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What Keeps You Interested?



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Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:24 am
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EscaSkye says...



As the title says, what keeps you interested? What is it about the novel you read or the movie you watched that kept you staying on your seat, finishing the material of your choice?

Since we're in a writing site, I'm very curious about your thoughts on plots, characterization, and the like, but other points made on cinematography and such are also appreciated.

Personally, the biggest selling point for me is characterization and backstories. Personally, I'm very interested in people: who they are, their thought processes, and how they got to the point they're at today. I want to know where they're coming from, and the little quirks they have.

What about you guys?
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Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:48 am
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PrincessInk says...



What usually keeps me reading a novel in one sitting is usually a MC(main character) whom I like. You know, the type you wanna be best friends with. And the setting is really good and there's some amazing plot twists thrown in.

If it's realistic/historic fiction, typically what keeps me going is that whatever problem is going on seems really huge to me. And the character is getting more and more desperate.

If it's fantasy, I suppose it's cliffhangers and an intriguing storyworld. I also like unique ones, but sometimes I put down books if they contain too much of the "prophecy" MC and if the MC has amazing abilities after training for three days.

I don't read too much mystery, but events that heighten the conflict and keep us guessing keep me glued to the chair.

But most important of all is the MC. If the MC is too nasty or too flat, I'll probably put the book down, forget about it, and return it to the library when its due date comes.
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Wed Mar 08, 2017 3:41 pm
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Tenyo says...



I'm not overly fond of backstories. I mean, it's fun to see where characters have been, but I much more enjoy being there to witness their biggest moments rather than see them in hindsight.

For me I love causation. Stories about characters who are born special, or who just happen to be in an interesting place at an interesting time, kind of bore me. I like characters who govern their own stories as much as their stories govern them, and seeing the cycle of action, consequence and re-action.

I also adore unreliable narrators. I think we're all unreliable narrators of our own lives, and so being able to see a perspective that is different, but truly believed in by the character, makes me feel like I'm reading about someone much more realistic.

The thing I dislike the most is characters dying at the end. Half way through is fine, because there is still another half a novel to watch how the other characters respond, repair and overcome, but when someone dies at the end it always leaves me feeling quite lonely and betrayed.
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Wed Mar 08, 2017 4:06 pm
EscaSkye says...



I like characters who govern their own stories as much as their stories govern them, and seeing the cycle of action, consequence and re-action.


@Tenyo, I never really thought about this and I must admit it sounds fairly foreign to me. Would you mind if I ask you to expound or provide examples of stories/novels with this concept?
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Wed Mar 08, 2017 4:18 pm
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crossroads says...



Tenyo wrote:For me I love causation. Stories about characters who are born special, or who just happen to be in an interesting place at an interesting time, kind of bore me. I like characters who govern their own stories as much as their stories govern them, and seeing the cycle of action, consequence and re-action.

I also adore unreliable narrators. I think we're all unreliable narrators of our own lives, and so being able to see a perspective that is different, but truly believed in by the character, makes me feel like I'm reading about someone much more realistic.


100% seconding these. I have both in my own WIP(s), also, just because I don't see it in already published books all that much. I'd like to add to the first point, though: I don't mind characters born special or those who just happen to be in an interesting place at an interesting time, as long as there's also causation. The cause-and-consequences cycle is very important to me in fiction, and I want to see it regardless of what kind of character we're talking about.

And to answer the original question: it's the little things. The tiny details, the foreshadowing that's clear enough to make you feel like you should be getting a hint, but not transparent enough to show you an important twist ahead of time. The small things the characters do or say and that reveal more about their personality than any character sheet would... things like those. I love being able to see pieces of the puzzle, and watch them fit together over the course of a story/novel.

Also, big stakes and big decisions, when done well.
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Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:53 pm
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Tenyo says...



@EscaSkye

I guess... you could compare The Little Mermaid to Cinderella.

In The Little Mermaid, the MC sees something she wants (the prince, or a human soul, depending on which version you read), and goes across the ocean to find someone who can teach her how. She makes a dangerous deal of her own accord, and then has to overcome the consequences and tries different methods to do so. There are many factors outside of her control, but her own ambitions and choices are what drive the story, and ultimately enable her to get what she wants.

Cinderella, on the other hand, is about young girl who has ended up in unfortunate circumstances. Eventually her fairy godmother grants her wish and orders her to return by midnight, and she does so. She meets the prince, who later comes in search of her and once he has found her, then she escapes her life of suffering and into the life she'd dreamt of. In this case, her circumstances come from the actions of her step-family, her opportunity comes from the fairy-godmother, and her dream comes from the prince who seeks her out. All she really had to do was go along with it.
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