Thoughts and Reasonings | A Well Written Book

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Reading a well written book is a pleasure. Now I guess it can be a bit subjective, I mean many people consider the classics to be well written books, I on the other hand find them boring. So you see the definition of well written will vary from person to person. The particulars though that make up what one considers well written I think are pretty standard.

For myself I find a book that is well written to be one that engages me on a personal level, the author writes in such away that I’m invested in the character’s lives. I want to know what they had for breakfast and what movies they love to watch over and over again. Not necessarily because it adds to the development of the plot but because the characters have become real to me. When you make a new friend you want to find out more about them, so the little things that seem inconsequential end up being pretty interesting.

To me a well written book isn’t one that is easily predicted. Some plot lines are written in such away that you know exactly what’s going to happen, the place and the people may change but the plot remains the same. I’ve found that those books that I would consider to be well written are not ones that fit the regular fill in the blank structure. They do tend to be in the realm of Fantasy and Sci-Fi so I’m certain that helps a bit. Being on the edge of your seat as your read a book is a pleasant experience, I mean you’re excited and full of anticipation has you turn each page of the book. You don’t know what’s going to happen you just know that something is about to go down. 

A well written book keeps me interested. I’m one of those people that will skip to the end of the book, and read a bit just to see if it’s worth my time to continue reading. Many a time when I’d considered dropping a book, it was the end that had me wanting to continue the journey. I wanted to see what happened in the story that led to the end I found so interesting. If that makes sense. Generally though I prefer to read straight through without any jumps. Because honestly 9 times out of 10 when I jump to the end, I don’t continue reading the book.

When I’m reading a book that just seems to capture my whole attention, I want more. I don’t want it to end and if it does I want there to be another book that I can read. Sometimes okay most of the time the wait for the next release in a series is horrible. You finish reading this great story, see an excerpt and get excited that there’s more goodness ahead only to find out that the book is releasing a year from now. A whole year, it feels like such a long time.

Lastly, when a book is well written, again that is to my standards of well written. I will re-read it. Before I discovered some of my favourite authors the thought of re-reading a book that I’d already read was never a consideration. It just wasn’t done. I have found since then though that if given enough time between readings, it can be nice to pick the book back up and reacquaint myself with the characters.

What do you look for in a book you consider to be well written?