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We do these weekly writing 'workshops' in Creative Writing. They're actually more like miniature critique groups.
At any rate, The Maintainer was listening to me read one of my chapters (the story with Vivian Clarke). She's read three of my four completed WIPs, so she knows my style very well. When I got to the end of it, she commented on how my main characters are always very similar.
I thought it was a bit of a problem, until she mentioned she wanted to read the rest of my new story. I laughed and asked her why, as it is Chick Lit and she prefers Terry Pratchett and John Green and Haruki Murakami and whatnot.
She said my main characters always had the same intriguing quality, but it was a type of intriguing that never got old. So, even though the genre was not to her taste, she wanted to read it because she likes my other books.
You know what you call that? A reader.
So, she might be my best friend, but she said something interesting. She wanted to read something she ordinarily wouldn't because she likes the style in which I write characters, even if they are all a bit similar.
It got me to wondering if the key to developing a solid readership is to write books that are different, but not too different.
What do you think?
What makes you keep coming back to your favorite authors?
Wisdom of the Moment: Write books that are different, but not too different.
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ReplyDeleteCool blog n articel
Thank you! I love new followers. Welcome aboard. :3
DeleteWell, I think you hooked her with an interesting character that she cared about. If you can do that, you can take the reader almost anywhere. You've got a good friend and reader!
ReplyDeleteYeah, everyone loves a good character. They're one of the most important elements of a story.
DeleteI usually fall for an author's writing style, particularly if they're clever or witty in some way, or if their characters are introspective in a way that intrigues me, or something like that. And, yes, if they tend to write their main characters similarly, I could see that being an attractive quality too, as long as the stories aren't too similar.
ReplyDeleteObviously your friend sees something great in your characters, so that's really cool. If one person sees it, others probably will too. :-)
The style certainly is important, but sometimes that has to change depending on the story. Maybe it's more about the way the author's mind works.
DeleteI hope others will like my characters. I know it's bad form to get your friends' opinions on your work, but support to that extent sure is nice.
There are a lot of elements that make a story work, but if the character isn't someone a reader can relate to, it will be hard for them to keep reading.
ReplyDeleteI believe that creating good characters is the key to any successful story. When I think about books I've read and didn't enjoy, it's mainly because the characters weren't interesting/believable enough to drive the plot.
I think finding the line between interesting and believable is key. You don't want to make a character so realistic they're boring.
DeleteI agree with that! I mean, people want to read things that are familiar but intriguing! You don't want your story to be TOO different or people might not be able to relate. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are some books that are far out there, and I love them, but I know why they aren't popular. They're way outside the box.
DeleteA lot of the time I return to authors for the "sound" of their prose. Some writers just have a way of setting down words that sing! Of course, I love a good story,but I've found that good stories and beautiful prose are often in the same book. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is so true. Overall good authors have both story and beautiful writing. Perhaps the story quality gets even better when it's written well.
DeleteThat's an interesting insight. I suppose this is why people write series that have a number of books that are unrelated apart from the fact they all have the same main character (like the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, for example).
ReplyDeleteWhen a reader reads a book of someone they've read before, I think they expect something similar. Different, but not too different - as you say. No use reading a Stephen King novel and finding a book that resembles Twilight.
Yeah, maybe that's the appeal of reading a series. I've never really liked series books, because I hate having to wait about a year for the next one to come out.
DeleteI enjoy series, although I hate having to wait for the next one if it isn't out yet. Ugh, especially with the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. The was gaps of like three years between books.
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