Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Which Story Element is Important to You? + #Giveaway

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Have you ever thought about the individual pieces that make up a story? Before I became an author, a story was just a story. Now that I’ve been writing for a while, I’ve learned that a story is made up of several elements. I’ll name a few of them for you:

~Dialogue

~Conflict

~Descriptions (of people and places)

~A character’s inner thoughts

I recently polled my reader group to ask them which one of the story elements listed above was more important to them. The majority of people voted for dialogue. A character’s internal thoughts came in second, descriptions third, and conflict last. I was pretty happy when I saw these results. Why? Because I LOVE writing dialogue. As a reader, I often skip over descriptions to get to the “good parts” (aka. the conversations between characters). One of my group members shared that she enjoys seeing the characters connect, and often times, this is done through dialogue. Another member, however, mentioned that sometimes there can be too much dialogue, specifically, when she loses track of who is speaking. I appreciated hearing both perspectives and will definitely take them to heart when I write.

I’d love to hear from you now. Which element do you find yourself gravitating toward the most in a story? The dialogue, the conflict, descriptions, or a character’s thoughts? Please let me know in the comments below!

Giveaway: I’d like to give away a $5 Amazon gift card. One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments below. The giveaway will remain open until midnight on Friday, August 28th.

And before I go, I want to give you a sneak peek at a brand new multi-author series that I’m a part of! Here’s my cover reveal for Love Pact with the Hero, coming October 21st! I hope you’ll check out the whole series page on Amazon HERE and stay tuned for more details in my next blog post.

Liwen Ho (65 Posts)

A chauffeur and referee by day (AKA a stay at home mom of two), Liwen Y. Ho writes inspirational and sweet romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).


Comments

  1. I guess I hadn’t thought about it much. I like dialogue but like the inner thoughts as I am one who has a lot of inner dialogue. Conflict depending on what it is, is ok.
    On descriptions I done mine a little. I still remember the book where the hero had Cerulean Blue eyes. I don’t remember anything else about the book except that. The author mentioned it every time she described the hero and it got a little annoying.

    I am one who will read the description of the characters but at if you asked me at the end of the book what colour eyes or hair etc they have I probably won’t be able to tell you. (now if its a cat I could). I am like that in real life too. I often can’t recall all the details of what a person wore etc but am more likely to remember what they said etc.

  3. I mostly read historical stories. For me it’s the history and the characters place in it.

  4. Hi Liwen,
    My favorite story element is definitely dialogue. I tend to skip over descriptions if they are too long.

  6. I like the dialogue between the characters, and their inner thoughts. The conflict just adds a little. I don’t like in depth descriptions of scenery, unless it really pertains to the suspense in a story. The descriptions don’t carry the story, so if the dialogue isn’t good, it ruins the story for me. Once I finish a book, as Ausjenny said, I couldn’t tell you what the characters looked like.

  7. I agree!! I couldn’t tell you what characters look like, either! I will remember if they had a pet, children, and the dialogue!

  8. I enjoy some description but not too much. I like dialogue and some conflict. My husband loves descriptions and will read it to me from a book he’s reading or describe it to me. It’s funny how we’re all a little different.

  9. Dialogue for me, I love reading the way the characters work through their situations

  10. I really do like dialogue and inner thoughts. But I also really like conflict and how it is handled.

  11. Definitely the dialogue! Even a somewhat slow plot can be saved with witty and interesting dialogue. I don’t enjoy books when you spend half the time inside a character’s head.

  14. Hi Ausjenny! Haha, I agree that overused words can get annoying. But I gotta say, Cerulean blue is a pretty color. I’m like you, I remember more what a person says than what they wore. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

  18. Hi Trudy! I’m with you—I love good dialogue. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

  19. Hi Diana! Wow, that’s so interesting. Maybe he’s a more visual person? It’s cute how he shares the descriptions with you. Thanks for commenting!

  22. Hi Marilee! I love witty dialogue, too. :) It really keeps the story moving. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

  25. I think my two important elements in a story are dialogue and a characters inner thoughts…which is kind of the same because they both have to do with conversations. Then comes conflict and setting or character descriptions.

    To me the utmost important is a good balance of all this….not too much or too little of any one of these. I know it’s hard for some authors to balance this but I appreciate when a writer has the ability to do this. There have been books where I’ve skipped the majority of the page because there’s too much dialogue (talking) to get the the main point. Maybe that’s because I’m a person who can’t stand a lot of small talk, I like bigger more meaningful conversation. :-) I’m also no good when it comes small talk, it makes me uncomfortable in real life. It’s funny isn’t it, how our real lives can influence what we read? Or at least I’ve found that true with myself.

    I also like descriptions of settings, it makes me feel like I’m right there in the pages & I love when an author can paint pictures in my mind. It’s as if I’m walking right beside the characters and experiencing the environment they are in, the sights, sounds, smells, touch, etc. For example, I can taste the coffee they are drinking and smell the fresh ground beans in a coffee shop they are visiting. I love that a writer can make a reader part of the places in their books!

    So many great aspects of writing, thanks for pointing them out today Liwen! I also see your books are on Kindle Unlimited, so I will be putting them on my TBR pile. One thing I love doing in the world is discovering new-to-me authors! :-)

  26. For me, dialogue and inner thoughts are tied. I, too, skip over descriptions to get to the dialogue. That’s where most relational conflict and character development happens.

  28. Gorgeous cover, Liwen!! I love writing dialogue–that is what comes naturally to me. The rest is like pulling teeth….what are they wearing? I don’t know!

  31. Hi Trixi! I enjoyed reading your thoughts. And I totally agree about being able to experience the character’s environment through the five senses. I love including smells and sounds in my stories.

    Yay, I’m honored to be included in your TBR pile. Thank you!

  32. Hi Lila! Yes, that’s so true. I love seeing characters develop and change over the course of a story. Thanks for reading and commenting!

  34. Hi Lindi! Thanks so much!

    Haha, right?! It takes me a lot of effort to write descriptions, but not dialogue. Thanks for commenting!

  35. Hi Rachel! Yes, I think the backstory explains so much of why a character is the way she/he is. That’s a good one to add to this poll. Thanks for commenting!

  39. All of them! I can’t separate them out since they are all part of the story!
    Beautiful cover! Love it <3

  41. I think I like them all pretty equally. I notice if one is overdone, but when they are done well, it blends together and I don’t notice them. I just get immersed in the story.

  42. I think each of them are important, and when well-balanced, they make for a great book (I mean, what’s a book without conflict? Or descriptions, right?). But just as you, I love dialogue :) though ultimately, I find a character’s thoughts to be a pretty close second if not a tie with it, since this is the aspect of a book that allows me as a reader to become more connected to a character, as well as “live” the experiences with them. Also, I think all the dual POV books out there have spoiled me in this aspect (after all, don’t we all like to know what’s going on inside a male’s head?) and have now left me a bit frustrated when I read a book with a single POV (usually female), lol.

    Funny story with the skipping to get to the “good parts”: Back when I read in paperbacks (I just made myself grin with that line, but it’s true. That’s how I started my reading habit and a few years down the road switched to ebooks), I realized I was guilty of doing this, and that, while the dialogue was fun, I often missed some vital information for skipping the description in the previous paragraph. Thus, I’d use something else (bookmark, random paper sheet, or just my hand) to cover the dialogue part and “force” myself to read the description :)

    Also, love your cover!! And the series idea sounds great and just perfect for Christmas :) can’t wait!!

  44. Your book sounds like a Great read, I love the book cover. A characters inner thoughts is what important to me, I like to get to know the characters.

  46. Hi Natalya! That’s true, you do need all of them to make a story complete. :) Thank you, I love the cover, too! Thanks for commenting!

  49. Hi Priscila! Haha, back when you read in paperbacks … you’re not old enough to say that! ;)

    I have to agree about loving dual POVs—it’s so fun hearing from both sides. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  51. Hi Alicia! Thanks so much, I like it too. :) Yes, inner thoughts really help make a character more relatable. Thanks for commenting!

  53. I think for me its a tie between dialogue and a characters thoughts. I enjoy the interaction between characters and their conversations, but I also like seeing what the character is thinking too.

  54. Hi Megan! Yes, those two seem to be the most popular choices. Thanks for commenting!

  63. I think I gravitate mostly towards the characters. If I’m invested in the characters, then the conflict really interests me.

  64. I’m drawn to the story. I loved Anne Rice’s Vampires stories but I didn’t like the way she wrote. I enjoyed the book but not the way it wrote, if that makes sense :)

  66. Hi Rebecca! Hmm, it sounds like maybe her writing style wasn’t your style? LOL. Thanks for commenting!

  67. I tend to remember description the most when thinking back on a book but dialogue is also very important. However, I really think that you need all elements to work together to have the best book. If all the characters do is talk or if you only keep hearing what the setting looks like it wouldn’t make for as enjoyable a story.

  70. I love dialogues. They are a proxy for behaviour. That’s so much better than what if and could be’s or even one’s memory of the situation.

  73. I gravitate most toward the inner conflicts of a character. Inner conflicts are moments that the character wonders if he or she is on the right path and can bring up many philosophical or ethical debates over topics that the reader maybe never thought of and it can be quite interesting.

  74. I have some deep roots in theater so dialogue is king. In fact, one of the key elements of theater dialogue is the fact that the playwright, most often, provides no hint of what the characters are thinking. It is the work of the director and the actors to fill the words with their final sense of meaning. In writing fiction, I prefer to put as much communication of feeling and nuance into the dialogue as I can while keeping the final product realistic. The reader will always bring their own imagination to the process and that is a good thing. As a reader, I want to be expected to fill in the blanks with my own creative mind.

    Characters’ inner thoughts are okay when they provide necessary parts of the story (in the same way that spoken dialogue does). The down side that I find with the characters’ thoughts is that it is easy for the writer to oversimplify the character’s response. For example: She abruptly said, “I can’t talk right now.” If the author says that he now thinks that the relationship is in jeopardy, to me, that is a cheap way to introduce conflict. In real life, a mature adult would need more to reach the same conclusion. Perhaps I’ve just read some poorly written stories. It’s probably best to say that inner thoughts come in a clear second for me.

    The concept of conflict can be confusing sometimes. I have had to learn, though, that conflict is what makes a story interesting. I think that may really be the best definition of conflict in writing, actually. It doesn’t have to be a fight or an injustice or something life-threatening. It might just be whether the dog in a tug-of-war on the other end of the chew toy you are holding will wind up losing interest or jumping up in your lap to be petted or nipping at your fingers to claim his toy completely. Without the question of which possible outcome will happen, you just have a description which, as others have noted, can be boring.

    Finally, I think description (especially detailed description) is good for setting the context for the characters and their conflict. It becomes too much when it draws attention to itself and not the story.

    That’s my two cents (which apparently has been subject to inflation.) :)

  76. Hi Sandy! Good point. We can learn a lot about a character’s journey through their self-reflection. Thanks for commenting!

  77. Hi Lincoln! Ha—sometimes inflation can be a good thing. ;) Thanks for sharing your well-thought-out thoughts! I’m like you, I’ve come to see the importance of conflict in a story. That’s the only time I welcome conflict though. LOL. Thanks so much for your comments!

  79. Hi Mary! Sorry, I somehow missed your comment yesterday! I imagine the dialogue and descriptions are pretty important in historical stories. Thanks for commenting!

  80. i actually like both dialogue and descriptions. the dialogue is important but the descriptions just add an extra element. this will make it appealing to more people as well. thanks for the giveaway!

  83. I, too love dialogue but I also really need to be able to imagine the setting and characters as well so I can picture it while I read it.

  85. Hi April! That makes sense that you want to get the whole experience. Thanks for commenting!

  90. I most like good writing. Period. A good writer will make all of these interesting to me.
    Thanks for the contest.

  97. I agree that I like character dialogue too. However, I do like details and don’t feel bogged down by them or skip over them.

  100. Wow, that’s a tough one! I would say the dialogue is most important but the conflict is a close second as it keeps the story interesting.

  107. Hi Hesper! Yes, for sure. I’ve come to appreciate conflict more (in stories, not real life, LOL). Thanks for commenting!

  109. The story element that is important to me is the underline motives for the people’s behavior.

  110. The dialogue for me as it is the way the author shares who the characters are with me.
    I remember trying to read a book at school by a very distinguished author but on page 12 they were still describing the opening scene, not for me, lol! Thanks

  113. Hi Philip! Yes, I love understanding a character’s motives, too. Thanks for commenting!

  116. Dialogue and then conflict, I think. I enjoy descriptions of places, but only a little of people and almost not at all of their clothes! =) I do like knowing what people are thinking too, but I think I prefer when they are expressing thoughts, rather than just thinking them, if that makes sense.

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