I’ve been having great luck with books recently (Before I Fall, Incarceron, Mistwood) but for a while I was in a serious reading dry spell. I’d pick up book after book and not get more than a few chapters in. After reflecting on all those books I couldn’t get through, I’ve come up with a list of things that make me stop reading – and how to avoid them.
1. I can’t connect to the character. No matter how important the conflict feels to the character, if I don’t care what happens to her, I won’t care if the conflict is resolved. That’s why when a story starts with action, it needs to clue us into the character very quickly, otherwise we’re watching things happen to a person we have no reason to care about.
Solution: Make us connect with the character right away; we don’t necessarily need to like her but we need to care enough about her that we’ll be upset if she’s crushed by an asteroid.
2. Nothing has really happened, and it doesn’t feel like anything is going to happen anytime soon. If I’m on chapter five and I’m still not sure what the story is going to be about, chances are I’ll give up on it.
Solution: Story is about conflict, and that conflict should at least be hinted at in the first chapter. Beautiful writing or a great voice will only get you so far; ultimately, your story needs to be about someone struggling.
3. The telling doesn’t do the story justice. I was excited to read a particular book because of the premise, but it was structured as a series of reports that were supposed to recount the events of the story. This approach kept me so far away from the characters that I just couldn’t get invested in the story, no matter how interesting the premise was.
Solution: Experimentation is great, but you still want to draw in your reader. If you want to keep some distance between your reader and your characters, for example, give us some other compelling reason to keep reading.
4. The story doesn’t make me care. Sometimes there’s a general “So what?” that I feel when I’m reading; why should I care what happens in this story? Often this is because the stakes aren’t high enough or the characters’ motivations aren’t believable. I want to care about these people and what happens to them, but if it feels like their struggles aren’t genuine or necessary, then I probably won’t keep reading.
Solution: Make the stakes high but also make them believable. If the character is taking big risks for something she doesn’t care about and that doesn’t really affect her, chances are we won’t care about her struggle.
5. The story is too derivative. Of course all stories are inspired by others stories, but if I start reading a book that is trying too hard to be like something else (Twilight, perhaps?), I usually find that distracting. Often I get the feeling that I’ve read this book before, and it was better the first time.
Solution: If you’re writing a story that’s been told many times before, you have to find a way to make it your own – find that special twist that makes your story unique.
6. It’s just not my personal taste. This isn’t a fault as much as it is a reminder. Your story will not be for everyone. My husband absolutely loved a book and encouraged me to read it; I got about halfway through and had to put it aside because it was just too gory for me.
Solution: Keep your ideal reader in mind and write for him. Of course, you want your story to have a broad appeal, but it’s impossible to cater to everyone.
So that’s my list of “deal-breakers” and some possible solutions. Now it’s time for yours. What makes you stop reading a book? What are some possible solutions to those problems?
- Categories: A Closer Look, Books, Craft
Insightful post and food for thought. I’ll get back to you.
Great post, Anna! As a writer, I’m much more willing to put down books that don’t do it for me. The biggest reason I put down a book is if more than a few scenes go by and the plot isn’t moving forward enough. They are just episodic. I know I can skip chapters without missing anything but character development. Hands down, I’ll skip them and read the end. That’s on biggie for me.
Ohhh, what a great list, Anna. So useful for me as a writer, too.
One other thing that makes me stop reading is politics/morals/ethics whatever you want to call it. If something happens that I feel is morally wrong and no one questions it or discusses it, I get quite angry. I don’t want everyone in the book to agree with me, but when a character is racist or sexist or an abuser or whatever, I feel that needs to be addressed. Ohhhh, see, I get angry just thinking about books like this! =)
Great post! I totally agree with all of your points–especially with number one. If I can’t connect with the main character within the first couple of chapters, then I have to put a book down. I just can’t get pulled into the story if I don’t care about the protagonist.
Thanks, Clara! I’d love to hear about the things that make you stop reading.
Laura, I feel the same way about episodic books. Sometimes they can work if I love the character (like the Ramona books) but often if there’s no story pushing the book forward, it can be pretty frustrating.
Anne, that’s an excellent point. I think this is why I have a hard time with “antiheroes” because they often do and say despicable things and we’re supposed to accept them. But then again, I love the show “House” – so I guess sometimes it can work.
Caroline, it can be tricky to make your character relatable right from the beginning, but it’s SO important. I’m willing to give a character a few chapters, but if I still don’t care about him after that, I’ll probably give up.
Great post, Anna. I will share this with my book club. We’ve been meeting for 8 years and have often echoed the same things you said. It’s nice to see them summarized so well.
I too put down more books than I ever used to. For a while, I thought something was wrong with me. “Why don’t I like anything?” Your list is pretty much my list. If I can’t connect to the character, and nothing is happening, I’m done. Another way to address the “so what?” problem, I think, is to be sure the MC has inner as well as outer conflict. I think it’s inner conflict that produces the character growth, and it’s lack of character growth or change that makes me go, “So what?”
You seemed to hit all the right points in your excellent list!
I used to force myself to finish books even if I didn’t really like them. Now I know better- there are so many remarkable books out there and I shouldn’t waste my time reading something that isn’t my taste! I do give books a second chance, though. Sometimes I was too young when I tried reading a book and appreciate it more now, or sometimes I just wasn’t in the right mood for a certain kind of book.
Great post, Anna! Your reasons are pretty much mine. Like Marcia, I find I put down a lot more books now than I ever remember doing. It’s almost always because I can’t connect to the character or because there’s no there, there. Overall, I feel stories are different now. Is it the corporate influence of commercial sales over quality? Who knows. Don’t get me wrong, there are a LOT of great books out there. I think the good ones are much stronger than good ones from previous years. (The Book Thief comes to mind.) But I also think there’s a lot more commercialism in kid lit than there used to be, and that may be showing.
Thanks, Shari! I’m impressed you’ve been with your writing group for 8 years! I can see how many of these issues would come up over that time.
Marcia, that’s an excellent point. It’s not just about conflict – it’s about the character’s internal struggle, and about his struggle with the things around him. Without a character’s personal struggle and growth, the story can often fall flat.
Laura, I’ve had that happen to me. There were books I was forced to read in high school (e.g. The Great Gatsby) that I didn’t appreciate at the time but have since grown to love.
Andrea, that’s an interesting question. Maybe because children’s books continue to make money (and publishers want to keep it that way) there’s more of a push for marketability vs. quality to keep those sales numbers up. But, as you said, there are also some amazing books out there!
Awesome as always. I just have one thing to add – write a book YOU THE WRITER would enjoy reading.
This is such an important post. I stop reading about 2/3 of the books I start. After one reading session, I don’t feel like picking up the book again–mostly for the reasons you state.
I think maybe what publishers are drawn to (like high concept) is often at odds with what readers actually want. Readers want something that sustains interest all the way through, but publishers only care if a customer picks up a book and buys it.
A book that sells on the cover alone is the publishers’ Holy Grail, but a clever concept/cover often leaves a reader disppointed. “Pride, Prejudice and Zombies” comes to mind. I know lots of people who bought it, but nobody who actually read it.
Great post, Anna! Most of the time, I stop reading a book because of a craft issue: I feel there’s an overuse of adverbs, or there are info-dumps, or words or phrases repeat with abandon. Something else that has stopped me was when a narrator’s voice got in the way. It made the reading experience tedious.
Fantastic post. You really hit some key issues. I kept saying, yep, and yep and yep. Thanks for the reminder
Awesome post!
I finish most of the books I read, but the books I can’t get through are the ones that don’t make me care enough about the characters.
One of the worst was written by someone in the military and the whole thing was full of acronyms. After the tenth FBI,CIA,F10, SGI,& whatever else he put in there on the same page…my eyes glazed over. I didn’t make it past the first chapter.
SHowing you know what your writing about is great, but drowning your reader in said knowledge is not so great.
Lisa, that really is the most important thing, isn’t it? If you wouldn’t want to read it then why would you expect other people to?
Anne, that is such an interesting point. Sad as it is, that sort of approach kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? I’m sure publishers would love to put out only the highest quality books, but those aren’t always the ones that sell; ultimately, they want people to buy the books first, then (possibly) enjoy them.
Shannon, I try to forgive a craft issue or two, but if they’re widespread then it can be pretty frustrating. I agree with you about distracting narrators – often they’re supposed to be funny, but there’s a fine line between entertaining and intrusive.
Thanks, Christina! I had no idea so many people would be bothered by the same things I am – I guess these are pretty universal.
Wendy, I’m impressed that you finish almost all of the books you start! The book you describe would drive me nuts. There are definitely ways to put your CIA/FBI knowledge to use without hitting readers over the head with it!
I totally agree with this list. Thanks for posting!
Fantastic insights, so well-said. I’m using it as a reference starting now
Thank you! -Jennifer
Anna, this is all so true. Another thing that stops me is the words themselves – if they are trying too hard or not in keeping with the character, I find I can’t connect.
Thanks, Lydia and Jennifer! Happy writing!
Andrea, that’s an interesting point. If you find yourself noticing the word-choice (which should be invisible) that’s a sign that it’s not quite right for the story. I think sometimes it’s tempting to use the words we, the writers, want instead of what the characters would actually say.
Excellent list, it covers everything that I have gone through myself as a reader. It’s a good reminder to look for those things in my own writing.
This is a very enlightening post for all us aspiring authors. I’m going to print it out so I can keep it in front of me. Thank you.
Boring main characters! I’ve read books where I loved the premise but the main character bored me to tears. One solution that’s helped me develop better characters is to exaggerate their personalities. Average Joes don’t translate well on the page. The more larger-than-life the person, the better.
All worthy reasons! I feel sort of guilty when I stop reading a book. It’s rare, but it has happened. I feel like I need to send the author a basket of cookies as an apology.
I used to keep reading even if I didn’t like the book, because I kept hoping something would get better later on. Now I don’t do that anymore, because I just don’t have time.
These are great reasons to stop reading. One that always brings me to a screeching halt is ponderous, emotionless writing. I picked up the latest of a thriller writer I used to love at the library, and barely made it through a third of the book. I don’t know what happened to him, but it was overwritten and dull. He included a sex scene (most thrillers seem to lack them, so I was like “YEAH!”), but it was so mechanical I was actually bored. I won’t name the writer, but he is or was a doctor.