What makes you want to read a story? - Comments

I need to have a description. Sometimes a banner helps either with or without the characters is fine for me. any background that goes with the story is great to.

Your.Pink.Diary
I thought you typed...
boners are nice.
*cough* banners. :]

Ha this sounds bad but to me if there's a reference that there will be slash I will click on it xD
But that's probably just me...

To me it has to have some sort of description. I hate it when a story just has a title and then no description so you have no clue what it might be about. I don't like a long description. I don't want a plot summary I just want a quick 'this is the main character' and 'this is what they're going through' or something, summed up in a few sentences.

Banners are nice, but not necessary. If it's an original story I like the banners to be vague, for example one of my stories is in diary format and the banner is of a girl writing in a book, but you can't see her face or anything... that way it's a nice representation of the story, but I like my readers to get their own idea of what the characters look like.

On here, layout is very important. It needs to be simple and readable. I hate busy backgrounds, I hate pale fonts, if it has those I will give it a go in default layout, but before I realised that existed I just didn't read those stories because it was too hard to concentrate on them.

And titles are... I don't know. I don't really mind, I can't say what intrigues me about a title because I don't know what it is. I guess it depends on my mood really. So I can't really say.

But most importantly good writing is what will keep me reading. If the plot develops well and the characters are strong, I'll keep reading it.

I've noticed that I don't like reading stories with elaborate sumamries; no summary is good...or unless it's like a proclamation, poem or something well thought out and interesting.
Other than that...yeah, I don't like to read summaries, and I won't usually read a story if there is one there. They usually just tell the whole story.

Makes me subscribe:
If not a whole life story was in the first chapter; if there's a lot of things left un-explained, or if it's generally well written and seems to be an intriguing story.

Comment: I comment whether or not I feel like it.

Stories are usually judged by titles and the short description. I usually make my title funny or something that makes the reader think/want to read more. Same goes for the short description.

To me, I will only read a story that is up to four words long.

I know that's kind of shallow sounding but there's not need for a title to be like a song lyric, or something ridiculous like explaining what the whole story is about. You see?

And no problem. :)

city slicker., thank you as well. I believe now I will go with a simple background with some comfy colors, no pictures.

I will be sure to send you the first chapter at some point tonight or tomarrow. Thank you.

Thanks Melandrea, I have a question for you as well.

I refuse to put a picture of my female in my story, because I would like to describe her on my own and have writers imagine her the way they see fit, but in the banner I'm thinking of having just a pair of hands holding? No faces?

And would anyone be more likely to read a story with a couple words in the title, or just one word?

A simple, clean, readable layout. Nothing that's overcrowded with pictures, maybe something simple that will represent the story. Easily read small fonts, not so small where it's impossible to read but not huge and ugly. An interesting title, and a pleasing to look at summary. '

And if it's good from there I'll attempt at the first chapter.

Yes it did, thanks.
The banner thing helps a lot.

Do you like to see a picture in the background or can it just be some nice colors?

Well it all starts with the title, if you have an interesting title people will click on it. Also if you choose to have a short description it has to be something that will make the reader wan to to know more, leave them hanging. that is what gets them to click on the story. Then it is about your summary, this is where you hook the reader. Make it interesting enough that they will have to read the first chapter to see what is going to happen. Questions are good for this part. One turn off to some people are fan fics, cause they are all the same and so over done. Be creative, write about something that no one else has. Just think to yourself, as a reader what would I want to read about. Be different in your writing styles, dont always write about love, try something new. This way you are more versatile. Also banners are kind of a turn off. A good writer doesn't need pics to convey the appearance of the characters. If you want a pic, just add one for the cover. a good cover pic will also draw people in. I hope this all helps.

It doesn't have to have a banner for me, but some kind of picture always looks nice.
The layout I like to be nice, but not overly done where you are getting confused by just looking at it.
Bright and dark depends all on the story.

I like a description that isn't too short, where it's only a sentence, but not something too long and gives out a lot of the story. Just the amount on the back of a book.

Did that somewhat help? (: