Why Do You Read Our Stories? [PAGE 15!] - Page 13

Why do you read our stories? And by us, I mean any writer that you choose to read here and have been reading.

What are you requirements for choosing and sticking with a story?

How important are things like spelling and grammar?

Let me try to answer. I will try to cover all the above points in the most roundabout way possible. I normally read all the posts on such threads but don't bother replying but today I felt like putting some thoughts into words, however random they maybe.

And let me get one thing clear. I am a very bad reader. I have a family and siblings who can read anything and everything and they are the most well read but I love the visual medium. I love seeing movies. And when social responsibilities(family commitments) ensured I could not run away to the movies, I started watching serials.

I have read all the 'definitely to be read' books simply because I was forced to read, peer pressure. But only enjoyed books which had something to do with the visual medium.

Why do I pick up a story?

I read stories with humour or romance which is well written with some good characterisations.

I love witty conversations. Because I myself can never reply wittily. It is only after ten seconds that the right retort flashes through my brain. Should have said this, I should have said that syndrome. So I love stories which have witty conversations.

I don't read stories with too much angst. Real life comes with its own set of pressures. I am escapist in my fiction reading. If it makes me smile, I read.

I like happy endings.

When I started reading ff's, I only picked up stories in which I liked the lead pair. And now I have evolved in my reading graph and now I am a bit more experimental.

If I pick up a story for a lead pair, I don't go into stories where the pairing is messed with. I appreciate those authors immensely who entice me into their story with a popular lead pair but introduce their own leads and other pairs so creatively that I have forgotten whom I started with. And then once I am addicted I don't give up easily mid way unless I stop relating to the characters completely.

I have recently loved some stories where the characters were so so well written that it was difficult to give up.

But again i Gave up a story which I had been following because I could not relate to the characters any more. It was a good story, popular, extremely well written but...I was at the wrong time and place for me to continue.

Authors who love their stories and want to tell their story passionately is very important. If an author asks for a certain number of likes, I don't even go in there. Because I am certainly not intelligent enough to encourage an author. I think i am more like a leech, getting my smiles and high from others' creativity in xchange for a like. It takes me a long time for me to feel comfortable to share my randomness.

I can read stories with bad grammar but not stories in SMS language. I feel bad when an author uses quite instead of quiet but that is not something worth mentioning to an author to correct because when they evolve and when they reach a different point on their graph, it will become 'quiet' itself. That is my belief.

If the story is good and the conversations are excellent, I ignore the grammar.

I am not creative, I can read a story but cannot make up a story, so I am in awe of creative people.

If I have read 10 chapters of a story and have bookmarked it and gone back to check on it, I can safely say I stick with it till the end.

So all in all, is there any formula in this world as to why somebody likes something. I am now at a time and place where I am thoroughly enjoying reading Berenstein bears as well as the 'yes minister' series.

That's all. Thanks. Done. *embarrassed*

Originally posted by: Appy_Indy

👏 I bow infront of you honey

Now this is something really constructive and appreciable.

Hey there!

I finally got around to posting here. So, here goes.

Why do you read our stories? And by us, I mean any writer that you choose to read here and have been reading.

Ah. I, personally, love reading. It gives me a way of escaping my life and imagining different people, characters, in different situations- and basically helps my mind grow- that is what I like to think. Because when I imagine a character in a situation that the author has put them in, I start analyzing and thinking about what my reaction would have been, had I been in their shoes. And the surprise when the author does not have the character react the same way that I would have- is the best prize.

So, yeah. I read because I love to. And that's why I have checked out almost all the stories that have been written on this forum. Of course, reading through the whole chapter and actually liking it and sticking to it- is a completely different story altogether.

What are you requirements for choosing and sticking with a story?

I don't have requirements for choosing or sticking to a story, per se. But I have found- over the time I have read, that there are some things that turn me off completely. For example- A story where the characters are not fully developed. Or stories where everything happens very abruptly. Stories which have not been researched well. Stories which seem to have been written in a hurry- like the only thing on the writer's agenda was to get the characters to have sex and get pregnant so that the male lead could go ahead and ditch the female lead. And to get to that point, he/she hurried everything else.

Sometimes, I find that authors write/present their stories in all Capital. Like- HE WAS SITTING IN HIS CAR... and so on. The whole chapter has been written in capitals- and I don't know why, but that hurts my head- and so, such stories I kind of ignore. I don't really have a problem with colors used, it seems like a good idea to differentiate with the different POV's. Of course, SMS lingo and wrong language- as in something other than English- is a huge turn off. But there are stories in which I have survived that and gone on to read and find out that it really is a story worth reading.

Then there are those stories where the male character is just a sadist and likes to beat the female up- and she does not do anything about it. I really hate stories where the female- in this case, Khushi, is a weakling and cries at the drop of a hat- does not have any backbone to speak of and clings to a sadistic Arnav. Frankly I cannot see them in that character- unless their characters have been evolved in that manner. Then, I would read- with a bit of a distaste- but I would still read it because it was the story's call as the author felt it. Then there are stories where the author has only written about the couple's erm... bed-life. It seems that these characters have nothing to do the whole day but only have sex. The occasional kiss, love-making scenes or even scenes where it leads to some major or even minor breakthrough in the story line- is good to read, I won't lie to you, but reading about them doing it chapter after chapter only because the male thinks she is weak and he only knows how to show his love and support for her in this way- is kind of... I don't know, disgusting. So I just ditch those stories and I move on.

So in short, for me to stick to a story (not choose it, because I do try and read everything that looks like a story)-

- It should have characters which have been evolved in a good manner- or just built up on the characters that have already been provided to us courtesy of 4Lions Productions.

- It should have a point. A story line. A Plot. Not just Sex.

- This one really is subject to my whims and fancies at the time of reading (though I do like to think of myself as a stable person who doesn't have a lot of mood swings). But the font and the presentation (really, writing in capital means the characters are supposed to be shouting, or at least I have been taught to perceive it that way) is something I pay attention to, quite often. Sometimes I even ignore stories when I see their titles written in All Capital. But that's just me.

- Of course, stories where the characters are incredibly idiotic- or the plot is actually encouraging immoral and illegal things... so yeah, I guess you get the point.

How important are things like spelling and grammar?

Ah, I'm no Shakespeare myself, and I am aware that I make a lot of mistakes too- so I don't think I really have a lot of problem with wrong spellings and grammar. Because sometimes there are typos. For example- writing wiht instead of with, or even taht for that etc. And I know I can survive the usual your for you're and z replacing s spellings. What I abhor is using da for the, 4 for for and 2 for to. So basically yeah- I hate reading anything with SMS lingo as long as it is not an actual text/SMS.

So that's what makes me choose to read and stick to stories. Thanks for this Post Devi- some comments in here are really interesting and helps me as a writer to evolve even more. I find myself sympathizing with a lot of my readers over here. Hope I was helpful.

Cheers!

G <3

Originally posted by: Appy_Indy

👏 I bow infront of you honey

Now this is something really constructive and appreciable.

What are you requirements for choosing and sticking with a story? Unique and/or very different story. I'm not very fond of "fairytale" stories.. I don't mind one or two but when the whole forum floods with them.. it gets too much. So yeah realistic, unique and different stories. And then there's the style of writing. I LOVE reading anything in written in urdu.. There's very less written work in urdu, but whatever little there is.. I love it.. Its a pleasuree reading anything in Urdu.. so that also a reason. And ofc its the grammar, well written FFs are those that attracts you the most.. but I don't mind reading.. not so "clean" FFs.. but yeah after a time they might become a bit difficult to read.. they get on my nerves at times..

How important are things like spelling and grammar? As said above.. at times alot and other times not at all. It depends on the story, if the story is good and has a nice flow.. Grammar doesn't matter at all.. But if the story is dull and slow and there are alot of grammar mistakes.. then that FF becomes impossible to read. So it depends on the story..