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AmberJslimsAWAY
AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,336 Member
edited December 2024 in Chit-Chat
What makes for a good book, in your opinion?

writing style, story, character developement. What makes it good?

Replies

  • doublegnyc513
    doublegnyc513 Posts: 25 Member
    Character development is a must. Stories for the most part are retold in so many various ways, but finding new characters, ones that are compelling and interesting make a book much more entertaining in my opinion.
  • S1NN3R
    S1NN3R Posts: 452 Member
    A good plot.




    And possibly some sex...but not too much because I get bored and skim over it after a while.
  • TangledUp_InBlue
    TangledUp_InBlue Posts: 397 Member
    Character development…I want to either sympathize with the characters or hate them. Establish their identity quickly to set the hook.
  • AmberJslimsAWAY
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,336 Member
    A good plot.




    And possibly some sex...but not too much because I get bored and skim over it after a while.

    Me too
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I could read a thousand novels about the Tudors or some often repeated fictional character... but if I can't imagine myself in the story and feel what at least one of the characters is feeling or at least think about something... then it's a dull book in my opinion.
  • stacygayle
    stacygayle Posts: 349 Member
    All that you put. I am really into the Song of Ice and Fire books right now and they have great character development, writing, plot etc. Death, sex, corruption, all the good stuff :)
  • AmberJslimsAWAY
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,336 Member
    All that you put. I am really into the Song of Ice and Fire books right now and they have great character development, writing, plot etc. Death, sex, corruption, all the good stuff :)

    What is it about those things though?
  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
    I get really attached to the characters so development is huge for me. Also, competent writing........if the actualy writing is so bad it's distracting then it ruins the whole book for me.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    All that you put. I am really into the Song of Ice and Fire books right now and they have great character development, writing, plot etc. Death, sex, corruption, all the good stuff :)

    What is it about those things though?

    That's like asking why you like a certain type of music, film, food or any other thing people have a preference for. You just like it because you like it. This is kind of a silly question.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I get really attached to the characters so development is huge for me. Also, competent writing........if the actualy writing is so bad it's distracting then it ruins the whole book for me.

    I agree with the competent writing as well... that is why I haven't even thought about buying or borrowing 50 shades of Gray... I have heard too many times it's horrible writing.
  • jfrog123
    jfrog123 Posts: 432 Member
    When I read a book I want enough detail to set the scene and draw me in, but not so much detail that you get bogged down in it. If a tree is important to the setting and story of a particular scene by all means describe it to me, but don't spend three pages telling me every intricate detail of a damn tree. I want character development, I love plot twists, but if an author boggs me down in detail I will lose interest rather quickly.

    ETA: I really enjoy reading about a character's background, or events that have happened in the past in a given location. I am really talking about some writers who go on and on about the physical characteristics of inanimate objects, which drives me nuts.
  • AmberJslimsAWAY
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,336 Member
    All that you put. I am really into the Song of Ice and Fire books right now and they have great character development, writing, plot etc. Death, sex, corruption, all the good stuff :)

    What is it about those things though?

    That's like asking why you like a certain type of music, film, food or any other thing people have a preference for. You just like it because you like it. This is kind of a silly question.
    It's a hard question to word, but I don't mean it as "why do you like ____?" more like what kind? I guess? Like the writing style. What kind of writing style do you like? CHaracter development, etc.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    I read all types of books (except chick lit) and I just need to feel like I care about the characters and what happens to them. It doesn't matter what writing style, or genre, as long as I'm sucked into the world and don't want to leave. That's why it's such a hard question to answer.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    When I read a book I want enough detail to set the scene and draw me in, but not so much detail that you get bogged down in it. If a tree is important to the setting and story of a particular scene by all means describe it to me, but don't spend three pages telling me every intricate detail of a damn tree. I want character development, I love plot twists, but if an author boggs me down in detail I will lose interest rather quickly.

    ETA: I really enjoy reading about a character's background, or events that have happened in the past in a given location. I am really talking about some writers who go on and on about the physical characteristics of inanimate objects, which drives me nuts.

    I think this is why I can't get into classic novels... I had heard one time that authors from the past had to describe many things to create a point of reference... but now that we pretty much have a near infinite point of reference (via, tv, internet, perhaps personal travels, etc) that we don't need as many things described to us.... I would rather watch the movies of classic novels than wade through all the descriptions.
  • _Bob_
    _Bob_ Posts: 1,487 Member
    if there are pictures and I can color in it I'm intrigued.

    and the bible too... there are some Fuked up things to read in there. there's even a prophet that gets roofied and raped by his daughters.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    Believable dialogue, likely setting, "real" characters, relationships that would work in real life, smooth writing, and logical transitions.

    Basically everything that 50 Shades of Grey was NOT.

    That book was GOD-AWFUL.
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