What makes you stick with a story from start to finish?

[Sylver]

Hi everyone! Amateur writer here x) I'm working on increasing the statistics on my novel. I know it's natural for views to fall off with each new chapter, but I wanted to gather some information from you guys to help with a few things.

Main question is: What makes you (the reader) decide to follow a story from beginning to end, or beginning toward the most recent chapter (assume the story is ongoing with a scheduled publish date)?

Bonus question: What influences you to stop following a story?

Any input would help a lot, thank you so much!

 

[AliceMoonvale]

I don't always read stories, but when I do,
I stick around for the detailed, coherent writing and lack of edginess or brainless smut.

 

[Sylver]

I don't always read stories, but when I do,
I stick around for the detailed, coherent writing and lack of edginess or brainless smut.

View attachment 43140

Valid I read that in his voice

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I just want to see what happens as much as, if not more than, my #1 reader. How does it end, and how do the characters get there?

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

I just want to see what happens as much as, if not more than, my #1 reader.

That is a truth if I ever heard one.

 

[Xcalibur_Xc]

Simply because I like the story. I drop what I don't like. There is nothing more to it than that. But from author's point of view, the views will drop after a certain point in the story. Some forget, new books, some don't like the story direction. So, don't get discouraged. Keep writing for the ones who are reading your book.

 

[Sylver]

Simply because I like the story. I drop what I don't like. There is nothing more to it than that. But from author's point of view, the views will drop after a certain point in the story. Some forget, new books, some don't like the story direction. So, don't get discouraged. Keep writing for the ones who are reading your book.

Oh I intend to keep writing. It's just that I worry about the numbers dropping to an unrecoverable amount. It's already down by a lot and I'm at the climax of Act 2! I'm worried that there won't be any readers interested to see the conclusion of the story.

I just want to see what happens as much as, if not more than, my #1 reader. How does it end, and how do the characters get there?

Sometimes the simplest answer is the most honest and relatable one

 

[Holder-of-the-metal-bat]

Reasons to start reading:
- the story is a genre i like
- bonus if there is an original twist or take on the genre
- it has a few dozen chapters at least
- it doesn't look too complicated ( in the summary, do not give me the names of imaginary people or places I don't care about yet - who cares about the name of a magical academy or the name of the continent it's on, or all the names of all the characters I'll have to learn later, instead of telling me what makes the novel special ?)

Reasons to keep reading :
- there are new chapters to read
- I'm not sure if writing style matters that much - sometimes I read awkward writing but I still enjoy it because I want to know where the story will go
- clifhangers kinda work if the story is actually interesting
- story is interesting if there is a little bit of foreshadowing (I like to know where the story is headed long term to create expectations about how it will happen)
- better if the tweak or specificity of the story is explored (how does it affect the MC, the other people, the world, the relationships). I.e. good worldbuilding makes me want to learn more about the world in the story. But dont info dump. Explore, each arc usually explores a different aspect.
- most of the time I prefer when there is only one point of view, because if your other characters are not interesting, I'll skip the content and lose attention. (But POVs are still a powerful tool of well done)

Note that I didn't check your profile before writing my answer so the above bullet points may or may not be of interesting to your situation

 

[Valmond]

If it finishes.

There, answered your question. Now give me a cookie.

 

[Sylver]

Reasons to start reading:
- the story is a genre i like
- bonus if there is an original twist or take on the genre
- it has a few dozen chapters at least
- it doesn't look too complicated ( in the summary, do not give me the names of imaginary people or places I don't care about yet - who cares about the name of a magical academy or the name of the continent it's on, or all the names of all the characters I'll have to learn later, instead of telling me what makes the novel special ?)

Reasons to keep reading :
- there are new chapters to read
- I'm not sure if writing style matters that much - sometimes I read awkward writing but I still enjoy it because I want to know where the story will go
- clifhangers kinda work if the story is actually interesting
- story is interesting if there is a little bit of foreshadowing (I like to know where the story is headed long term to create expectations about how it will happen)
- better if the tweak or specificity of the story is explored (how does it affect the MC, the other people, the world, the relationships). I.e. good worldbuilding makes me want to learn more about the world in the story. But dont info dump. Explore, each arc usually explores a different aspect.
- most of the time I prefer when there is only one point of view, because if your other characters are not interesting, I'll skip the content and lose attention. (But POVs are still a powerful tool of well done)

Note that I didn't check your profile before writing my answer so the above bullet points may or may not be of interesting to your situation

All of this is very good stuff, thamk you! I'm taking notes from your response
Would the story length and word count influence your decision to drop the story or continue it?

If it finishes.

There, answered your question. Now give me a cookie.

Here's your cookie, thank you!

 

[Eldoria]

What makes you (the reader) decide to follow a story from beginning to end, or beginning toward the most recent chapter (assume the story is ongoing with a scheduled publish date)?

1. Appropriate genre and sub-genre preferences;
2. An original and engaging story premise;
3. Character and world development;
4. Consistent fulfillment of narrative promises according to the story premise;
5. An antagonist who is iconic, human and challenges the way we think about dealing with real-world problems. We understand why she/he is evil and/ or opposing the MC but we also don't want to justify it. For example, Pain who was born from a cycle of suffering from intergenerational war where Pain has an ideological goal of creating peace through pain/deterrent effect.

What influences you to stop following a story?

1. Narrative betrayal - the core conflict contradicts the story premise in the synopsis. For example, the synopsis promises a wholesome and heartwarming family fantasy story but the story instead leads to a cliche romance that makes the family a gimmick or just a background story (trust me! shoujo with gimmicky titles like daughter, mother, son, father, or family name embellishments are mostly bullshit - most of them are just cliche romance wrapped in a supportive family).
2. Repetition of conflict tropes with different names. For example, a young master with a new name is higher level but the core conflict is still an arrogant young master;
3. Too much fan service that distracts from the main story focus. For example, Mira-chan (an isekai genben with a loli summoner FMC, I forgot the title). The author intentionally sexually abuses the protagonist for fan service, such as suddenly falling and revealing her underwear. Does the author think readers are pedophiles who enjoy watching little girls being abused? This is a serious crime.
4. Too much filler. For example, how much filler is there in Naruto Shippiden episode compared to the main story?
5. The author doesn't respect his/her own characters (read: lazy to make character development);
6. The author is afraid of the logical consequences of the narrative. For example, AoT conflict of hatred between generations gives rise to global genocide;
7. Inconsistency of the protagonist's personality. For example, if the brave MC personality suddenly becomes cowardly for no clear reason;
8. Being too fond of the antagonist to the point of giving excessive plot armor. For example, the antagonist is almost killed but saved repeatedly just because the author is lazy to make another antagonist;
9. Cartoon villain antagonist whose motivations are very shallow and disgusting (gold, power and sex).
10. Too many plot holes;
11. Too much plot armor for MC.
12. A world that submits to the MC, not the MC that adapts to the world.

 

[Valmond]

Here's your cookie, thank you!

 

[Sylver]

1. Appropriate genre and sub-genre preferences;
2. An original and engaging story premise;
3. Character and world development;
4. Consistent fulfillment of narrative promises according to the story premise;
5. An antagonist who is iconic, human and challenges the way we think about dealing with real-world problems. We understand why she/he is evil and/ or opposing the MC but we also don't want to justify it. For example, Pain who was born from a cycle of suffering from intergenerational war where Pain has an ideological goal of creating peace through pain/deterrent effect.

1. Narrative betrayal - the core conflict contradicts the story premise in the synopsis. For example, the synopsis promises a wholesome and heartwarming family fantasy story but the story instead leads to a cliche romance that makes the family a gimmick or just a background story (trust me! shoujo with gimmicky titles like daughter, mother, son, father, or family name embellishments are mostly bullshit - most of them are just cliche romance wrapped in a supportive family).
2. Repetition of conflict tropes with different names. For example, a young master with a new name is higher level but the core conflict is still an arrogant young master;
3. Too much fan service that distracts from the main story focus. For example, Mira-chan (an isekai genben with a loli summoner FMC, I forgot the title). The author intentionally sexually abuses the protagonist for fan service, such as suddenly falling and revealing her underwear. Does the author think readers are pedophiles who enjoy watching little girls being abused? This is a serious crime.
4. Too much filler. For example, how much filler is there in a naruto shippiden episode compared to the main story?
5. The author doesn't respect his/her own characters (read: lazy to make character development);
6. The author is afraid of the logical consequences of the narrative. For example, AoT conflict of hatred between generations gives rise to global genocide;
7. Inconsistency of the protagonist's personality. For example, if the brave MC personality suddenly becomes cowardly for no clear reason;
8. Being too fond of the antagonist to the point of giving excessive plot armor. For example, the antagonist is almost killed but saved repeatedly just because the author is lazy to make another antagonist;
9. Cartoon villain antagonist whose motivations are very shallow and disgusting (gold, power and sex).
10. Too many plot holes;
11. Too much plot armor for MC.
12. A world that submits to the MC, not the MC that adapts to the world.

That's a lot of notes for me to take, I greatly appreciate it!
Does the chapter length or word count influence whether you continue reading or drop the story?

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

That's a lot of notes for me to take, I greatly appreciate it!
Does the chapter length or word count influence whether you continue reading or drop the story?

Depending on the person... the sweet spot seems between 1500 and 2500 words. Long enough to bite into it a bit, short enough that it can be read during a break.

 

[Eldoria]

That's a lot of notes for me to take, I greatly appreciate it!
Does the chapter length or word count influence whether you continue reading or drop the story?

No, word count or even grammar errors are never my excuse.

 

[Sylver]

Depending on the person... the sweet spot seems between 1500 and 2500 words. Long enough to bite into it a bit, short enough that it can be read during a break.

Hmm, okay then. I've been shortening the chapter length and keeping it between 2000 and 2500 words, so that helps.

No, word count or even grammar errors are never my excuse.

That's a relief I worry about making grammatical errors and losing readers because of it. Some have been helpful and leave comments mentioning some typos I'm thankful for that.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

Take a look at the most popular works on the home page, many are probably around only 1000-1500 word chapters...

It seems to be the only way to 'game' the system, dropping two chapters for the price of one, though they are not all that way...

Edit

Just checked, most are in that range, but a couple are 3k-5k.

take that as you will

 

[Envylope]

If it finishes.

There, answered your question. Now give me a cookie.

Also if it finishes. Also, do what I say, not as I do. Finish your stories!

 

[Sylver]

Also if it finishes. Also, do what I say, not as I do. Finish your stories!

... do you not finish your stories? x)

 

[Valmond]

... do you not finish your stories? x)

Most stories on these platforms do not finish lol.