What Makes a Book Good?
Lately I’ve been trying to absorb every bit of knowledge I come across about writing a novel. I feel like a dry sponge that got dunked in water. It soaks up as much as possible but since there’s more water than sponge, it has to allow some of the water to seep out. There’s a ton of information out there about writing, sometimes too much. And like the sponge, I can’t retain it all. Fortunately, I think I’ve got the main concepts down.
First, I need to build a platform. I am actually working on that now in the online class by Kristin Lamb called Building an Author Platform. The class just started but I’m very excited about it and I know that I’ll be learning great things as Kristin is a great resource.
Second, I need to write a good book. No problem!
Um, wait, okay, there might be a problem. What exactly is a “good” book? I think that answer depends on the reader.
For instance, I’m currently reading Blood Skies by my friend, Steven Montano. He describes it as a “Post-Apocalyptic Military Dark Fantasy. With Vampires.” Not my normal genre. Okay, maybe the vampires and the witches but not so much the military part. But I decided to read it anyway. This decision wasn’t made because he’s one of my peeps on Twitter and I wanted to help out a friend. Though all that is true, I don’t base my reading choices that way. I bought the book because I read the excerpt on his website. (Which also proves the need for a great author platform like Steven’s!)
I read the excerpt because I wanted to see his style of writing (being the little sponge that I am.) By the end of the first sentence I wasn’t even thinking about his prose, I was drawn into the story line and wanting to know more about the main character. In essence, Steven piqued my interests. So I bought the book. It has all the elements I like plus some. Not to mention, it got me to broaden my horizons and venture into a genre a bit different than my normal choice.
To me, Blood Skies is good book. But how many die-hard, avid romance readers would take a second glance at this novel? Not many, because they wouldn’t identify with the story line or the characters. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good book, though.
As an avid reader, I have ready many books that I think are good but for different reasons. There are some where I think the story is just wonderful. The plots kept me guessing all the way to the end. These are usually mysteries or thrillers. I have a curious mind and I love puzzles so figuring out “who dunit” or guessing at the ending satisfies this part of me.
In other books, I fall in love with the characters more than the story. Romance or love stories fit this bill, or my favorite paranormal romance. I also love a great crime thriller with a splash of romance thrown in for good measure. The good ones in my opinion really show the vulnerabilities and true nature of the characters. Sometimes the characters feel so real, you would swear that the author picked some one out of your own life to write about.
To me, these are all aspects of a good book. So for me to write a book like this, I need to connect with my audience. I can read blogs or articles and follow the trending genres all day long, but that doesn’t really tell me what readers are looking for. It just tells me what industry experts think. I look at myself as an example. I don’t read just one genre and don’t write in just one genre either. So I probably wouldn’t fall into the experts statistics because my tastes vary.
But as an author, I want to write scenes that grasp the reader’s attention and develop characters they can identify with. My dream isn’t just to sell a book with my name on it, I want to author a book that readers enjoy. I want to write a good book.
What is that old saying “You won’t know until you ask.” So I decided to do just that. I want to know your opinion.
What types of books do you read and what makes them “good?” Is there a genre of book you want to see more of? And what do you think would make you read a book from a different genre?
Your thoughts matter to me, so leave a comment and let me know what you think.
October 4, 2011 @ 1:13 AM
Hello Jennifer! I’d say my favorite books have good prose. Further, they have GREAT prose that makes me stop and smile. Is it literary prose? Oh no, definitely not. I’ve read sci-fi horror to historical fiction, but the commonality is first and foremost their interesting prose. A tie would be memorable characters. I tend to gravitate to the larger-than-life characters. Not only the ones oozing with testosterone, but demure heroines or main characters as well. So for me I’d say prose and character. Kind of odd I didn’t mention plot or story, but I’ve read books that were strong on both but failed in prose/character and I might not had finished the book. Very interesting post and thought provoking.
October 4, 2011 @ 7:35 AM
Hi Mark!
You know, I have to say you may be on to something here. I have stopped reading books that could have been really good all because the prose was poorly written. So I can see how great prose could do the opposite and really grab your attention. Great comment! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer
October 4, 2011 @ 2:22 AM
What makes a good book are the people, places and things the author puts into the stream and then shows us authenticity.
October 4, 2011 @ 7:36 AM
Hi Michael,
Good point! I hadn’t thought of this one.
Thank you!
Jennifer
October 4, 2011 @ 7:14 AM
Hi from a fellow WANA1011 class mate 🙂
You have gotten a great start with your blog. It looks beautiful and very writely and the first posts are solid and start a dialogue with a reader.
Writers really have a lot of reading on our plate. We have to read the books of our own genre, and then expand to other genres too to keep fresh and to get new perspectives. And then there are the craft books. And marketing. Oh my.
My genre is fantasy and I read mainly books of that genre and fact. I totally agree with you that we like different books for varied reasons. Every book teaches us something, even if it is don’t do this. The best books teach us something about life and being a human, though. Sometimes you want fluff and just to be entertained but the best books that you remember for the rest of your life went really deep. The Hunger Games is the most recent example that I can think of.
What books have made an impression on you, Jennifer?
PS. I’m sure it comes up in the class but Kristen suggests that you add your name to the title of your blog. It is already in your About link but it could be displayed even more prominently 🙂 Keep up the good work! I have your blog bookmarked.
October 4, 2011 @ 7:49 AM
Hi Reetta!
I must say that one of my favorites is A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I read it when I was in my teens and it made quite an impression on me. Afterwards I found out that my grandfather actually taught at Phillips Exeter Academy, the school mentioned in the book, and that he was there during the same time as the author. It was all kind of neat!
I read all types of genres, most of which are fiction. Though occasionally I will throw in a non-fiction if it strikes me as interesting.
As for the title of my blog, there are several on this site. I’ve used the WordPress platform to create a basic site and added my blogs. They are listed along the side bar. I may end up changing them up and also the name of my site from Small Escapes to something with my name in it, but that takes a night where I have much more time to play around with everything. I’m taking baby steps right now, but hopefully soon I will be able to run with it all! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and see ya in class!
Jennifer
October 4, 2011 @ 8:39 AM
Hi! I’m from WANA1011.
Every good book is not for everyone. Just because a particular reader doesn’t like a book, doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. Thankfully, they are not one size fits all. I read a “good” book a few years ago that had received nice reviews and became an Oprah book club pick. I didn’t care for the plot or the voice, so I didn’t finish it. Actually, I hated it, but I’m not saying it was a bad book.
For me, I need a voice I enjoy, characters that feel real, and simply an interesting story that actually starts within the first few pages. I’ve been known to stop before page ten and go to another book. Why? There are just too many good books out there for me to feel like I’m wasting my time.
Look forward to seeing more from your blog.
October 4, 2011 @ 9:22 PM
Hi Isis!
Yes, I need some events near the beginning to really get me into a book. I want to have a reason to keep reading. But like you, I’ve stopped reading early on as well. I try and try sometimes, but if it’s not there for me, I just can’t force myself to continue on when there are others that will take me away within their pages.
Thanks!
Jennifer
October 4, 2011 @ 10:10 AM
Great post! In order to come up with an answer to your question, I really had to think about it. I like to read stories with paranormal/supernatural content (some horror but not blood and gore stuff). Nowadays “paranormal” means “vampires” and although I do love romances, I also love to read stories involving ghosts. They are hard to find. Everyone is reading zombies and vampires and werewolves and the like. But then there are people like me who gets tired of those stories and wants more. Something different. So anyway, I found a book about a family that lived in a haunted house. Yes! My type of story. But, the writing really turned me off. I forced myself to finish the story but it was a struggle. I did enjoy the story itself and I know that sounds confusing but the book was confusing. When the writer wasn’t throwing in flowery words and literary prose and just told the story, it was interesting. But the story structure bothered me to no end. She was all over the place, in the present one moment, back to the past the next. There was no logical timeline and I had a hard time following it. I finished the book because I wanted to know how it all turned out in the end. I skipped over all the stuff that annoyed me and so, I skipped a lot. After all that, the ending was a big disappointment. It didn’t wrap things up and it didn’t explain why they all hightailed it out of the house. So, given that…I think story structure definitely has a part in determining if a book is good. Certainly you need interesting characters and dialogue that sounds natural, but if the structure is all over the place, not so good. I’ve read several books lately where I thought the prose was not great but I still continued to read them (a lot of skimming involved). I thought to myself…geez, this person got published? I shouldn’t have any problems then! (then I’ve read books where I’ve thought, “I can’t write as well as that, how can I possibly think I’m ready?”) Thank God for the not-so-good books! It keeps my hopes high concerning my own chances at publishing success. (smile) I do not like to read a book where the author is “telling” me everything. I won’t finish those books (and I won’t buy from that author again). I like to become part of the book when I’m reading it and you can’t be part of something your being “told”. A good book isn’t full of description (I have an active imagination, I can pretty much please myself about what things look like for the most part). A good book has stuff going on all the time. If something isn’t happening, I skip to the next point in the book where stuff is going on. I never skip dialogue unless it sounds “preachy” or long winded fluff. So, that covers some of what I consider a good book. Thanks for making me think about it! Now I know. (smile) By the way, the books that inspired the type of novels I like to write are “The Reincarnation of Audrey Rose” by Frank De Felitta, and “The Shining” by Stephen King.
October 4, 2011 @ 9:18 PM
Deborah,
I’m all about the paranormal/supernatural as well. But I am getting tired of the vampire being romanticized or having a triangle between a vamp and a werewolf. Hard to find anything different nowadays though.
I do love a good ghost story! And you’re right – there really aren’t that many out there that I have found.
Great thoughts on this! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer
PS Stephen King is a master! 🙂
October 12, 2011 @ 8:58 PM
Jennifer, That was a great blog. I always say that I’ve learned more for the master story tellers’ books I enjoy than from any creative writing class. Favorites: Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, John Sandford, John Grisham, Lisa Scottoline, Dennis Lehane, Robert Spencer.
What makes those writers’ books one that I will always buy and enjoy? Characters.
They create three-dimensional, believable characters that remain in my memory long after I’ve forgotten pieces of the plot.
That’s what I try to create in my own novels. I’ve published the first, Thicker Than Water (Brands Crossing Series) and the next Whatever Goes ARound (Brands Crossing Series) will be published in early 2011.
October 29, 2011 @ 11:32 PM
I think there is such a thing as objectively good writing, but for me that mainly involves grammar and grasp of language. Aside from that, it’s mostly a matter of taste. Although I do sometimes find myself enjoying a book outside of the genres I normally read, so good stories do have the ability to transcend normal tastes.