I picked up something new to read this week. Well, something old, actually – in a lull between books I grabbed any old something from my bookshelf and started to read.
The writing wasn’t the best. Well, no, I’ll be honest – the novel simply wasn’t written in the style I prefer. I like subtlety and, for me, this was a bit clunking and obvious.
However, despite that I read it and loved it. I got lost in the book because of the characters.
The writer created a beautiful cast of characters and made me care about them – each was a flawed human being, weighed down by their history and pre-conceptions doing the best they could in the situation they found themselves – which turned out to be the worst possible thing to help them achieve what they wanted.
They became real people in my head, and whatever other faults a book might have, if you can create people I care about, now that’s good writing.
Leave a comment – what can transform a mediocre book for you? Characters – or something else?
katyhaye.com 
6 responses to “Character is King”
Interesting question. I think, for me, it would be a pacey plot. I could forgive a book a lot if I wanted to know what happened next.
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Yes, wanting to know what happens is also vital – but then only if I care about who it’s going to happen to!
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Absolutely characters. Unless the author is Thomas Hardy, in which case, description. Even if it is a description of a tree. 😉
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I think I only notice description if it gets in the way of the story – what a philistine!
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Characters are definitely important to me, although if the style was too clunky I think that would put me off. Descriptions – no! Plot, to some extent, but I hate books that have too much plot driven (in my opinion) as it feels like you’re always leaning forward and not enjoying where you are.
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I love seeing how different we all are – I love a nice, fast plot or I feel like nothing’s happening!
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