What Are 5 Key Aspects That Make A Book Good?

Q&A With Shay Every Other Sunday

Q: What are 5 key aspects that make a book good?

A: These are my personal preference, but also appeal to general “rules” of what makes up a good book.

1. First is, of course, the writing. You could have the most imaginative and compelling story in the world to tell, but if it isn’t well written then the story doesn’t work. Check out my old blog posts: five common mistakes to avoid in writing, three common mistakes to avoid in writing, and top writing advice for beginning authors to learn more about what makes up good writing (or detracts from it).

2. Relatability of characters, and especially flawed characters. This doesn’t mean you actually need to see yourself in the characters or have anything in common with them, but they have to be three-dimensional and “real.” Even if it’s a fantasy or sci-fi story, the characters must be relatable in some way even if their world might be foreign. Perfect characters with everything going well in their lives don’t typically make for interesting ones to follow. I’m always looking for the flaws in characters, not just their circumstances. Whether the character is unlikeable or likable they must still be understandable.

   Characters are directly linked to the strength of the storyline because the reader experiences the story through the characters, and their perspective, so if we don’t have a clear understanding of who the character is fundamentally then the plot will not be appreciated in the way it could. Even the most evil villain has a backstory and a reason for why they are the way they are. I personally find villains much more interesting than the good guys, but we still need to know who they both are at their core.

3. Just as characters need flaws, they need conflict. Conflict is a core element to create a compelling story. The conflict can be however small you want, but the characters need to encounter some sort of obstacle for a story to be engaging and for the reader to care about what happens. If the characters live a perfect existence and don’t have a single conflict throughout then there’s an automatic feeling of “what’s the point?” Where is the struggle? As frustrating as conflict is in real life, it’s a big part of life and a story without any is not believable—and frankly, boring.

4. Believable, captivating, absorbing plot. Everyone has their own tastes and we aren’t all going to like the same storylines as other readers, but we can often agree when a plot is thought out and executed well. The storyline needs to be woven together with a clear structure and built upon as the book progresses. Sometimes, I’ll read a book where there was an engaging scene and then it was never touched upon again. This is evidence of lack of structure and plotting. A book isn’t just captivating scenes, it is captivating scenes that are connected from the inciting incident to the rising action to the climax, and finally, the resolution.

5. Make the reader FEEL. Not every book has to make an enormous impact in a person’s life. It’s obviously great if it does, but some simply aim to entertain. Whatever purpose a book serves, however, it should always make the reader feel something, whatever the emotion may be.

What key aspects do you personally look for in a book?