Happy Saturday, everyone! I’m a little swamped right now, so instead of our usual thesaurus entry, I’m reposting an old favorite. It’s the first in a series of posts that explore different reasons why I stopped reading certain books. This is really helpful information for us to know as authors so we don’t make the same mistakes in our own books.
I like keeping lists. And I like books. So I guess it makes sense that I have a lot of book lists. Books To Read, Books I’ve Finished, Books I Want to Buy, and possibly the most informative one: Books I Didn’t Finish. As a reader, it happens quite frequently that I’ll start a book, and for whatever reason, my attention wanes and I end up putting it down unfinished. As a writer, I want to know why this happens so I can avoid making the same mistakes in my own stories. The reasons behind a book’s failure to grab my attention are varied. Some of them I see often in books I read; some offenses I’m guilty of committing myself. Because of this, I figured I’d share what I’ve learned so we can all try not to replicate these errors in our stories.
For this first installment, I’m pulling from a book I was really looking forward to reading…well, let’s just call it Book A (I’m a positive person, and since this isn’t a review, the title doesn’t matter). Regardless, this book was historical fiction—one of my favorite genres that I find in short supply—and a retelling of an old myth. The cover was gorgeous and the back copy contained an accurate summary of the story. The writing itself was strong, the descriptions evocative. So what killed it for me?
In the first chapter of Book A, the heroine’s life had taken a dramatic turn which included a global move away from her family and friends to a place she’d never been. And when she got there, everything was great. Her new home was luxurious, her benefactor doting and accommodating. In this new place, she was actually better off than she’d been at home.
Zzzzzzzz…
I was underwhelmed at this point but continued on to chapter two, hoping things would pick up—and I did find a vague undercurrent of danger, the feeling that all wasn’t as it seemed. But it was too vague, too distant. The character wasn’t concerned, and she didn’t seem to be in any real danger, so I wasn’t worried about her. And I never made it to chapter three.
Clearly there was a lack of tension, but why? What was it about this story that put me to sleep? When I examined it further, I realized that I didn’t know the hero’s goal; she wasn’t thinking about what she wanted or discussing it or wishing for it. Because she never revealed her greatest desire, there were no stakes for her should she fail to achieve it. It didn’t seem to matter one way or the other if she got what she wanted, so I didn’t really care if she succeeded.
For readers to be involved in your story, your main character has to have a goal. Simply put, this is something she wants to accomplish by the end of the story. Goals come in many shapes and forms. A character may want to discover his own identity (The Bourne Identity), make a living and survive in 19th century Paris (Belle Epoque), or find his birth father (Elf). If you don’t know what your character wants, then the reader won’t know, either. Figuring out the hero’s goal is the first order of business.
The next important step is to reveal this goal to readers through the context of your current story—through dialogue, the character’s thoughts, through action, or a symbolic keepsake or memento, etc. And the sooner you do it, the better. In the movie The Bourne Identity, we’re all of eight minutes in when Bourne, who has clearly lost his memory, says with great emotion, “What if it doesn’t come back? We get in there tomorrow, I don’t even have a name.” With this simple bit of dialogue, viewers see exactly what Jason Bourne wants. We know what he’s going to spend the rest of the movie trying to accomplish, and we spend that time rooting for him to do just that.
Because I have a fear of overstating things, I tend to be too vague when it comes to my character’s goal. Through consistent feedback from my trusty critique partners (What’s she after in this scene? I don’t know what she wants, etc.), I’ve learned that it helps, in the drafting stage, to state the goal outright. Mention it more than once. Then, when revising, soften those references and turn them into examples of showing rather than telling. Maybe remove a few of them altogether. This has worked well for me to make sure readers know my character’s goal without smacking them over the head with it.
So, to summarize: 1) know your character’s overall story goal, and 2) reveal it at the start of the story so readers will know what needs to happen for the hero to succeed.
Hopefully this information will come in handy for you and will help you write stories that readers can’t put down. An understated goal is one big reason why books fall flat for me, but there are definitely others. I’ll be writing more posts in this series as those reasons become clear. Enjoy!
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Wanna check out the rest of the series ? Here are the installments:
#2: Characters Who Aren’t Endearing
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Excellent series of posts. Really enjoyed it. You make some great points and I love that when that happens. Thanks! Sharing.
It was as if you were warning me personally. I, recently, started a project that is a historical fiction. I will keep you interested in the first chapter but, from what you write in this post, there is a good possibility I will start losing you in the second chapter. I need to beef it up some.
You have helped me tremendously, Becca.
Oh, I’m so glad! It’s always nice when a post hits home with someone. Best of luck with that all-important first chapter :).
I remember when you posted these, Becca, but with my mushy brain, I can’t remember if I read them or bookmarked them! *sigh* Since I feel like I’m getting closer to actually focusing on my novels, it’s perfect timing for me, so thank you 🙂
Congrats on approaching the finish line! What an awesome feeling.
Typos and missing commas are one thing, although annoying, they are not a deal breaker to me. A deal breaker is an author not having a grasp of grammar in general. This is more than a simple mistake. To paraphrase Stephen King, s/he does not have the proper tool in the writer’s toolbox. If one wants to write then one should do his or her homework. No one can do any job without the proper knowledge and tools.
Agreed!
Interesting. I often know the protagonist’s goal from the cover blurb etc. before even starting to read the actual text. But if the goal is not spelled out again in the first chapter there must be something else to entertain me. A subsidiary goal perhaps, given that goals can change over the course of the story. Incidental pleasures and anticipation of later developments can keep me reading, but readers’ mileage varies there too. I read several books at a time and frequently stop reading one for no particular reason, and resume weeks or months later.
I agree with you.
People who are able to read multiple books at a time always fascinate me ;). I’m such a linear person; the idea of reading more than one book simultaneously——I just don’t even know how I’d do that, lol. As always, it’s awesome to hear about different perspectives.
Hi Becca,
Great post! I usually find the reason I put books down is because I’m not invested in the character, there doesn’t seem to be enough at stake or my disbelief is suspended. But all of these relate back to the protagonist and their motivations, like you covered in this post. It’s important that readers empathize with your character and if not, at least care about what happens to them.
Thanks for the great post!
Leigh
Yes! For me, while there are a number of different reasons, 80% of the time I stop reading, it’s because of a problem with the character. There’s so much there that has to be nailed for me to empathize with him or her.
Thanks for re-posting! This is a great series and so helpful as I work on revisions!
Thanks for stopping by, Andrea. Best of luck with those revisions :).
Again, another important post. A very good reminder on how to begin a story, and keep readers interested.
Thanks for sharing.
Spelling errors. Third strike and I put the book down.
Yes! There are so many books on the market today, so many options for readers. Most of them aren’t going to put up with poorly edited books.