Allison Symes's Blog - Posts Tagged "empathy"
What Makes a Good Story for You?
For me, a good story is all about whether I care about what happens to the characters or not.
If I do, I will read all the way through, whether that tale is 100 words long (classic flash fiction territory, that one!), or a 100,000 words novel.
I have got to find out what happens to the characters so I need to be able to identify with them in some way or, at the very least, have empathy for the position they find themselves in.
The plot works for me as long as I can believe in the characters, no matter how fantastical they are (or their setting is).
I also love reading (and writing) character dialogue and thoughts which move the story on. You want to feel as if you are in that character’s head and can see exactly where they are coming from.
You want to feel what your character does. That’s the only way to avoid characters being cardboard cut-outs in my view.
If I do, I will read all the way through, whether that tale is 100 words long (classic flash fiction territory, that one!), or a 100,000 words novel.
I have got to find out what happens to the characters so I need to be able to identify with them in some way or, at the very least, have empathy for the position they find themselves in.
The plot works for me as long as I can believe in the characters, no matter how fantastical they are (or their setting is).
I also love reading (and writing) character dialogue and thoughts which move the story on. You want to feel as if you are in that character’s head and can see exactly where they are coming from.
You want to feel what your character does. That’s the only way to avoid characters being cardboard cut-outs in my view.
