Exciting books always describe people in difficult situations
Well, that’s not true at all. I think that every single book describe people in difficult situations, not only the good and exciting ones. If the author wouldn’t do that, books would look like this:
Jim was sitting in the kitchen, slicing bread and thinking. “Should I make myself a peanut butter sandwich with a jelly or a jelly sandwich with a peanut butter?” And than he decided that he will make himself a sandwich with a nutella and strawberries.
See, it would look ridiculously and it would make reader fall asleep after a few pages.
Exciting books, as well as boring books, commonly describe people form everyday life (or characters in book are based on this people). Because they make book more “believable”, than it would be if it would have only “fictional characters”. And I personally don‘t know anyone who wouldn’t have been in difficult situation. All of us must make important decisions almost everyday. Some of us make them more often and some of us less often, but still. It’s forming our lives, our personalities and it’s also affecting other’s people lives and acts of those people are affecting us and also other people. And this makes “never-ending life cycle”. So according to this, people in difficult life situations don’t make the book exciting.
So what is it? In my opinion, it’s everything in book, but mainly it’s the idea. If you know what you want to write about, then you’ve just did half of work. You also need to be familiar with theme you are using. For example Reamrque’s novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”. He fought in First World War, so he knew about it a lot, so he was able to make this great novel. A lot of newbie authors underestimate this. I’ve read a tale form newbie author, it was situated in Middle Age, and he was writing ‘bout billboards, Titanic, cars, etc. he even compared one battle scene to battle scene from Second World War. All of these things happened or were invented after Middle Age and he was seriously talking about it like it as already happened. And this ruined whole tale.
Let’s get back to characters. The have to be authentic and it helps if they are based on real people, they need to have problems and most of all they must have “soul”. I give you an example of three characters and decide which one you would believe more to be real character:
1. 26 year old blond female that graduated on two universities with red diploma and now is working at forensics lab and she can find evidence, using her brilliant scientific brain, even if it’s impossible to find it.
2. 27 year old brunette that was raped a weak after funeral of her parents that had car accident and now sees that man who raped her as her reflection in mirror.
3. 24 year old male who was addicted to heroine and realized his strong feelings for one guy he just met and is confused of this “love feeling”.
In my opinion no3 and no2 are most believable and no1 is as fictional as star-trek is.
Another thing you must really work on is the plot. You can have good idea, interesting characters, but if your plot is missing something it’ll ruin everything. You have to make harmony between expected an unexpected events, and you really need to pay attention to not make a “plot holes” or you will confuse person that reads your book. You also need to not confusingly change places where plot takes place. Last month I’ve read novel about ninja like woman assassin and it started in city, than I don’t know how story started to be situated in forest and after that in something like “ninja training camp” and whole novel ended up in an old mansion. This “confusingly changing sceneries” almost made me dizzy and I’ve read the book second time (the same thing happened) so I’ve read it once more time and finely realized why the places were changed. In the end it was quite good book, but only after reading it three times, unfortunately.
But if you want to make a parody or comedy story you just need to “step aside” of those “rules”.
I’ll give you another example of how would good and exciting book should like and how it should not (based on my opinion).
1. Story starts with something that draws you into it. Than main characters are presented and they are naturally developed, this is the part where supporting characters take place in the end. Something unexpected happened, maybe one of main characters get badly wounded or even die. Story is slowly getting to it’s “grand finale”. The finale must be something spectacular. /this is how good story should look alike/
2. Whole “thing” starts slowly and unnaturally. Characters look unrealistic and it’s hard to get use to them. Whole plot is chaotic and hard to understand. In the end “one man will save the world” /this is something that I would immediately throw into trashcan and try to forget about it really fast/
So I think that this is what makes book, but not only book, also movies, TV shows, etc. exciting. There is so much more to write about but I it would take ages. So take it with a bit of detachment ‘cause the whole idea isn’t completed and it misses a few details.