Literature comes in many forms. Whether it's a romantic comedy or a historical war drama; a gothic mystery, or a work of science fiction/fantasy, a good book is always worth the read. However, what makes some books better than others? Why are some so much more appealing?
Having written many stories over the years that fall into various literary qualities, there are a few structures to a novel that should be universal to every book:
1. A solid plotline. This is arguably the most important. It should be consistently appealing from beginning to end.
2. The characters are developed. From the first pages, the reader follows them and wants more of them. Usually showing some sort of change in the lead role by the end of the story is also important.
3. The main character is likable, even if they are a villain. We should be able to understand the lead role's reasons for doing what he/she does.
4. If there is an antagonist in the story, this character should help define the lead role. While there are good stories without good villains, it's obviously better to have both.
5. Whether a novel is action/adventure or a romance, feeling the character's desires is more important than knowing the details of every battle (historical fiction) or knowing the details of sex between the characters (romance). For example, Michal Shaara's The Killer Angels doesn't tell the reader about every soldier at the battle of Gettysburg, nor did the author intend to do so. Michael Shaara was more concerned with focusing his story on several key characters: Joshua Chamberlain, Robert E. Lee, and James Longstreet. By narrowing his cast of characters to a handful, the author was able to focus on them personally while sharing their perspectives of the battlefield around them. Likewise, Jane Austen never gives the reader details about Edward Ferrars and Elinor Dashwood kissing in Sense and Sensibility. Her writing was more concerned with the romance of the mind than of the body.
6. The climax is not forced. Just like a good building or a good relationship, a good novel never forces its final action until it has laid the foundation of the story. No matter what the climax is, it will be hardly satisfactory without a solid build-up to it.
As to the author of the work...
1. The writer doesn't expect the reader to already understand what he does. It can be easy to tell a story and then expect the reader to understand aspects of the plot, places, or characters without the writer explaining them to the reader. However, the writer should never take the reader's potential ignorance for granted.
2. The author of the work should write what she wants to do. Publishing should be about creativity and imagination; honoring a work of art. Unfortunately, it's often what is just marketable.
3. The writer should be getting advice from others around him/her with literary knowledge as to the faults and failures of the early drafts. While the writer may not always agree with their criticism, engaging with it is important to make the novel better.
4. In a world of technology, oversized novels are generally not a good idea. This is especially the case for writers that are not yet well known.
5. It's important that the writer of a given work ensure a natural flow to the story. If the plot seems uneven, the romance seems forced, and the action is just dry, then it may need to be rewritten from scratch.
6. While people's reactions can be unpredictable, the author will not satisfy any audience if he/she has not first pleased themselves with it. While there may be exceptions to this rule where the author of the work detests it even if the readers adore it, this is generally unlikely to happen. If anything, the writer will generally appreciate their work more than other people will.
In conclusion, there is more that goes into a work of literature than meets the eye. Understanding its attributes is important not just for the writer, but for the reader as well. By using the models above, a reader may make their choices easier between reading one novel or its companion.
