What I like in fiction
It’s the first Wednesday of the month again, time for a post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
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Lately, I have been very picky about the books I read. Sometimes, I would start a book – a good book according to multiple reviews, a book several of my online friends recommended – and couldn’t finish it. After a couple of chapters, I would become so bored, I couldn’t continue.
Other times, I would pick up a book by an unknown author, a book nobody recommended, a book I learned about by chance, read it, and rejoice. And think: what a wonderful writer. I want more of her stories.
What differentiates one from another? After some consideration and examination of the books I liked and disliked, I came up with this list below.
What I prefer in fiction:
The narrative is mostly dialog and action. No involved self-searching. Minimum inner monologues. The heroes talk and do. They rarely stop to contemplate their tragic past, at least not for more than a couple paragraphs.The characters are seldom alone on the page. They need someone to interact with: a friend, a lover, a teacher, a neighbor. Even a dog would do in a pinch.The plot moves fast. The action starts immediately (second page at the least) and happens all in the now. Minimum flashbacks or info dumps.Limited descriptions: only the necessary details. The text is spare and clear. No long, convoluted passages that serve no purpose but to display the author’s ability to produce gorgeous prose.No philosophizing. No proselytizing. A story should entertain, not promote an agenda.Not too dark. Grimness is not my friend. I want light, a bit of humor, and hope.Deep POV: I want to be in the protagonists’ heads all the time. I want to experience their emotions, not just learn their thoughts. The omniscient POV rarely works for me. Emotional distance doesn’t work at all.I need to like the protagonist. He/she should be a good and capable person with no artificial flaws. Alcoholics – no. Drug addicts – no. Doormats – no. Assassins – no. I don’t mind a Mary Sue, in fact I appreciate such a heroine. On the other hand, a nasty bitch with a hidden heart of gold (for redemption stories) is frequently a turn-off for me.The protagonists are adults. I’m not into YA – fictional teenagers often irritate me. Too much angst, too little sense.Writers that satisfy my list include Jayne Ann Krentz (in all her nom de plumes), Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Jennifer Crusie, Lois McMaster Bujold, and many others – all my favorites. A number of them are bestsellers – obviously I’m not the only reader who enjoys their stories.
The funny thing about my list is that no literary fiction and very little mainstream fiction needs to apply. No surprise: I don’t read much of either, because books in those genres usually have the opposite attributes: too much introspection, the action is slow, flashbacks abound, the prose is lavish but pointless and half of it could be cut out without the plot suffering. And the protagonists are profoundly flawed. Meh.
Mostly the genres I read are romance and speculative fiction. I’m a lightweight that way. And of course, I write speculative fiction and try to abide by my own rules in my stories.
What about you? What do you like/dislike in fiction? Do you have a marked preference for certain features? Certain genres?
