1.
I like overly emotional characters who have strong
convictions.
Danger: Characters who are strange or different are not always likeable. They may have a one-track mind, are overly sensitive,
paranoid, or critical. Readers may have a hard time sympathizing with a character who is on a mission.
2.
I like loads of drama in the plot line filled with
difficult or impossible situations.
Danger: Readers may not believe the situations or that so
many bad things can happen to a single person. It may be hard to credibly get
your character out of the situation. In addition, the plot may seem like a soap
opera.
3.
I like mysteries with plenty of plot twists and
unexpected endings.
Danger: Packing too many plot turns may leave the readers’
heads spinning. There may not be adequate motivation for a character to make a
choice required for the twist. If things are not foreshadowed, or the reader
misses the foreshadowing, he may feel cheated by the ending.
4.
I love a tortuous love story with lots of angst.
Danger: Readers may be annoyed by a love/hate
relationship. They like to see steady character growth, so if the characters
never seem to settle down, it gets frustrating, no matter how hot the tension is.
5.
I like honesty in internal thought, even if it makes
the character look bad. To me, it makes the character more authentic.
Danger: Readers may squirm because it reminds them of their
own dark thoughts they don’t want anyone to know. Some readers are looking for an escape and do not appreciate
gritty characters who make bad choices.
What about you? What are the characteristics in fiction you most like to read about? What can authors do to make that more believable and enjoyable?
Read the Ebook? Hidden Under Her Heart Paperback is on sale for $6.37 at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble (36% off regular price of $9.99). Gift idea for that friend who still has no e-Reader. [Ebook is free at Apple and Amazon UK & US]
What about you? What are the characteristics in fiction you most like to read about? What can authors do to make that more believable and enjoyable?
Read the Ebook? Hidden Under Her Heart Paperback is on sale for $6.37 at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble (36% off regular price of $9.99). Gift idea for that friend who still has no e-Reader. [Ebook is free at Apple and Amazon UK & US]
The pitfalls should go in every writer's personal Bible. They are going in mine. These are things we need to understand before we make mistakes we can't untangle in a novel. Thanks for passing these one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Caleb. The areas in fiction I like would be my biggest blind spots as a writer. Your list will be different, of course.
DeleteVery good advice. I need to post this above my desk and remember when crafting scenes.
ReplyDeletethanks! I know not to pack everything I like in the same book.
DeleteI think it all comes down to the genre a reader enjoys.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, if there isn't believable and interesting conflict, both external and internal, along with interesting action and clear 'goals' for the MCs, it won't be my kind of book.
Others read to be soothed, to laugh, to relax and therefore reach out for women's fiction, chik lit and literary books.
Thanks for the comment. It's very true. Some readers enjoy things others don't. Sometimes I'm in the mood for angst, but other times I want to laugh.
DeleteI LIKE ALL of your likes and I LIKE ALL those pitfalls/Danger!! That's why I read. I want the unbelievable and the believable. And what is a story without angst? Without emotion? Boring! What I don't like is to be thrown off a cliff at the end, then wait to climb back up months later when the second book is released. By then I've read too many other novels.
ReplyDeleteThere's a huge difference in cliffhangers and trilogies/saga's ect. I want the sequel, but I also want to be satisfied after I finish the first book. I want closure, no gaps or cutting off the story at a pivotal point leaving me unsettled. :b
I agree. Each book of the series has to end in a fulfilling way. I want to want to buy the next book, not feel forced or manipulated to.
DeleteI'm squirming. Now you have me wondering what readers really meant when they said The Tangled Web "is indeed a tangled web." Very interesting points, Clare. Thanks for this post!
ReplyDeleteThey are probably the readers who liked it that way. :)
Deleteso true!
ReplyDelete