World, Writing, Wealth discussion

What comprises it for you: beautiful prose, likable heroes/heroines, plot twists, novelty, popularity, action, drama, tension, unputdownability, anything else/all of the above?

First, I tend to read only a few genres. I am definitely not into 'chick lit' or 'young adult' stuff. Second, in the genres I read, the two most important things for me arer the likeability (meaning how interesting/intriguing) and depth of the main character(s), then the plot (originality, imagination, drama, tension, twists). Also, accuracy in historical/technical details is important to me. Don't make me read a so-called 'military fiction' novel where it becomes painfully evident that the author knows exactly nada about the military, war or military weapons and technology. Idem for historical fictions. The quality of the prose, grammar and general writing style needs only to be acceptable for me. Originality and good character development are a lot more important in my opinion to make a book a good one.

Main turnoffs for me are:
- The author preaching down to the reader (either religious, political or moral).
- Gratuitous use of violence, gore, torture scenes and killings used simply to 'spice up' the story.
- Overtly racist/homophobic/mysogynistic declarations or rants by the author.
- Excessive use of foul language or vulgarity not justified by the context of the story or used only to 'spice up' the story.

I read mostly fiction. A novel must have interesting characters and plots in order to keep me reading past the first 50 pages. It's always a plus when the novelist treats the setting as a character and also has a way with words. It's a double plus (if there's such a thing) when I can learn something. The novel I'm reading now - Michael Crichton's Dragon Teeth - is set in 1876 in the western U.S. and deals with early expeditions to excavate dinosaur bones. It's based on meticulous research and on an unpublished journal. Reminds me of Michener's work. My kind of novel.

Denise, maybe you need to change your approach to reading. Instead of looking at once for flaws in the books you read, just relax and read for the fun of it. For one thing, no writer is perfect, but neither are readers. If you want only perfection, then you will end up being constantly disappointed.

What does it 4u?

Perhaps the best way to express what impresses me most while reading is to list the authors of the books residing in the bookcase in my den. I consider all to be very entertaining, informative, technically well written, and professionally edited. The list will reveal an eclectic taste in style, genre and subject matter.

I only purchase a book if I know that I will want to read it more than once. Others are borrowed from the local public library.

Listed in alphabetical order, not by preference:
Louisa May Alcott
Jimmy Breslin
Evan S. Connell
Neil Kagen
Jean M. Auel
Mike Blakely
Ray Bradbury
Dan Brown
James Clavell
Susanne Collins
William O. Davis
Charles Dickens
Neil Gaiman
W. Michael Gear
William Golding
Winston Groom
Stephen Harrigan
Christine Hayton
Ruth Bebee Hill
Kazuo Ishiguro
Gary Jennings
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
George R.R. Martin
Cormac McCarthy
Charles Pellegrino
Christopher Priest
Mario Puzo
Wilson Rawls
Veronica Roth
J.K. Rowling
J.D. Salinger
Jeff Shaara
Upton Sinclair
J.R.R. Tolkien

I love good prose, writers who have skill with words. I also like likable characters. I like genuine humor, not ridicule and jokiness.
There are things I don't care for - time travel, dystopian and a lot of modern "women's fiction. But I might try them if they are recommended by someone whose opinion I respect.
Then there are the things I won't read: explicit violence against the vulnerable (children, the elderly, the disabled), violence against animals, an unlikeable main character.

What does it for me is interesting plot and characters. Descriptive writing about the setting. Something to sink your teeth into regarding conflict, maybe some history, some beautiful language that appeals to the senses. Give me that, and I'm happy.

This is a great question. Here is a mediocre answer. I want a well told story. For me, it is all about the story. It can be simplistic or complicated, but it must be well told.

I think it depends. I know that is hardly illuminating, but I think there are many different sets of readers. Inability to get basic technique right will put most off, but after that various readers want different things. For me, something that is not boring has to happen. I don't want writing for the sake of beautiful writing, and the something has to be interesting for me. As to what is interesting, what interests me may bore others, and vice versa. No writer can please everyone; the trick is to work out how to please some.

I don't know. There aren't really any hard rules for me, except maybe I want to read something different, even if the difference is subtle. It's similar to how I write. I create some hard rules to guide me, and then just continually break them.

For example, I would say character and story are important, but one of my favorite stories was the Bright Black Sea by C. Litka. In it, he gets carried away with the world building and the nuances of interstellar shipping within that universe. It doesn't sound like it should be an interesting read, but his telling was so good, I got sucked into it. I actually found it slightly annoying in the beginning when he'd break to go back to the story and character stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0753FS41S?...

I wanted more of it when I picked up The Lost Star's Sea. It felt like a different beast, but once again, I got caught up in the world building. I think you never truly know what you can enjoy until you find an author who can make the unlikable likeable.

Assuming that the writing is at least average and it has been properly edited (you can have the greatest, most interesting plot but if the writing is poor and it is riddled with typos, then nothing will make me put down a book faster). Good prose is hard to maintain throughout but it definitely makes a story better.

My biggest pet peeve is when characters do stupid things purely for the sake of advancing the plot. Sure, people do stupid things all the time.

Some will say that the book must have likable characters or they must somehow relate to the main character, but I would say that the most interesting characters I've read are ones that are not likable.

What does it for me is interesting plot and characters. Descriptive writing about the setting. Something to sink your teeth into regarding conflict, maybe some history, some beautiful language that appeals to the senses. Give me that, and I'm happy.

Writing makes even a ludicrous plot highly enjoyable. If to take City of Thieves of Benioff City of Thieves , as an example - the plot seemed kinda idiotic: KGB sends kids behind nazi lines to procure some eggs, required for cooking a wedding cake for one of the bosses, otherwise unavailable during the Siege of Leningrad, and thus to avoid punishment. However, all other aspects make it a masterpiece...

Nik wrote: "Writing makes even a ludicrous plot highly enjoyable.

That is an interesting comment. I think good writing, in novels or scripts, has the ability to make a ludicrous premise workable. I think about the movie Back to the Future, which was a pretty silly premise, but everything worked and it was very enjoyable to watch.

I agree. Give us some interesting characters and a good plot, and a writer can get you to come along on the trip.