.o. .o. .o.

I am sure I am not the only one who has read their way through a library or two. Haven't we all? But what is it that makes some stories better than others? Here are some things that I personally feel is needed in a good story:

.o. 1 .o.

A good story should have multiple characters and those characters should each have a story of their own. Even if there isn't time for everyone's story, it will make the characters so much more believable if even the minor characters appear to be out there living their lives between apearences in the main story.

.o. 2 .o.

A story should pass the Bechdel test. This means that there should be multiple named female characters and those should get to talk to one another about something other than boys.

.o. 3 .o.

I like it when the story is believable. Even if a story happens in a world different from our own it still needs to be believable. It can ruin a good story when authors write in something so unlikely that one is forced to recognise those letters on the screen for what they are; just letters. And here I am not talking about a random troll apearing when the gods play dice in Diskworld. That is perfectly fine and consistent with the rules of the world Pratchett created.

.o. 4 .o.

A good story leaves a few things up to the imagination. I love the fact that JK Rowling never explicitly defines Hermione’s skincolour. So many young girls around the world identify with that character and I think all those girls should all be allowed to imagine themselves as being Hermione as she is attending Hogwarts.

.o. 5 .o.

I like stories that don’t end to abruptly. Lord of the Rings would not have been the masterpiece it is if Tolkien had stopped writing the moment Frodo threw that ring into the flames of Mount Doom. Also; having multiple characters all simultaneously find their 'happily ever afters' would be in violation of rule number 3. Life is never that simple.

.o. .o. .o.

Oh and me? I just like to prove to myself every now and then that I can do anything. Even write a fanfiction (after reading a whole lot of fantastic ones). I sat down spent a few months writing. The result is a 130k story about a whole lot of familiar characters. I think it came out rather well. Don’t you?