What makes you read?

[Illidan Stormrage]

I'm hoping most people here, in some capacity, read for fun. I do, and sometimes I wish I read more than I do (probably about an hour a day, at least 1/2 an hour). However, when it comes to the Omniverse, where we come to write ourselves and hopefully have other people enjoy our prose, there are things that make writing more enjoyable to read. 

It could be simple things like word count or paragraph spacing. Maybe certain phrasing grabs your attention and makes you want to read more. Action scenes might press you on, or the introspective posts where a character reviews their lives. Hell, it might even be a spiffy title.

So, what works for you? What makes you want to read other people's work here? Have a good think, because if you can think of one thing that gets your attention, then someone else might be able to apply that to their writing, and then everyone wins!  :frogc00l:

[Corporal Light]

I like to read other works for the story they have, and for how they effect the characters inside it. It's especially a plus to me if it tugs on my heartstrings for one reason or another sometime in the post, or really just makes me feel some type of an emotion whilst reading the thread, since I take it as a sign that I've grown to care about what happens to the characters in the story, and that the story and overall plot has gone from good to great.

(I also have a bit of an inclination towards darker works that deal with more mature themes as well, though that doesn't mean I don't like "lighter" works either.)

[Jade Harley]

This is super hard for me to pinpoint because the kinds of stories that I like to read aren't at all similar to how I write? I like struggle, I like mysteries and riddles and unexpected supernatural elements. I like learning things about a character's past, but while it's fun to be reminded of it every now and again, it's best not to dwell on it for too long. Things that set a character's thought process apart from the norm are also interesting, like referring to everyone else as 'mortals' or calling a toaster a dangerous hell-machine. Sometimes it can be funny, sometimes it can make a character seem amusingly condescending.

I appreciate it when there are alternating points of view in a work to keep things interesting, but each PoV must be different from the others and bring new, crucial or surprising information to the forefront. Uhhmmm, I like it when a plot requires at least some effort to predict without leaving me completely in the dark (holding out on the big reveal for two more chapters usually does it!). As for word count... well, I prefer to read really, really long stories. Even if it's just a single post, so long as it's bringing new information about the setting, characters, and story to light, I'll enjoy it.

Even something as simple as the right comparison can really lend something to a work in my eyes! Like, let's say there is this story about a weatherman. The writer might include a clever little simile about how the sky looked like the mercury in a glass thermometer. I catch on to that, it makes me feel just a bit smarter for making the connection (though not really, but still), and the writer probably got a kick out of it!

I also like it when paragraphs are spaced out, yes, and with plenty of sentence length variation! Spiffy titles are great as well, I know that I can spend hours searching for the perfect title. Scenery is pretty important to me, I always feel like the setting should bring out different qualities in characters. Piles upon piles (three to four short paragraphs at most) of probably nonessential description is a great way to keep me interested, so long as it's written well and littered throughout the post. Dunno about anything else, really.

[Alex]

My favorite show growing up was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It wasn't because of boobs or murder, but it was because it was one of the most well-written television shows I had at my disposal as a like, 10-year-old (I was a weird kid, sod off).

I'm drawn to character more than anything else. It's nice if you can put out a cool action set-piece, and it's great if you can craft a nice scene or wield a verbose vocab. All of those are skills that are going to make your writing great, but for me, the thing that I really enjoy is the character. It's why I've always liked play-by-posts (since you usually write a form of 3rd-person limited, where one character is the focus).

Nothing engages me in the overall story more than seeing living, breathing characters. Nuances. Quirks. All the fun things.

And since I love Joss Whedon, dialogue is another thing that I look out for. I've always thought I've had a strong vocabulary and some skill at scene-crafting, but dialogue is probably the one skill I've tried to hone since I started writing online. Now I'm not saying that dialogue should always be witty and laden with pop culture references, but it ought to be believable and not just like, extra words with quotes around them (which I often feel like it is). The same applies to internal monologues, which can be a great tool if it's not screwed up.

So yea. Character+Dialogue. That's what will keep me reading once I've grown tired of the violence and the adjectives.

[Deadpool]

I agree with Alex--characters are what drive stories. The plot can be awesome, and the description can blow me away, but if the characters are flat or stale then I will lose interest fast.

I like characters that feel authentic, and are comparable to persons in real life as far as traits and personality. And I like when the dialogue feels legit ( everyone has their own mannerisms and such, and its great to see things like that which make the character unique)

[Saint Walker (Blue Lantern)]

I like to read because it helps me to be creative myself. As The Oatmeal said, creativity is like breathing. Reading is just one way I inhale. That and, I quite enjoy getting immersed in a story. I'm too lazy to elaborate sorry.