what makes a great (book,novel,story)?

Question

the ideas of the book..the goals..the charecteres..

Answer 1

Well, everyone has a different take on what makes a great story, so here's mine.
Characterisation is a huge factor, I, for one have to be able to empathise with characters to some extent. All the characters need to seem believable, as though people like this could really exist, so I need to see characters with flaws as well as good points.

Plot. For me, great characters means nothing unless there's a decent plot for them to work through. Plot needs to be carefully constructed, so that you don't figure out the ending long before turning the page for the final time. But not so convoluted that you end up wondering "where the blazes did that come from?"

Pacing. I like a plot that moves quickly along, though not too quickly, you need time to think too, while reading. Overlong descriptive passages are wasted on me, I just skim through them. A balance between dialogue and description is an important factor. Plots that wind around for too long before coming to a conclusion just leave me putting down the book unfinished.

Endings need to bring some kind of closure. Not exactly a happy ending, or even a fully definite one, but one that gives us some idea of how things work out for the main characters.

But all of that aside, the most important factor for me, having read a book is "do i want to read it again?" "did the book make an interesting point/make me think?" If the answer is yes, for me, that is a great book.

Answer 2

What makes a great book is the story with something worth telling that the world wants to hear. A great story says, "Life is like this!" -- a metaphore for life -- but that's not enough. It must also be told-well.

While all parts make the whole, the controlling idea is what provides us the emotion and this is revealed in the last act's climax.

Consider Lord of the Rings. The last act climax (different than the resolution) is where Frodo destroys the ring and is destroyed himself. We learn by that act that "Freedom prevails when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves". Then we can reflect on the rest of the story and see this controlling idea throughout the entire story. All the characters and scenes can be constructed like a wheel around it and each scene can be bounced off this controlling idea and have double-meaning within the subtext. This is a story well-told.

Now consider The Da Vinci Code. While I have no problem with page-turners, will that book stand the test of time or are we confusing suspense and curiosity with a powerful controlling idea? Great stories certainly have suspense in them and keeps us turning the pages -- that's part of telling a story well-told, but they are also full of meaning for us that tells us what life is like. The Da Vinci Code is lacking in creative effort and meaning although it's fun to read (as millions have attested!). But who is talking about the great meaning of The Da Vinci Code? Where's the subtext? Where's the metaphore for life?

The best stories are well-told and hold deep meaning about the meaning of life. But that isn't something everyone can do. Consider the following illustration:

In the break room, a man tells his co-workers "How I painted the back fence" leading them through the disaster of his neighbors teasing him for having no mechanical skill, to the thrills where he loses his dog after he forgot to close the fence for the night, and his co-workers grabbing their mugs lean in for more and then he ends on a fantastic scene how despite it all he painted his fence and when the tornado came through only his was left standing. Imagine the co-workers says, "Yes Jack! That's how life is!".

Now imagine the next co-worker explaining how she is going through a divorce, everyone leans in to hear what she says, she leads them through every cliche, "he was an SOB", "I'm going to take him for everything he's got", talks about the legalities of how she'll get the children...boring.

But imagine a master storyteller telling the divorce story ... it could be rich instead of the trivial story about the fence. So, deep stories well-told are what makes a great book.

Answer 3

One facet is strong character development. When someone reads your story, they should KNOW your characters. They should be able to feel them. Flesh out your characters. Give them life. Try this book for an excellent example...."To Serve Them All My Days" by R.F. Delderfield. At the end of this book, you really know the main character. The best story can fall flat if the reader doesn't care about the characters. This is but one facet of writting a good novel. I'm sure others will offer advice in other areas. Write EVERY DAY!! Good luck :-)

Answer 4

I don't have any specific ideas for you, but I know that the books I have loved the most are the ones that I can closely relate to. Not necessarily realisitc, but just something to relate to. And honest books that tell the truth about how life is without sugar coating. I know it's not very specific, but hopefully that might spark some ideas. Write about something you have experienced and have an emotional connection to.. if you don't have that connection nobody else will either. Good luck!

Answer 5

I am a lover of literature and always have been. I think that measuring a book's worth is a very personal thing. It is something that is very different for each person that reads the book. Evaluating literature is an important part of appreciating it. I judge a piece of literature by...
-the emotions it provokes and the intensity of these emotions
-the ideas it inspires
-the lessons I learn from it
Many other factors contribute to my evaluation of a piece of literature but these three are among the most important.

Answer 6

Tragedy and Comedy or Tragi-comedy - true to life but adding special spice and taste to it.Characters (get the spelling right) although "particular," need to be "universal" ie true to life, having more-or-less believable feelings, tastes, fears, aspirations etc. Look at the Old Testament characters for guidance. There are godly people full of humanity but there are also heinous murderers, rapists as well as chaste characters, those driven by jealousy as well as by modesty, the most malicious fiends and the most angelic characters are all in the Holy Book.

Answer 7

Take a look at Harry Potter.
The fantastic suitable combination of mystery, horror, thriller, humour, fantasy as in Harry Potter series does the trick. And dont forget the characters, the plot, the marvellous twists, and ofcourse the tying of loose ends a k a the END.

Answer 8

A book which tells of every-day things which most people do, i.e every day life. A great book describes people and scences so well , that if the characters are e.g[ English] they will be English in all aspects, English to every bit of detail, names, customs etc.A great book is never boring, but full of excitement, and gives details which the public wishes to hear.

Answer 9

Well for me ultimately it is the skill of the author. Ive read books across all genres, science fiction, horror, thriller, romance, historical etc.etc. and I find that no matter the genre, or the storyline, or the characters it is ultimatately the skill of the author who makes the book work. You can read something and you know that its completely impossible, or inaccurite or just downright bizzare but you still get drawn in and find it believable because the author allows you to do that!!

Answer 10

What makes a good book?

Well, the plot needs to be something new. Like, it can have a few old elements but at the same time, it should have something new that wows everyone and makes them want to keep reading. Also, the charecters can't be onesided or dull. Make them interesting, give them a cool name or something.