Allison Symes's Blog - Posts Tagged "reacting-to-characters"
What Sells a Book to You?
What would you say sells a book to you once you have read it?
You’ve loved the cover, the blurb, and you’ve enjoyed the story but what was the stand out element for you?
For me, it is always about the characters. They have to grip me so I want to follow their story through.
They don’t necessarily have to be likeable. They do have to be memorable.
I have to understand where they are coming from, even if I disagree with the route they’ve taken.
And if a character makes me want to shout at them or what have you, then that’s a good sign. It means they’ve engaged me, even if they’ve annoyed me! I then look further at why they’ve annoyed me too.
What I really dislike are insipid characters because you think what is the point of their story.
No writer wants that one!
You’ve loved the cover, the blurb, and you’ve enjoyed the story but what was the stand out element for you?
For me, it is always about the characters. They have to grip me so I want to follow their story through.
They don’t necessarily have to be likeable. They do have to be memorable.
I have to understand where they are coming from, even if I disagree with the route they’ve taken.
And if a character makes me want to shout at them or what have you, then that’s a good sign. It means they’ve engaged me, even if they’ve annoyed me! I then look further at why they’ve annoyed me too.
What I really dislike are insipid characters because you think what is the point of their story.
No writer wants that one!
