Thank you for the question. I'd never thought about it this way.
I think originality is the top thing I look for in a story. I like Sherlock Holmes because I relate with his personality - he didn't like boring crimes, he wanted "Original" crimes to work on. I'm the same way with books. If there is nothing original about them, they may be good in every other respect, but they just don't appeal to me.
Nicely developed character that behave in a respectable manner, or atleast partly in the way I want them to, good dialouge, good story telling and a dark/tragic theme with a happy ending is all it takes to get me into a book and enjoy it. I willingly overlook any other errors if my above needs are met.
