Please yes

[Bay]

Good interactions with the characters is one as it's always fun to see how certain personalities clash. Some sort of mystery, doesn't have to be a mystery genre story, that leaves me guessing and curious what happens next is another.

 

[pastelspectre]

for me, i personally like reading books where i can relate to the character or the plot somewhat. also, swearing. if there's a lot of swearing i'll most likely keep reading to be honest. also if the book sort of has..that certain charm to it, like where the plot is so good you just can't stop reading.

 

[Astinus]

The first thing that keeps me reading is if the fic is about my favorite characters. Even if the fic is highly recommended by others, if my favorite characters are in it, then I don't stick around or enjoy it as much.

I also prefer it if the characters go through some mental conflicts, especially where it's written as if they're fighting a form of depression. Probably because I go through that myself, and seeing it explored in a prose form helps me handle the whole thing.

Other than that, I really keep reading so long as the plot keeps moving.

 

[Aisu]

Those good damn jokes that keep coming with no chance to breathe, that good damn action sequence, that good damn roast.

 

[Somewhere_]

The story has to keep me engaged, not only while viewing, reading, etc, but also after finishing a chapter or episode. I want to be challenged as a consumer and I also want the story to be thought-provoking- whether that be reminiscing on hilarious moments, thinking of "what if" scenarios, putting myself in the position of various characters, giving me ideas for stories, etc.

But while actually reading or viewing, I just need to have a reason to invest my time in the story. The story has to offer something that I love or something new because I can easily just read or watch a myriad of other things.

 

[gimmepie]

Character depth is a big one. Your characters don't have to be massively complex but they need to have more than one emotion and no weaknesses. They need to be three dimensional with strengths, weaknesses and an emotional spectrum. Even if your character is meant to be "the stoic" there needs to be a reasonable justification otherwise your character is boring.

I'm also big on suspense. I love that feeling of "what's going to happen next?!" I want your story to keep me on the edge of my seat regardless of the genre. Whatever your plot complication/conflict is, I need to feel like that at any moment there's a chance that your character might fail. Nothing is more dull than reading about a character who just breezes through life. That's why Gary Stu characters like Superman or Goku are so bad, because they remove all that suspense - they are going to win and everything will work out okay for them. You know that from page one. It's also why George R. R. Martin's stories are so thrilling because you never know who will be alive at the end.

The last big one for me is good dialogue. I'm a sucker for really well-written dialogue even though it's probably my biggest weakness as a writer myself.

 

[Winter]

I need hooks. I need things that clamour for my attention. That's why I judge books so strongly based on their opening lines. I need something that screams to me, louder than everything else on the shelf. I love a one-liner. I love sass and attitude. I love vulnerability. I love chaos and actions. I love fully realized worlds where I can imagine myself in the character's shoes and go "yes, this is a fantasy I can believe in". I love being surprised; I love being amazed.

And I love being impressed. If you are like me and literally make reading into breathing, you'll come to a point where you want something new, something fresh, to spice up your palate.

 

[Delirious Absol]

Giving me characters I care about makes me want to keep reading. (The Sun and Moon games did that really well. I genuinely cared about the plot and the story. I know it's a game and not a book, but same rules apply lol)

I like learning more about the characters as the story goes on as well, so revealing too much too soon is bad. It has to be revealed slowly which will keep me wanting to read.

I also like the idea of a romance forming between two characters. Whether it does or not by the end of the story is irrelevant, a spark is enough.

Also - good opening line. There's a chance I'll keep reading even if it's not catchy provided a good story is promised in the blurb, but a good hook is greatly appreciated! =)

 

[Seeka]

I can and will read an entire series if they have one memorable strange character. And that said character has minor plot relevance. Like they're mentioned every now and again, but they're not a part of the story as a complete whole. But they have to be memorable. I adore Foxy from the Bobby Dollar series because of this.

And I love characters who are played off of each other. This is like one of the few ways I can enjoy a constantly happy-go-lucky character who we don't dwell on, but has some amount of unhappiness we don't get to frequently touch on.

I also love romance, but only when it's different. I also love avoiding romance, especially when the main character is female.

 

[Sonata]

Attention to detail. I actually enjoy reading large paragraphs of setup with someone describing a scene in its entirety. The way a character looks or acts, the way that a character feels in relation to their surroundings, it all just really gets me excited to see more, especially if it's good. Especially with an excess of detail, you really get to see the picture that the author had in their head at the time. However, when you do start making larger and larger walls of text with descriptors it's easy for both the reader and writer to get lost in it all. I wish I had some examples because I know that I've seen a few goods ones here recently, but I think what really makes for a good writer and gets me the most excited for reading is when an author can not only make those large, coherent descriptions but also draw it all back together and cement the image in the reader's mind without basically retouching each description as if it were a shopping list.