An author's request

[TheWebbuilder]

Yes, this topic was totally ripped off from Midnight, but hopefully he won't sue me. <_>;;

So, here's the deal. I'm tired of puttering in fandoms and to be honest, I'm really rather sick of them (REO being the exemption to this). Thus, I've decided to stop writing fanfiction and concentrate my efforts on writing a novel. I've done some checking and evidently the average length of a fictional paperback is 80,000 words; my last project, Wraith of the Lorca docked in at 107,000 words so I know that I can pound out the length needed to make a full length book. I already have a concept in mind and a few characters to inhabit this world I'm crafting, which brings me to the point of this topic.

What do you guys look for in a book? What is it that snags your attention and drives you to read on? I'm curious to know what everyone looks for in a story and what causes them to enjoy it. I'd appreciate any advice that could be given on this matter, or any viewpoints you all could give me.

Thanks in advance.
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[Haly K]

Well first off, please do not use the Twilight series as an example of a 'good' novel. Sure, the concept is interesting, but the story is a little flat, the main male character has pretty much no personality beyond being obsessively in love with the main female character, and... well, let's face it, the main female character is pretty much one big cliche, anti-feminist female character in the first place.

That's pretty much everything you should NOT do if you want to write a good novel. Personally, I go for fictional stories; Harry Potter, Eragon, and the like. But what's important in any book is not just the plot, but the pace/speed at which the plot is progressing. I remember reading this one book about a girl who could call down dragons, or something like that. I only picked up said book because it had a dragon on the cover. (I like dragons...) The pace of the book was just... extremely slow. From what I remember, it didn't even deal with the dragons until near the end of the book. Basically, if there's a major device of you plot, in this case a mythical creature, then it'd be best to introduce it soon. Not right at the begining, which would spoil the rest of the plot quickly, but at least as a climax or a little bit before the climax.

When it comes to the characters themselves, I'd say to make their personalities original (Of course.) but also make them so that the reader can relate to them in some way.

Good example: Harry Potter. Everyone knows the troubles of growing up from a child into adulthood, and some out there can probably sympasize with Harry about being raised by foster parents/other relatives.

Bad Example: Bella Swan, from the eailer mentioned Twilight series. She is supposedly a 'plain' girl, but she has like... what, 4 or 5 guys hitting on her in the first novel alone, I believe? If she were really that plain, she wouldn't attract that much attention. Thus, a girl who thinks of herself as a 'plain' girl could not relate to Bella, and thus not have a liking towards her.

Not to mention Bella turns completely and utter emo when her boyfriend moves away in the second book. It makes it look like the author is saying that women cannot and should not live without men. You could call the author anti-feminist, but it turns out the author of the Twilight series is a woman. That's another thing about writing; be careful how you write something. You never know when you could be sending off the wrong message and not know it. Critics (And essentially concerned parents) can be especially nitpicky about that.

I suppose that's good enough advice for you, right? Good luck on your writing adventure, Web.

EDIT: Well, Ryouko... to each, his own opinion. Or her own opinion. XD
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MegaMan Kilobit
My Own City

[Ryouko]

Unfortunately I have to differ on the opinion of the Twilight saga; I absolutely love Stephenie Meyer's way of illustrating her characters. The story may not be revolutionary (come on, it's a romance story aimed for young teens), but what makes me love her books are her very in depth characters. Though honestly, I think Meyer's other novel The Host is a better example of this. A really interesting read!

I'm tired of reading stories that are cliche "omg gotta save the world blah blah", so I tend to go for more historical medieval stories as of late, or asian culture fiction. If you want a really great and more realistic medieval series to read, try George R.R. Martin's books. :3

SO. Characters with lots of depth and no cliche. XD
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"Cats are interesting. They're kind of like girls. When they come talk to you, it's great. When you go talk to them, it doesn't go so well." - Miyamoto

[Ryouko]

Unfortunately I have to differ on the opinion of the Twilight saga; I absolutely love Stephenie Meyer's way of illustrating her characters. The story may not be revolutionary (come on, it's a romance story aimed for young teens), but what makes me love her books are her very in depth characters. Though honestly, I think Meyer's other novel The Host is a better example of this. A really interesting read!

I'm tired of reading stories that are cliche "omg gotta save the world blah blah", so I tend to go for more historical medieval stories as of late, or asian culture fiction. If you want a really great and more realistic medieval series to read, try George R.R. Martin's books. :3

SO. Characters with lots of depth and no cliche. XD
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"Cats are interesting. They're kind of like girls. When they come talk to you, it's great. When you go talk to them, it doesn't go so well." - Miyamoto

[linkfreak131]

Comedy. That instantly drives into a book. Let's take the book Heir Apparent by Vande Velde, for instance. It's a pretty intense story about a girl who gets sucked into a complex virtual reality video game, and she must complete the game in order to get out of it. However, the game is malfunctioning, and her time is limited on when she can complete it. It's pretty suspenseful since she "dies" in the game over and over again (and that can get a little repetitive...), but is forced to make relationships with the characters in the game in order to convince them to help her beat the game.

But, the main character has a VERY comedic side to her, even the first pages makes you want to at least laugh a little. In other words, it's not just ONLY suspense; the author managed to throw in comedy into it.

[Midnight]

Why would I sue? Really Web, you paint me to be more of a monstrous bastard than I am?

I'm glad that you're deciding to head into actual novelizations--god only knows that I could not maintain a story long enough to reach the length of a novel without having to break down, revise, or completely stall the project in many places.

Sadly, my time is limited these days, and the only novel series that I have actually read in any length is the Full Metal Panic! series. The only reason I have actually read into it is because I have first watched the anime, which is based off the novels, and I loved it to death. To quote a review of the series that I wrote elsewhere...

[NetOperator Wibby]

I am a big fan of the John Rain character in Barry Eisler's series about the guy. John Rain is basically the go-to guy if you want to make someone appear like they died of "natural causes". If you like mystery, action, espionage, etc., I would recommend this series. But to answer your question, a character like John Rain is conflicted, smooth, cautious, etc. He's likeable on many levels and Eisler has a way of drawing you into the story. Bascially, for me, if I can get into the characters, I can get into the book or series [like John Rain and Harry Potter].
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[HeatShadow]

Personally, what I really look for in a good story is a deep and multi-layered plot. As in, hints are dropped throughout the story, but they're usually not enough to make later developments obvious...that is, until the plot twist comes around, then you look back at the hints and smack yourself for not realizing what was going on sooner.

Best example of this (aside from the previously mentioned Harry Potter books) is the Girl Genius series by Phil Foglio: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/ While technically a graphic novel, you'll notice that he weaves several sub-plots and minor characters into the story, little details here and there that don't seem all that important...until they show up later and end up turning the plot completely on its head, defying whatever developments the reader may have been expecting.

Keeping your readers on their toes is really very important for holding their attention, as they'll keep on reading just to find out what happens next. You just have to make sure not to be completely random; be predictable enough that things make sense, but unexpected enough that the reader's never quite sure what's waiting around the next corner.
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Stuck In The Middle With You; a Metroid and Halo crossover
Devil May Cry: Renegades

[NetOperator Wibby]

I'd listen to this guy, he knows what he's talking about.
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[HeatShadow]

[TheWebbuilder]

I wasn't expecting near this much feedback, whoa.

You all have really brought up some interesting points and examples. More than once I caught myself realizing that I'd known something in the back of my head (especially in the character department) but wasn't really conscious of it, so that'll be a big help right there. Looking through all of this, though, it appears that what catches people's attention is really quite simple, its just putting it all together in a blend that's viable is going to be an interesting process.

You all've definitely given me some food for thought, thanks!
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[Nenji]

I don't know what I like in a book. It depends on the genre, style of book and a lot of other things. I like a well described setting and characters, but on the other hand I don't like excessively verbose novels. I like engaging characters, but what makes them engaging?

My advice is decide what you want to write. Write a story that you would like to read, because that's probably what you'll want to write.

Although personally, it is nice when plot elements have been written through the story and don't suddenly appear out of nowhere. As for characters if you use characters from another culture or country, do a little background research on their culture and vernacular. As an Australian there's nothing worse than authors who write dialogue for Aussie yet have no idea how we actually speak.

But most of all like I said, it's your story in the end.
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Previously known as "HiKaizer"

[HikariMiyuki]

hmm, I'm not very good at this.

The story needs to develop at a reasonable speed. Not too rushed or slow till it bored the reader.

Character development is important. If your readers don't care bout ur characters, they won't bother what happens to them.

And u should decide who your audience is, which generation u're targeting at. Then write a story that suits them.

These are kinda the things I consider when I'm drawing manga (it needs to have a good storyline besides just pretty drawings) but I'm not very good at developing the plot myself. ^^"
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bokura no koe ga kimi ni todo itterumdaro...
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RockmanExeXRoll 4eva ^^

[Equilibrium]

The theory is usually to read up on literary theory, and then do the exact opposite of what you've learned.
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hi mom.

[Elementalman.EXE]

Oh good. A one time return to help a friend.

Some advice that I will give you when attempting a novel, is write everyday. Like even if it is out of order of the plot, just a a few scribble of ideas, or just ten minutes, that you end up not using at all.

Now for advice on what people enjoy......

This'll change with with the wind, some people will enjoy random plot twists, some will like a logical story. I suggest (which will be different from others) mild use of a red herring (Some friends and I have noted in books you usually can usually be certain of a red herring, just because he's obviously having suspicion drawn to them), and try to not rely heavily on Archetypical characters (such as damsal in Distress)

Does this mean you'll never end Solder?
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Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

[TheWebbuilder]

Unfortunately, yes. Fanfiction is a thing of the past for me, so if I left it hanging, then its not going to be finished. Sorry, but its time for me to move on.
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[Unknown Neo]

I hear that sometimes. Some people just lose interest or just can't continue.
It's ok.