What do you need in a story?

[Panda-chan]

I like well-developed, realistic characters whose personalities don't feel one-sided and cut out. Many characters in the Harry Potter books, for example, are extremely complex, which is what gets me so attached to them. So when something unexpected happens to one of those characters, I sympathize with them like they're real people.
I know the atmosphere of the book is also really important. When writers create a world you can actually immerse yourself into, it makes you feel like you're right in the story, experiencing the same things the characters are. I've read very few books that actually succeed in doing that, and believe me I never get sick of them *.*
I also LOVE unpredictable plot twists, but that has already been said.

[Azdgari]

A story. You'd be shocked how many books lack both of those.

You can have amazing writing talent, but if you're not telling an interesting story you might as well be smacking at a keyboard for all the good it does. IE why a lot of literature doesn't interest me. :3

[Mozart]

For me, a book needs a story or interesting content, the characters are well developed when doing some action or dialogue. I also think we need an easy story to grasp, say, that since you know that you read it or did this action or otherwise.

Personally, and I think it should be a book, which should contain.

[FlipMode]

[quote]Guns, lots of guns.[/quote]

[emily123]

Something I can relate to with the characters. Artists, Reiki, paranormal encounters, alcoholic fathers, passion for performing arts, animal lovers, ect. A story will immediately bore me to tears unless I can find a good relation with a character to hold on to. Of course, I also need the story to have a good mix of events and personalities with other characters. Some books carry on with events for longer than necessary and I lose interest. I feel like the characters don't get anywhere in the story.