A Masterlist of Things We Want to See in Fiction

Maybe it's just me but one of the things that really inspires me to write (mostly something new) or what I like to look at when I want to start a new story are lists of things people want to see in novels/stories/YA/etc. Probably that's not the right move, since everyone says you're supposed to write for yourself, but if I wrote for myself, really, if I did that, I'd probably just write the fluffiest shit ever like heavy make outs and people declaring undying love.

I write for myself, but I also write for readers. It's a proportion that sometimes skews. (I think when that happens it usually means the story has to go)(At least that's what I'll reason whenever I ditch a story) My point is I like to look at lists of things people want to see that either aren't done enough or haven't been done well.

I don't know if anyone else does this, if this will be useful but I've decided to do a running list of things readers want to see in YA/NA novels/things that are under-rated/under-represented in fiction. This is a combination of my own thoughts and the things I've amassed from extensive googling.

Things We Want to See In...
FEMALE CHARACTERS
↳ Girls who are confident in their appearance but aren't portrayed as vain
↳ Girls that are masculine without that being apart of their sexuality
↳ Girls who are more than just one thing i.e. conventionally pretty and book smart, subjectively average and super popular, charismatic and selfish
↳ Queer girls
↳ Girls who aren't virgins and don't feel shameful of that and aren't shamed for that and basically like sex and seek out sex and aren't shamed for those two things either
↳ Basically girls with, I don't know, real life libido
↳ Nice girls who aren't immediately virginal, or mousy
↳ Girls who are badass in ways that don't just involve being physically strong
↳ Females involved in STEM educational/career paths
↳ Girls who cunning and determined and want to be #1
↳ Girls who aren't trying to pull other girls down
↳ Girls who wear makeup not because their insecure but because they like makeup
↳ Girls who plan their outfits instead of throwing on whatever they can find because they want to present themselves a certain way but aren't obsessed with their appearance

Things We Want to See In...
MALE CHARACTERS
↳ Shy boys
↳ Feminine boys that aren't gay
↳ Boys that are funny without being mean
↳ Gay boys that aren't flamboyant
↳ Boys who struggle with their body image
↳ Boys that are virgins by choice
↳ Boys who are socially inept
↳ Boys with girl names
↳ F*ckboys who are just f*ckboys and that's that
↳ Boys who don't play sports but live it through the television
↳ Boys who are bad at everything and don't really care
↳ Boys who are unapologetically romantic
↳ Boys who do stupid shit all the time
↳ Boys who defined by their gender roles and don't know how to exist outside that gender role and have to figure that out
↳ Boys who can't live up to their father's expectations
↳ Boys who have a squad that they spend all night on the xbox playing Fifa or COD or whatever
↳ Boys who enjoys things other than sports and getting laid i.e. cars, video games, critically acclaimed movies, books (OH MY LORD BOYS THAT READ), fine arts

Things We Want to See In...
BOTH MALE/FEMALE CHARACTERS
↳ Characters who aren't always right - they can't solve every problem
↳ More diverse sexualities i.e. bisexual, asexual, aromantic
↳ Realistic body types - and a general acceptance of said body
↳ In the same respect, characters who aren't unhappy with their appearance
↳ Superheros (particularly female superheroes cause #feminism)
↳ Diversity (race, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic background) - this always makes the list and always needs to be said
↳ Well-developed secondary cast with motives and their own lives outside the protagonist's
↳ Actively feminist characters
↳ Villains who charm the pants off of you and make you like them but then you hate them for it
↳ Extroverts and optimists
↳ Flawed characters who have more bad traits than good ones
↳ Hypocritical characters
↳ Characters with no extraordinary talents, who are just mediocre at things but enjoy that thing even though they suck at said thing i.e. likes to sing and sings all the time but it is tone deaf and can't hit a note

Things We Want to See In...
IN GENERAL
↳ Genuine comedy
↳ Space Sci-fi
↳ Romances told from the male protag's perspective
↳ Pirates? (Idk man google)
↳ Mafia plots
↳ Sibling relationships
↳ Modern dating
↳ Falling in love with their personality, not their looks - when looks aren't the first thing noticed
↳ Sad endings that are warranted
↳ College-campus plotlines
↳ Plotlines that aren't about social prejudices, racism, or sexism but do address it in the characters everyday life
↳ Thrillers
↳ High fantasy with a heroine as the lead
↳ Average-career oriented plot lines
↳ Intricate magical systems that aren't pseudo-harry potter
↳ Interracial couples
↳ Diversity in parents i.e. same-sex, co-parenting, etc
↳ Slow build romance
↳ Stories about being in love with someone instead of falling in love with them
↳ Platonic male/female friendships
↳ Female masturbation
↳ Abortion instead of miscarriages/complications/ectopic pregnancies in unplanned pregnancies

This is not an exhaustive list because a. that would be extremely difficult and also b. I am feeling asleep at my laptop. I will be adding more in the coming days, but feel free to comment with things you'd like to see in fiction. And also PSA: when I say 'we' it is the not meant literally, I'm not speaking on behalf of anyone, of a specific group of readers, anything like that. This is my opinion combined with what I've found in forums/tumblr/etc.

Hopefully you guys found this at least a little bit useful.