As I wrote in Scribe’s guidelines, what I look for when I read stories is emotion. I like it when the writer succeeds in touching me with his words. I like to feel. I like to feel the thrill that runs through my body. I like to feel my throat knotting up. I like to feel the sensitivity and vulnerability through the writer's words. I like to feel like I'm escaping my world.
I agree with the idea of emotion--probably first I need to get the feeling that the author feels something about this piece in order for it to be compelling to me. And if the author feels strongly about it, then I almost always will be interested as well. And if I get the feeling the author has just thought of a clever plot idea or structure, or a great metaphor but there is no feeling, I'm bored. The only thing I'd add--and it's a pretty important point for me--is that I want that feeling to be more than just raw emotion. I actually want the author to have examined this 'emotion' or 'feeling' or situation and have some new insight on the topic. If that makes sense? I don't necessarily want all the answers--if a poem is about grief, of course, you don't 'solve' grief, for example. But I want insights. I want to learn more about this feeling, or about navigating life, or what it means to be a human who grieves, through this small piece of writing. If I just want to experience 'raw emotions,' well I don't need to live vicariously through others to do it. It's hard to put into words but I want emotion AND perspective...
I agree, there has to be a lot of emotion to grab me. I also love a little bit of suspense in a story. It keeps your eyes glued to the page and you cannot look away until you finish. But most of all I love creativity! I love books/stories about magic or just with a lot of creative phrasing and words you wouldn’t normally put together. That always grabs my attention and keeps me wanting more!
I agree with the idea of emotion--probably first I need to get the feeling that the author feels something about this piece in order for it to be compelling to me. And if the author feels strongly about it, then I almost always will be interested as well. And if I get the feeling the author has just thought of a clever plot idea or structure, or a great metaphor but there is no feeling, I'm bored. The only thing I'd add--and it's a pretty important point for me--is that I want that feeling to be more than just raw emotion. I actually want the author to have examined this 'emotion' or 'feeling' or situation and have some new insight on the topic. If that makes sense? I don't necessarily want all the answers--if a poem is about grief, of course, you don't 'solve' grief, for example. But I want insights. I want to learn more about this feeling, or about navigating life, or what it means to be a human who grieves, through this small piece of writing. If I just want to experience 'raw emotions,' well I don't need to live vicariously through others to do it. It's hard to put into words but I want emotion AND perspective...
I agree, there has to be a lot of emotion to grab me. I also love a little bit of suspense in a story. It keeps your eyes glued to the page and you cannot look away until you finish. But most of all I love creativity! I love books/stories about magic or just with a lot of creative phrasing and words you wouldn’t normally put together. That always grabs my attention and keeps me wanting more!
I look at the content mainly.