huh, I thought this week’s Booking Through Thursday question was a bit odd, but definately a good topic starter.

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

Yes, a good storyline is essential. If the story is completely lacking then it really doesn’t matter what else the book has going for it because no one is going to turn a single page. However, the story itself can be so-so, but the characters, the settings, the writing, itself can be stellar enough to make up for it all and keep you turning pages.

In my opinion, the story itself is the first thing that draws you in. It’s what grasps your attention and gets you to pick that book out of the millions out there. But the story itself is not the end all to the book. It’s the main course, the foundation, but other elements keep you anchored down. I don’t care how intriguing a story is, if the characters are flat and the interactions between them are fake I’m going to be writing off the book as “had potential, too bad the author doesn’t know how to tell a tale”.

Story, characters, development, setting, style – all of these are necessary components and to say that only the story matters is akin to saying only the frame of a car is necessary. It might be what holds everything together, what gives it its appearance and draws you to pop the hood and check it out, but it’s not the car. The engine, the wheels, the radiator, and so forth, are what make it move.