Every story has a standout strength—something that hooks readers and keeps them turning pages. But do you know what that strength is in your book?
Identifying your story’s strengths is key, not just so you can lean into it, but also so you can recognize and shore up any weaknesses. The last thing you want is to wow readers with something awesome… only to shortchange them.
How to Identify Your Story’s Strengths
Ask yourself this one important question: What is the best part of your book? I’m not necessarily talking about the best scene; I’m talking about the best piece of your book, the best aspect. For example, it might be:
- A really great character.
- The interaction between two particular characters.
- Your action scenes
- Your mastery of suspense
It could be any number of things, depending on your particular story and your strengths as an author.
The point of all this is to consciously identify your story’s greatest strength. You should do this for two reasons:
1. So you can also identify and work on your weaknesses.
2. So you can make sure you’re doing everything you can to play up that strength.
The last thing you want is to add an awesome aspect to your story… and then fail to take advantage of it. More to the point, you don’t want to hook readers in with this awesome aspect—and impress them and make them fall in love with your story—only to then fail to pay off this anticipation by giving them what they want.
A Real-World Example: When a Story Fails to Deliver on Its Strengths
I’m currently reading a fantasy novel that does a great job with the witty repartee between its two main characters. This was the aspect that hooked me from page one. The author’s extremely good at their dialogue. It’s entertaining, and it’s fun. But… there’s just not enough of it.
The author chose to depart from these main characters for long sections of the story, and, not surprisingly, those long sections are where my attention starts to flag, even to the point of skimming and wanting to put the book down.
This is an important lesson. Identify what parts of your story readers will like best—and which parts they will like least. Then do your best to give them as much as possible of the former, and as little as possible of the latter.
How to Pitch Your Novel: The Difference Between Your Story’s Hook and Heart
The Main Reason Your Story’s Premise Is Important
How to Identify Your Story’s Premise–and Its Most Important Part
Start Your Outline With These 4 Questions (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 2)
About K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
The book on my mind is the one I’ll be starting for NaNoWriMo, so I’m not entirely sure what the best aspect is because I haven’t completely created it. Right now my best idea is the way the two seemingly unrelated plots tie together.
Usually, the best part of a book is the part the author has the most fun with. So be sure to pay attention to that while you’re writing. Good luck with NaNo!
I hope that, given your definition of what I have fun with, the best aspect of my stories are the times I focus on the characters over the plot (since I’m about half-and-half character/plot driven). I definitely have fun with the scenes between my heros/heroines. Of course, I also enjoy the scenes where I inflict pain on my characters–whether it’s emotional pain as in a fight between a boyfriend and girlfriend, or whether it’s a scene where the male lead gets beaten to a pulp.
Best not tell your psychologist that last part. 😉
The aspect I like most about my novel, “Embassy,” is the way I’ve blended two types of stories you don’t usually see together these days. The book has a contemporary YA feel to it, down to the types of characters and emotional story line, but it is all set in a science-fiction world with parallel themes represented in planets, characters, expeditions across the galaxy, and even astronomy. I’ve had so much fun developing the world, because it engages the rest of the story in a way that the two can no longer be separated. I think that–above all else–is what will keep readers reading (based on the feedback readers have given me).
Speculative fiction is all about exploration, and speculative readers love it when authors explore new ground. Sounds like you’ve got a good sense of what’s working for you in this book.
In my opinion, my book’s best aspect is definitely the characters, their relationships with one another, and the interactions that come from those relationships. I love writing their dialog and reactions… they feel so organic!
That’s a good sign! Dialogue is always one of my favorite things to write. Never know what those characters are going to say next!
Identifying your own strong and weak aspects for a particular story (and in general) is very crucial. I think I have the right to say that all authors sometimes wish they had everything: original and earth shattering premise full of juicy possibilities, dynamic story line, perfectly genuine character development, fluid pacing, beautiful prose and style, you name it.
But it certainly isn’t possible to have everything. I couldn’t get into The Lord of the Rings, but I can still admire Tolkien’s ability to understand what he wanted to accomplish, and fulfill it the best he could, which would be the world building. I don’t care much about that aspect in fiction compared to others, but those that are into world building love his books.
Right now, I think my concepts for stories are stronger than any of my writing abilities, but I hope that I will be able to figure out my abilities in time and settle on something.
The goal in writing is to strengthen our weaknesses. But, you’re right, it’s also crucial to realize that we’ll never be good at *everything*. Identifying our weaknesses helps us understand both what we need to work on – and what we need to avoid.
My favorite parts of my own books are usually when the mc and the love interest connect on a deep level. I go back and try to lengthen that part or add more of them!
Relationships are always one of my favorite parts of any story. When characters connect with each other and learn things about themselves as a result, I love it.
K. M., your “About” should really have at least one comment in it about how brilliant you are.
;o )
One of my favorite books is Dreamlander, and my favorite thing about that – if I really had to choose a favorite part – would possibly be the relationships between Chris and other characters. Or of course the dialogue. I enjoy reading any part when *talking* is included. ;o ) Another fave part in the book is when Chris is being trained!
Altogether Dreamlander is a stunningly amazing book… but the author is even better! 😮 D
God bless, Katie! <3
~ Ysa ~
Awww, you just made my day! It’s always interesting to hear what readers think is the best of part of a book – especially when it lines up with your best part. 😀
We’re working on a non-fiction book that actually features fictional characters. You’ll see when we get it done. Using the characters to actively illustrate the dry, but hard-to-swallow facts, gives the reader a chance to relate externally to drive the message internally. We shall see how it turns out.
Sounds like fun!
Usually it’s dialogue, but I’m having a bit of trouble with my current WiP as it relates to that issue. Since it’s a time travel story (with a vampire who is encountered at each phase along the way) that takes place over 1,000 years travel time, the vamp in questions way of speaking alters according to the time she lives in but the time traveler’s does not.
This one is a learning curve, I enjoy it, but I’m just surprised that instead the parts where I’m having the most fun is describing the historical scenery and how, because it’s the life of a vampire, what details she chooses as opposed to what a human would have are the ones that I’m having the most fun writing.
Sounds like fun! I love the idea of showing the passage of time via the vampire’s dialect, while maintaining cohesion in the narration through the time traveler’s.
You mention a book you’re reading where one of the best-maybe THE best parts-is the witty to and fro between the two leads, and how there’s not enough of it. I may know what book you were talking about, as it sounds similar to one I’ve read.
The book I’m thinking of was part of a series, and as things go on, the author clearly identifies that the witty responses are the best parts, and doubles down on that. I think by the end of the series-which I felt ended really poorly anyway-the author had triple, quadruple, quintupled down even, on this, to the point that EVERY character had the perfect response every single time to whatever was said to them. It got too much.
I think it’s worth noting that while you should absolutely identify the best part of your book, remember also that it’s still just ONE part of your book, and you shouldn’t let it take over everything.