7 Reasons Why Readers Will DNF Your Book
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- Опубліковано 14 тра 2024
- Are you afraid readers might give up on your book halfway through because they’re bored? What can you do to avoid this terrible fate? In this video, I’m sharing the 7 reasons why readers DNF books and how you can avoid these pitfalls, based on my personal experiences and research. Grab a notebook and let’s dive into these literary traps-and learn how to keep your readers glued until they've turned the very last page!
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TIMESTAMPS:
2:14 1) Not enough internal conflict
4:19 2) Readers encounter content they didn't expect/you didn't prepare them for
6:06 3) The pacing slows way down and the story loses momentum
9:08 4) Not enough of what readers came for
10:34 5) Writing is overly dense/hard to read
12:36 6) Deviating too much from the main characters we care about
14:25 7) This just isn't the book for them (nothing you can do about that)
Thank youuuuu!!!!! I know this will help a lot of people.
Thank you❤
#3: Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of time” series. The first few novels are good, then they start wandering all over the place.
Number five might be my biggest problem when it comes to writing.
I dnf grr Martin's a feast for crows because of 2,3,4 and 6. I actually lost interest in the rest of the series.
“We can also kill momentum when we-“ Ad plays “-deviate too much with these separate topics that take us away from the main objective.” Hilarious timing.
My biggest reasons for DNFing are 1) characters who don't feel like real people, 2) poor writing, and 3) lack of internal logic within the story
What is poor writing in your opinion?
What do you mean by internal logic ? Could you elaborate?
'poor writing' is too general, the other points were clear tho
@@billyb4790 maybe there's a more technical term for it, but I meant when the established world and/or characters contradict themselves. For example when the world building doesn't make sense, character actions go against their established personalities/life circumstances, etc.
@@NeoPokebonz that's a great question because I couldn't come up with anything concrete right away lol but generally, when the writing on a sentence level is clunky enough to bring me out of a story. For example, awkward phrasing or word use, using "intelligent" vocabulary in slightly incorrect contexts, etc. And more personally to me, if the writing suffers from similar issues to my writing in middle school, I would consider it poor writing.
Here's a few more in addition to your list
1. Inconsistency. When the characters we think we know make choices that are incongruous to traits and personalities that have already been established.
2. Plot holes. When important questions such as why and how don't get answered, discussed, or even acknowledged.
3. Character Introduction . When too many characters are introduced at once before I even begin to care about any of them
4. Dumbing down the narrative. Repetition of established facts and obviously treating the reader of grasping the writer's intentions.
5. Info dumping to excess. When the writer spends so much time world building or analyzing thoughts and feelings that the plot becomes an afterthought.
6. Dislikeable main characters. Outside of main characters having flaws, and fears and internal conflict, this is more about when main characters are displayed as willfully ignorant or stupid or just not curious about the situation or their own curiosity. This also included when character misunderstand or misinterpret basic information the read does for the sole purpose of extending a plot. Or you could just not like the main character. When I'm not liking a character, I'm not rooting for them and much less immersed and affected by their conflict.
7. Vague/half-assed world building, if applicable. If I don't understand the political. social, religion, or magic systems, I usually know fairly early on in a book if I'm going to be left curious and dissatisfied, which leads me to begin questioning if other factors in the book have me immersed enough to continue reading.
8. Convenience. This one is subtle, but I've encountered it enough. This one is something needs to happen and someone in the cast of characters has the exact information, experience, or object necessary to further the plot. Writers who use this tend to do it more than once in the same novel.
9. Continuity Errors or retconning. When writers contradict what they've written or have characters forgetting that they have information affection the plot it's jarring. Or when the author straight up lies to the reader outside of character dialogue and changes the facts to make completes sections of plots and subplots completely irrelevant.
I wish I could like this a hundred times over!
This would’ve made it twice as long.
Not that that’s a bad thing, at all, especially since those points are equally as valid, and probably could’ve actually easily been added to this one, especially since a lot of them seem to contextualize what she’s saying here, in a way that seems particularly im-por-TANT……
..oh
I retired at 56 to finally write full-time. And I find your videos so damn helpful. Keep up the great work!
That sounds wonderful! Good for you! Extra money will never replace a purpose.
@@brandic89 Well said. Thank you!
12:47
This bothers me about tv series so much too! It’ll be season five and the main characters won’t even be in the show for three episodes straight and I’ll just be sitting there bored to death, hoping the main characters will come back in the next scene, not caring about what’s happening 😭
I think the only show I remained interested in when the MC was out for a bit was Hercules the legendary journeys, oh, well, his sidekick was also an MC and the writing was a lot of fun. (We learned that Sorbo had damaged his shoulder doing a couple of stunts and that's why we had Herc lite eps.)
Scott Gimple Syndrome
Hawkeye did this to me!🫠 I loved his character so much in the original movies, and I wanted a show about HIM, not the random deaf girl who’s working for the bad guys… seriously, was she only in there to set up for the spin off or something?!
I find it difficult to DNF a book, especially if I bought it
But I really hate when the main character is too damn perfect with no flaws
Me too! This is why I didn't even finish the first part of the Winnetou series by Karl May. Because the protagonist is so effing perfect! I found myself hoping he will dail miserably due to a mistake he makes, I wanted him to feel pain, and be publicly shamed but it never happened. Still, I'm glad I've started reading it because now I know how irritating a Lary/Mary Sue character can be and I'll avoid it.
My top 3 reasons for DNF after reading the first few pages
1) when you start off with the MC waking up and looking at themself in the mirror
2) beginning with over-the-top violence or language that sounds like you are trying too hard to get the reader to like the book ("Today is the day when everyone will die")
3) Opening with a lengthy description of your character's life, looks, personality and everything else which should be slowly dripped in throughout the opening.
Realest comment I've read so far
I'd prefer "Today everyone dies." I like succinct. Although I'd prefer "For once, everyone lives!" (I suspect there are those who know where I lifted that from. )
yikes i am the third because i really wanna describe the character and the real action is way shorter
@@heyitsania1683 meh.... I mean this is why writing advice can be so dangerous because it's so out of context and opinionated. You do you :)
Hi!! Ik this was a bit late, but in a wip i was thinking about starting, my character actually starts by looking in a mirror. Except its like this. "I stood by the mirror, examining myself. Or at least, pretending to. I found that if I tried to ignore the montrous shadowy figure that lingered by my side would disappear for at least a while."
Is it ok?
I don't DNF much, but when I do, it usually has nothing to do with the story, the characters, etc. The only time I DNF is when the editing is so poor that I can't get past the errors and mistakes. I truly don't get people who don't have their work edited or at least do it themselves. This is your story! Take pride in it! Take every step you can to make sure it is correct and complete! Grammar and spelling errors, even formatting issues, will take me out of a story faster than anything else. My OCD brain just can't put up with it.
And your last point is dead on. As a self-published urban fantasy writer, I can honestly say that the five-star reviews/ratings are great, but nothing made me smile more than getting the first one-star rating I got. I wish whoever it was had left a review so I knew what they didn't like or if they did DNF, why, but just knowing that someone took the time to say via a rating that "this ain't for me", is refreshing. That might sound incredibly odd, but it really is the truth.
I hear you on this. Don't you want to take a red pen and circle stuff? LOL.
This is it right here. And this is why folks are so reluctant to buy self-published books. The market is simply flooded with crap that could have been saved with proper editing and a quality cover artist. I really wish Amazon and Lulu and the like would pump the work through some AI bot and ask the author, "Are you really sure you want to publish this pile of pooh?"
I’m OK with minimal editing for our modern equivalents of the Penny Dreadful - KDP and fanfic. But I get very annoyed at a lack of good editing in traditional publishing. If a publishing house wants to publish without all the stages of editing they should have a second, cheaper, imprint.
Exposition dump from page one is an immediate DNF for me. Sometimes I'll skip to the next chapter to see if it gets better, but I like to learn about the world through the characters.
Yeah, or through the setting itself. Show, don't tell.
Yeah, now you mention it... I always forget such things if I'm not shown why the characters' surroundings are the way they are, why it matters to the character that their surroundings are what they are.
I tried to read Foundation. I swear, I tried 😂
Yeah, sometimes its like “Bro, why are you telling how this world got created when I haven’t even met a character to know if I have a reason to care about that sort of thing yet?” I have had some where I skimmed that part and ended up finding a story I enjoyed, but then they reference the beginning part later and I’m like “oh, was I supposed to pay attention to that?” Lol like if they had just waited until it was important I would’ve actually read that info dump.
@@CWAChristy Agreed 100%.
Nothing keeps me going through the ups and downs of writing like these videos. Thank you so much, Abbie!
Aww I'm so glad to hear that my videos are helpful and inspiring to you 🥰📚 Happy writing and rock on!
I would say, writing style is a big contender in what makes me DNF a book. If I don't connect with the author's style, then I just drop it 😥
This comment should have a lot more likes. I completely agree about writing style. Everyone like something different.
I agree, this is the reason why so many people I came across don’t read. Because certain writers write dull content, have uninspiring storytelling that the reader feel as if they wasted their money on paper that bored them half to death. Luckily most people like my poetic lyrical flow, bad part it gets stolen a lot…
My top 4 reasons for a DNF.
1. Exposition dump.
2. Blabbering on. (Read a book once where the author took 2 pages talking how much they loved bacon instead of getting to the story about accidental timetravel instant DNF.
3.Characters I can't connect with
4. No conflict or plot to catch my attention by the 1st 10 minutes
I didn't know what DNF stood for when I started watching this video, yet I was able to guess it correctly just before you said it.
The biggest things that make me DNF a book are:
1. Forced conflict through cliches like minor miscommunication or a sudden rival love interest
2. Heavy-handed moralizing, or holier-than-thou enlightened protagonists
But what if the protagonists are born into a strict family and appreciating their care, but struggling to breathe under some of it? Would you DNF a book with a character who was born into a strict family, or who suddenly met an ex-girlfriend (which shocks us even though it frequently happens in real life)?
@@brandic89 I'm not sure which of the points the strict family situation is referring to, but for both of these, they feel like elements that would be important enough to be show up in the synopsis and thus not feel like a sudden shift. They'd be part of why someone would or would not read that story in the first place.
But if an ex character suddenly appears and disrupts what I was reading for (seeing the main couple the story was supposed to be about)? I'm done. Though that tends to happen more often with series than standalone books.
Yes! Good examples, 100%.
@sanfransiscon Thank you. Well, the strict family birth was referring to your point of how you would be done if you read a "self-righteous" character. This character would not be exactly "self-righteous," but would retain some of the qualities of self-discipline and morality and love for his parents he was brought up with.
But what if a character was beginning to fall for a love interest, still in denial, and then suddenly met his ex who is no longer in the picture, but who shocked the protagonist into considering her love interest romantically? (Of course, her love interest would not get back together with his ex, but still, shocking to discover and meet her, separately.) And what if this is what raised the stakes and opened the protagonist's eyes? We do love to watch a character suffer, and this suffering is quite realistic. Believe me.
That was one of the reasons i almost DNF'd ASOUE. Glad i didnt though, it was a great story, even though the Baudelaires and basically the entire fire fighting side of VFD were all a goody two shoes. The netflix series is also great, but the books are definitely darker.
ESPECIALLY subplots that never actually are never resolved much less even addressed a second time, stuff that didn't even matter to the story only simply to extend the length of the book.
Hi Abbie! I have just finished the entirety of fifty days of sunlight and loved it! Please keep on writing and don’t stop. This book hits home for me, I have been officially diagnosed with ADHD and I am currently in the process of writing my first novel, it’s a struggle sometimes, even though I don’t have a physical disability and could never know what that’s like, I do have a mental one that inhibits me from writing as well as I like sometimes, your book has inspired me to keep on pushing through. And you should also know that your book is the first to make me genuinely, un-ironically, laugh for the right reasons. One of my favorite quotes in Fifty Days of Sunlight is, “It’s not a big deal. Just talk about something you’re passionate about.” “Great idea. I’ll talk about beating you up.”
#6 is big in books with POV switches. In books with POV switches, or when you're deciding whether or not to do POV switches, think about if the reader will just want to get trhough one POV before going back to the other. Having to slog through a ton of story before getting back to the one you care about is really annoying.
I want to expand on 2 though. People are SO afraid of spoiling! No! Stop it! I want to know what to expect. I don't want the end spoiled but the premise and major aspects of it should not be a suprise because I want to know what I'm getting into. I dind't dnf this example because it suprised me with something I liked MORE, but I have a gripe with this one book because the first few paragraphs of his POV tell us he was kidnapped and is being forced to help a theif. This is not mentioned AT ALL in the plot summary. It's not a spoiler, it's literally the premise, it should have been in the blurb.
I DNFed a book once because it wasn’t as-advertised. An official Minecraft novel that was centered more around dealing with the trauma of a car crash than an exciting fantasy video game adventure. It was also painfully inconsistent with how the world worked, both internally and in connection with the game it was based on (which I’ve put hundreds of hours into).
There was also one I DNFed because the whole thing was written in 2nd person (library book, so I didn’t do much looking into the book before starting it). It was very uncomfortable to read, and felt like there was no main character, despite there being multiple main characters (all written in 2nd person). I didn’t get past the first chapter, but did skim ahead to see if it changed.
I remember reading said minecraft book years ago, it was the reason why I stopped reading these official novels haha
@@MlecznyHuxel9999 I’m weirdly glad to know I’m not the only one who was bothered by that book. 😅
@@thatonepossum5766 Same here 🐝
Whoa what? Whats the book called
I knew my instinct as a writer was spot on. Thank you I feel so much more confident in my writing and I will just freewrite and go with my gut thank you!
Here's a topic suggestion. I hear writing advice that says you need internal conflict, character contradictions, and the lies the character believes. I feel like these are jargon terms that can be misleading or difficult to connect with my specific writing. For example, when I hear "internal conflict", What does that mean and how does it manifest itself in writing? My first reaction is, "Oh, I guess I need paragraphs of the protagonist thinking about what just happened to them." So then I start to worry.
In my story, the protagonist experiences bullying. Every encounter, I don't stop the narrative with a paragraph of how he feels. But as the story progresses, it is clear that mentally it's harming the protagonist through what he's doing and how he's reacting. I don't know if that's the same thing as internal conflict as you refer to it.
So I guess besides just using jargon, perhaps a episode where you give specific examples would be helpful.
yes, i'm very confused on what "internal conflict" means as well😭 i would love a video on the specifics of these terms
Self doubt, fears, irrational thinking...things one struggles with emotionally.
Your external conflict might be having to take a flight to NYC when you are terrified of flying.
The internal conflict might be overcoming struggling to overcome the fear.
Why can't I just get on the plane like all these other people
Or wanting to be loved but sabotaging every potential relationship because of what might happen if you let them close enough.
A mental emotionally driven conflict..lie or mis belief that gets in the way of achieving your goal.
I think internal conflict is just characters being torn between two decisions: one is what they truly want to do, the other is what their fear is telling them to. Let's say in your example, your character might struggle between fighting back or not. You don't necessarily have to detail how he feels every time. Hinting at what he wants to do, then a brief run through of his reasoning for why he ends up not doing it or chooses an ineffective alternative, should be enough. You can then proceed to explain, whether through backstories or interactions with other relevant characters, why he makes the choices that he does, because internal conflict is always rooted in something that wounded a character emotionally. It could be an abusive parent that punished him severely for trying to stand up for himself, for example. Or it could also be that he has pretty decent parents, except that they're the type to invalidate his anger so he ends up not knowing what to do with it.
Abbie! you should make a video about how to write third wheels! (if there’s even enough stuff to talk about, lol)
Great suggestion!
@@AbbieEmmons no way, you replied!!! thank you!💗💗
Somehow this video filled the plothole of “why does this REALLY matter though?”
I had internal conflict, but no misbelief. The conflict felt flat and the story had holes because of that. Now I can see my story as clear as day, something that's been hard for me recently. Thank you
The book Story Genius by Lisa Cron gets into the misbelief importance very well in case you are interested.
@@freedomthroughspiritill check it out! Ty!!
I've been reading Pride and Prejudice again and I have to slightly disagree with #5. Yes, if someone is writing "flowery" simply to try and sound good, it's probably going to be bad and obnoxious. But ideally, "flowery" language helps to be more clear and precise on what is happening and what is being felt and meant. I find "raw" and simple and straightforward annoying sometimes. I read to read most of the time but if I want in your face and straightforward I'm probably just going to watch a movie.
I am not crazy about flowery writing, but it goes with the territory with classics which I do like reading.
I read a short horror last year that annoyed the crap out of me because there were numerous words that I had to pull out a dictionary for. That started on the first page. Each page felt like they had pulled out a thesaurus every paragraph to show off the author’s extensive vocabulary. It was pretentious. The word choice pulled me out of the experience. It should have been gory and scary and disgusting, but it wasn’t. I guess the author did one thing right. They made me feel something towards their writing and I still remember it unfortunately for the wrong reasons. The Salt Grows Heavy by Kassandra Khaw was my worst read of 2023.
The main problem with flowery prove is that few authors are as talented as Jane Austen when it comes to writing. As you also seem to be saying, the issue is when readers are faced with bloated prose with little substance, with baroque sententences that do not provide any clear or enticing imagery.
Authors, pay attention! I judge all books by Ken Follett's preference: "I like the story to turn every 4-6 pages" and feeling the emotion of the character.
Also a big one is unrealistic shenanigans. I can suspend disbelief only so far. Like in fantasy of course there can be magic systems and creatures but I’m talking about far fetched scenarios that either go against what you’ve established with your characters, or just breaks the rules of the world. I feel like I’ve seen authors do this to manufacture conflict (or resolution) and it’s incredibly frustrating and takes me out of the story.
The last book I dnfed was due to bad marketing. It was a 550 page historical fiction. I didn’t read the blurbs on the book until I was at page 100. Not a single thing in the blurb had even happened yet! I kept on for another 50 pages and the blurb was still spoiling events that hadn’t happened yet.
The overdone side character really bugs me. I read a fairly popular series that was solid generally, but it kept bringing up a character who had been dead since midway through the first book - it felt like the author was deeply fascinated by this one character she created but failed to make him important enough to care about him as much as she did.
It's kinda covered by interesting characters and pacing problems, for me the main reason I DNF is because there's nothing that hooks me and makes me want to keep reading.
Funny thing is that this is the reason why I've not finished a single Stephen King book. He's a world famous author with a massive following yet I tried several of his books and I'd get a quarter or a third of the way in and I'm still waiting for something to actually happen. I ended up just giving up and not trying any of his others.
It's not because it's horror genre because I really enjoy other authors, like James Herbert and Clive Barker, there's just something about how King writes that just fails to grab me.
I also DNF a lot of Steven King books, despite his exceptional prose. You're right, often it feels like nothing is happening and I feel no anticipation about what will happen next.
I am o glad you included #7. It's so important for writers to know that not all writing is not for everyone. Great list overall. hanks for the video.
Great advice, thank you. I try really hard not to DNF. Even if I hate the book (hate is such a strong word, but often is the only word that fits), I will force myself to finish it trying to see what is redeemable for my tastes. Not saying it always works, but whoa! A lot of books that are popular today are complete train wrecks for me. There's a particular author that I really like, but lately all she writes is smut...not romance, smut. Ugh! I wonder what happened to her?
So glad I subscribed!! This is exactly what I needed to hear! I over think and am super over critical. I get so in my head sometimes. Thank you for sharing!!
In one memorable DNF billed as a romance novel, someone started stalking the MC. This was a disaster for me. I had begun to relate to her and wanted her to fall in love. Instead, I was scared out of my wits. I lived alone just like her. We were the same age. When I started having nightmares, I had to put it down.
lol I did just the opposite. I thought I was getting a mafia genre when it turned out to be a romance novel. So instead of a gritty underworld story I got some girl wondering page after page if some man loved her the way she loved him and if only she could change him.
Sounds like bad marketing not bad writing. I’ve stopped reading blurbs because I’ve been burned too many times. I would rather have no expectations than unmet expectations.
I picked up what I thought was spy thriller only to find out in the last five chapters that it was psychological and the character I thought I related to because she was CLEARLY being gaslight by the villains was actually mental😅 that was the first and last time I ever picked up that genre!!
My brother-in-law is a chef. The restaurant he worked for was contracted to feed a local sports team once a week. At the first serving, the coach (whom my brother-in-law idolized) came up to him and said, "I don't like salmon. I've tried it many times, prepared many different ways, and I still don't like it. If you prepare salmon, I promise I'll try it. Just don't take it personally if I don't finish it." That stuck with me. For some people, it just a matter of taste. I think this video gives great advice to us as readers, too. If we give feedback or review something, it's far more useful to give something specific instead, "Ugh, I hated it."
I DNF books when they get too spicy or when the main character is too obnoxious to continue reading.
I REALLY don't enjoy fiction written in present tense. It seems as though it's getting more common to write this way, and I have tried but it's a total DNF for me.
that's a very odd reason.
Mee too, I don't like it. I only read it sometimes because I learn languages and it helps to learn that grammar but I don't see it as a book,I see as a tool for learning.
It feels like I'm reading a screen play, not a story
#5 is the one that does it for me. If the writing style makes it hard work, I find it a real distraction. I lose sight of the plot, because I'm so annoyed by how it has been written. Having said that, I can usually spot it within the first page or two. So it's more a case of DNS, than DNF.
1. Listing the roads the characters drive down to get somewhere. I've read too many books to count in which a chapter will spend two or more pages describing the route someone takes to get somewhere. "He drove to the hospital" will do. I don't need to know all the road names and what the houses looked like.
2. Life histories of characters who have no bearing on the plot. Often found in police/detective books. For example, when we get the whole life story of a character who finds the dead body that sets the plot off, then we never hear about them again.
3. Describing the detail of a room/house down to the type of curtains and wallpaper.
4. Describing everything that a character sees when, for example, they go for a walk, and it has no relevance to, or bearing on, anything at all happening in the story.
As you can tell, too much description is a killer for me! Set the scene, yes, but keep the focus on character and story.
I’m still in the beta phase and, thankfully, nobody has DNFed my book so far. Some people dropped out after the prologue or chapter one, but that was because they realized that they weren’t cut out for beta-reading. As for the “how excited are you to keep reading” question, I believe I’ve gotten a 7/10 at the _lowest._ However, the betas are still in the first act and it’s the sagging middle that I’m worried about.
This was so helpful! I'm a young writer and your videos really help, Abbie! Thank you!
The main reason why I put a book down is not that it is boring, it is always because it annoys me: The character makes a stupid choice; the author is too hard trying to be original; the story is cliché; the theme is repeating ideas that I heard a hundred times.
Thank you. These are great points for me to consider going forward.
I just received the otherworld in the mail today!! I love your writing, super excited to get back into reading it!
Yay!! I'm so excited for you to journey to The Otherworld! 😁📖 Thank you for supporting my work!
@@AbbieEmmons of course!! 💙
I recently purchased it, too. It's next up after Tessa and Weston's Christmas story. Love your writing, Abbie.
Omg 12:36 is totally me with the Mandalorian in Season Three - like, that one episode that focused on the doctor and it didn't end up mattering to the plot and it was one of the longest episodes of the season. Like, why? Maybe I'm missing something - I'm not that diehard of a Star Wars fan and I've only seen the Mandalorian once. Even if we did learn something or it did matter somehow, I still didn't want an episode that started with the Mandalorian, then after about five minutes switched to the doctor for the rest of the episode. I didn't even remember who he was at first.
The _Star Wars_ saga has really turned into that. For example, "The Book of Boba Fett" has _two episodes_ that were void of the main character and focused on the Mandalorian instead. Boba Fett became a 'crime lord' who just wanted to protect his people and be a practical pacifist. Then there was "Kenobi" which wasn't even about Ben Kenobi, it was about some forgettable antagonist. It also had side quests of two characters who didn't even matter. I've stopped watching all _Star Wars_ shows now.
I just finished Mando (I know, late to the party) and yeah! What was with that?! Season one was my definite fav, and I liked it much better than most of modern Disney, but some of those side quests just make you wonder😅
I am 70k words into my second novel and I just realised that I have glossed over the internal conflict in the story. Not so much that it isn't there... but more like it doesn't show. Thanks so much for making it the #1 point.
Love your videos Abbie! They always give me something to look forward to! I'd love to see another Story Science video, they are so fun, and you do such a great job!
I try and get through each and every book i come across. I have a weird system that has actually helped me and I've also realized that sometimes a story hooks me after a chapter or two. What I do is if a book lags my interest. I put it on a shelf for future reads in a section i think of as book roulette. In book roulette, i count to a selected number..which can be anything, but i go with my current age. Whichever book my count lands on. I pick it up and reread. Sometimes ill get a few more pages, sometimes a chapter or two. And sometimes I've disvovered the hidden gems of the story.
The biggest one for me would have to be character motivation, which is basically like your reason #1.
If I feel a character is just meandering around and there's no clear internal motivation- or if the motivation is unrealistic then I lose interest real fast. To me, a story is all about the characters and the characters are all about their internal struggles and motivations.
I DNF books that are "not for me", books where it is clear that the author did no research on the subject, or are too wordy - especially descriptions of intimate encounters that don't sound like real people. Definite turn-off for me. Another reason is when it is clear that no one proofed the writing or did any editing.
Thanks so much, Abbie. You are so good at this! I only write for my own amusement (and for my two current fans), but I get a lot out of your advice. Rock on!
P.S. Just thought of another one: overly describing the appearance of the character. It is not often that important to know the details of the outfit someone is wearing. Oh! And in a romance novel where they jump in the sack on page two. Anticipation is important.
Kudos are due to you! Love the page and the knowledge and the information! Thank you ❤
My two biggest DNFs are pacing first and characters I can't connect with second. Poor writing will make me DNF if it's stiff and awkward. Rarely I will DNF if the protagonist is too dumb to live. I generally give about 25% if it looks like the story might improve before I give up, but occasionally it's blatant from the first page that this book is not a good fit for me.
Thanks for the tips, Abbie!
Thank you so much, Abbie! I knew this whole time I had internal conflict and human characters, but there was something...off. And you explained it all, that's what makes you such an amazing author, you tell other reasons I never thought of. I always knew there was something off and you told me those blurs! Thank you!! Now that I'm on my second book I'll be sure to follow your tips! Thank you!
Hi Abbie, great video as always :) to point 7 I would complement the time aspect. Sometimes it's just the wrong book at the wrong time or period in life. It can be worth a second try some weeks, months or even years later.
My biggest DNF reasons are 1) writing is hard to read. 2) characters are too unrealistic.
'Slow pacing' and 'not enough of what I came for' combine in what what I like to call the 'character development farm.' I've DNF'd several books because what was *supposed* to be an action-packed sci fi novel stranded the characters on a single bucolic planet to 'develop character.' Also: The "What the hell, hero?" trope makes me DNF. When 'heroic' characters do or believe something awful...no. Bye, book.
Personally I read books to experience the story myself, to live the events of the book. You can blame those early choose your own adventure books when I was young. The background and setting are incredibly important for me. Typically I stick to sci-fi and fantasy as I enjoy my escapism reading time.
The last thing I want is to read the endless internal conflict of someone with a serious need for therapy sessions. Every character needs an actual personality to be interesting, but I don't need to hear their innermost motivations being gone though in their mental landscape in order to find a story or that character interesting. Show me through their actions what their motivations are, utilize dialog between characters to express one characters thoughts.
Keep any internal monologue within reason and for key moments when the character actually does not know what to do and has to figure it out.
I DNF long-winded, wordy books..... JRR Tolkin comes to mind. I'm so glad for the movies because I love fantasy, but I just couldn't read those books.
I recently DNFed two Netflix series because they did a horrible job endearing the audience to the main character.
❤🤣🤣 I have to admit, I got into Tolkien because I was already steeped in Mythology: Bullfinch, Edith Hamilton, the Time-Life world mythology books, Hindu tales. I blame my Dad. But the language can be difficult if that's not your cup of tea. (Hamilton was easier than Bullfinch, but then I got hooked on the Mabinogian ... Welsh myths ... boy are they tangled and wordy! ) I've watched the movies way more times than I've read the books ... breathtaking!
For me there are waaaaay to many characters to keep track of and some have similar names. I can't even keep track in the movies! LOL. I watch for the special effects , cinematography and the actors.
Thank you. I loved the movies too. Tried to read the books as a teen after watching an animated movie of the Hobbit. I couldn't get past his first description of a tree they were passing in the forest. I was like, this is so irrelevant to the plot and it's going to be a long trip through this forest if we have to detail every tree, nope.
Thank you so much for this!
Great video. As a reader DNFing is a healthy practice, so many good books out there, why waste time on one that doesn't meet your expectations? Some readers feel if they start a book they have to finish it, and if they pick up the wrong book for them, they might never finish it and give up on reading all together. I don't DNF often, I have a good idea of what I will like and what I won't like, but maybe one out of 20 isn't a good fit for me and I'll quit.
Thanks again, Abby! Yet another useful video! Thank you so much for these, btw! I think the main thing which makes me DNF a book is is I can't get into it within the first chapter. It has to grip me.from the beginning, not necessarily from extreme action, but I have to be taken somewhere where something important/unusual is happening. If it carries on like this, or worse, slow paced & not very gripping, then I have to leave it. I kinda of hate it when people tell.ke 'oh, just push through it a little, it gets better'. I just can't DO that, because I'm just reading something that I don't care about. I also hate it when there are too many people involved with each other, either directly, or indirectly, and I have to remember who's who & what's what. It's confusing!! Clichés annoy me too. A few times I've picked up a book that looks interesting, only for it to have the exact same story plot as several different ones before it (e.g. 'a war is coming', or someone who is conflicted between 2 love interests in the midst of a war/conflict happening.) A lot of books atm seem to be about magical schools, which are ok for a start, but so many of them are doing it. I know that books follow a theme that the market is currently looking for due to the subject popularity (everything 'trends', even books), but I kinda of just grumble over it like 'again?!' 😫 I like to look at books that take a new angle on things, subjects that haven't really been brought up before. Unique characters in unique situations. That's what tends to grip me. Just my thoughts, though!
Hi Abbie! Could you please do a video about how to pick a book title? Thanks.
Thanks Abbie!! Loved the video!!❤
As soon as I figure out how to format my first ebook with Atticus & sync it with the cover I'm making with bookbrush, I'm sure I'll be able to relate to the struggles of seeing DNF once releasing it on KDP.
On the bright side, I already have the recordings done to publish the audio version of it on ACX after the ebook comes out, & I'm just in the 'proof of concept' phase of self-publishing.
Wish me luck, good people of Abbie's comment section 🙏.
The last time I DNFed a book, it was relentlessly depressing. We were given no reason to expect a happy ending.
Abusive relationships are a big NO for me. Or romances with huge age gaps
This is so helpful to know when I’m editing my book so I can make these important changes.
Just putting in here that I started listening to 100 Days of Sunlight on Spotify and listening to you read it makes me wish I had a physical copy. I've only listened to the first chapter so far, but so far, I think it's really good and serves as my inspiration to keep writing (even though I'm just writing blurbs at the moment and the genres [for my main draft] aren't even the same). 💕💕
THANK YOU, Abbie, for all your videos and pointers, especially today's no. 7, which I didn't think of all these months in trying to understand a bad bad review on Goodreads on my first historical fiction Escape From Bussorah Street. The reviewer most certainly DNF my book otherwise she would have reached the Acknowledgement page and the Author Bio, and would definitely not have spoken of me as a 'he', AND would have read that I did have in mind the target market because five of my seven beta readers were 9 to 12 year olds. And funny thing is that the book is 1 of 4 shortlisted for a 2024 children's book award🥲I'll let you know next week if it is the winner! I'm more confident now to get going with my second book project!
Another reason for me to DNF a book is difficulty remembering names due to cultural differences. I know that The Sword of Kaigen is a huge best seller, and that's the only reason I'm forcing myself to struggle through it, hoping that it gets good. I just can't remember anyone's names because they are all Japanese, and I'm just not used to hearing those names, so I have a harder time remembering them. The culture is also very different from my own, and that also makes the reading much more difficult.
I understand you! Although I'm bad with remembering names in general, not only difficult ones😂
Thank you for your video, very usefull !! For me my worst dnf is when the main problem is just a miscomunication between the characters that could be fix sooooo easily
Thank you Abbie you are an inspiration.
Thank you for these tips they saved my life
one of my biggest dnf reasons, especially in romance, is excessive smut, especially considering how much its ingrained into the romance community now. like in Icebreaker, there was smut nearly every chapter. it was excessive and suffocating and lacked any real plot or reasoning,
You know it's funny how most books don't get to the point in the first chapter. Like chapter 2 is when the interesting stuff happens. You know that's when the real meat of the story usually happens.
Has anyone else noticed that?
Do you think these stories would benefit from having the first chapter cut or edited down to get to the fun stuff sooner? Or from your experience do you think the set up makes the fun parts work? I'm curious about different opinions on this.
I didn't notice that bc I will never make to chapter 2 😅 They'd better make chapter one good.
@@mojojojo3411 fair enough
ive only just got my characters to their main location and im up to chapter 10 LMAO
As a writer you are supposed to capture your reader from the first page and if you can rope them in within the first 10 sentences, then they will read on. Every book, TV show or movie still follows a three act structure. Setting up that first act is vital. Michael Hauge says picture the opening of your book on the big screen. This is a visual prompt for the author to see if those opening minutes would capture the imagination or put you to sleep. 😂
For me... writer's block by going back to redo again or look over on sites for this inspiration to redo it again by making sense of this story.
Thanks this helped!
This question doesn't have much to do with this video but I love your three act story structure outline and I've used it many times., but I've never used it for a story that's split POV. How would you recommend using the three act structure with multi POVs?
Great video. Yes we don't want to hear DNF. Your videos are always so helpful.
I am from Brazil. I don't understand English very well. But I LOVE these videos and this girl. It's like we're friends and I need advice on my writing. Thank U!
I really hate _not_ finishing a book. However, last year I finally got around to reading "Moby-Dick" and forced myself to finish it. I said, "Never again." lol The other classics I read after this that I wouldn't finish are "Robinson Crusoe," "Great Expectations," and "A Tale of Two Cities." I just couldn't get in to them. I have over five bookshelves (five shelves each) of books that I've read (I don't like to throw away books) and I can only think of six off-hand that I haven't finished, including the above three I mentioned.
Reasons I DNF a book:
1) Definitely come across a trope I wasn’t expecting, but especially one I despise.
2) Pacing.
I am, unfortunately, very guilty of two things that keep me from DNF-ing books I ultimately wish I had:
1) Giving undeserved grace - I will continue stories in desperate hope that whatever aspect is upsetting me will (a) resolve or (b) be part of some brilliant thing the author is trying. (I’ve never had the latter happen.)
2) Pausing - Stopping a book I fully intend to finish (if only for the previous reason) simply because I’m f*ing busy. It’s not a great habit, and I would really like to fix it. (But I’d have to figure out self-control with books first.😅)
Number 5 is definitely a big one. Ive actually been reading a lot lately and picked up a book called “The Library of Broken Worlds” I put it down immediately, after my sister warned me I wouldn’t like it ( before I picked it up) I put it down because I couldn’t stand to read through it the author was purposely making grammar mistakes to maintain character voice.
Anytime someone says, “I’ve been busy lately and just didn’t get around to reading it, but the first chapter is good,” is trying to say in a nice way that they DNF’d it lol If they can’t make it to second chapter, no bueno. Doesn’t mean the rest isn’t great, just means you need to keep working on it and to not let others read it till you at least complete the first or second draft.
I couldn't finish “Something of Value”, the true story of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya. The violence was horrific.
I hear you, not that it's the same but I threw away my copy of Little Bee halfway through. Sometimes it's just too much.
There is a reason why Care in in the word Character
This video really helped me and guided me to know how to make my target audience love my books and films and nto DNF them. Thanks for anther great video as always and Rock On! 😀
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I DNF a LOT. And I’m not happy about it. There are so many books I want to read, and when I find one I really love, reading is one of my favorite things to do. The main problem for me is when the author gives me nothing to look forward to. If I don’t care to get to a point in the future of the book, there’s no point in me reading to get there. I think part of my problem is that I become initially invested in the idea of books, and, as a writer myself, it’s easy for me to pick out places where I wish the story went differently. When a book doesn’t align with the expectations I had going in, it has two potential futures: either I don’t like it, and I DNF (which is unfortunately many books), or the author pivots to something different that I like just as much or even better than what I’d been expecting (which is great when it happens! Though it is rare). I find the stories that keep me engaged all the way through are usually the ones that have more than one thing going on. That DOES NOT mean that you should overwhelm your reader with too many plot points. I just mean that it’s good to always have something coming in the future that your reader will keep reading to get to. That way, when your reader arrives at one of the destinations they wanted to see, they will still have a reason to keep reading. The challenge at that point is just to really make sure that each point you want your reader to get excited about is actually exciting. Also, it’s very important to make sure you aren’t holding off on rewarding the reader for too long. If they’re putting in the time to read, they’ll want to get to something interesting before the 500 page mark. If you hold off for too long without anything else for a reader to focus on, they will likely get tired of reading and DNF.
I dnfed a book because of the gross details of gore that truly wasn’t needed. It was one scene and it was so callus and made no sense for the scene. It just turned me off from the book
Sometimes it's just right book wrong time
I wish people could just admit that something is not for them. And that others would accept that. I couldn't get through the first 50 pages of the Hobbit. Tried several times. Just not for me, but people get upset and try to make me read it, because its soooo good. Yeah never said it wasn't good. Just not a book for me
I had that happen with The Silmarillion. I loved the other LOTR books but couldn't get into that one.
@@DebOlliff Oh I can see why!
Took me ages to finish the Hobbit. Finally it got picked for a book club, and I ended up really enjoying it. I can definitely understand it not being for everyone though.
Because I was compelled to write my book which turned into a 3 book series going on 4 a DNF will be a death sentence. I haven't even published any of this yet. I know I should have waited until I got a response from the first book, but again I was compelled to write this as confusing as that might sound..
My top 3 DNF reasons: 1. Unlikable main characters - bratty, idiotic, entitled female characters or unbelievably stupid and unreliable male characters. 2. Inconsistent character behavior - doing things that they would never do just to drive problems and create plot. 3. Staying the story with an easily avoidable lie or mistake or omission of information that snowballs into a disaster. Oh - okay 4. Clearly incompatible “lovers” That’s start out hating each other for no reason just to fight like spoiled elementary aged siblings in order to create friction. So tired, exhausted, of that trope.
Thanks Abbie, I never knew what DNF meant.
At our local library, they allow us a page (that they stick in) for readers to make comments or initial, just to say they've read the book.
I have my own little codes which mean DNF or read again or loved this book.
I'd never try and put others off (because it is off-putting to a potential reader).
Once I scribbled out someone's negative comment because I believe the writer deserves better than that. Someone may love it.
Others may say the reader deserves better than that.
I love your videos.
Watching all the way from Taupo New Zealand.
I DNFed a book today because A) it was taking a much darker tone than the first two in the series and I wasn’t down for that and B) unlike the first two, it felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions with subplots and strings of details I didn’t care about that once the plot line I DID care about wrapped up (60% of the way through) I simply dropped out… which was too bad because the second book floored me and got me super hyped for part three😅
amazing and very nice❤
Thank you! To be honest, I’ve been having trouble with my own book. Although, I think my situation might be unique. but if anybody else is facing this situation, let me know. My story is a historical fiction set in Roman-occupied Jerusalem in 33 AD, essentially charting the rise of Christianity throughout the first 30 or so years, culminating in the siege of Jerusalem. My self-inflicted problem is this: I chose to write about a female protagonist in a male-oriented society (common in premodern societies, especially Roman and Jewish). and yet, I find myself doing the very thing that I’ve been wanting to avoid, making my female characters behave in a modern way when clearly they don’t live as we do now. I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve chosen a different protagonist, perhaps a Roman soldier, senator, or merchant. pretty much somebody who has a bit more freedom of movement than women in that period. I mentioned this because I love historical fiction, but some books I DNF because the author seems to look at certain historical events or societies through a modern lens, and it always grinded my gears.
Maybe you can add a second protagonist, a man who is in some way related to the woman character. Or not related to her at all, to show the world from a different perspective. This way you could have one main character who can do things, move the plot forward, and an other who is more of an observer, making her thoughts and emotions the main focus of her story.
What is the woman's status? Roman women, especially those of a patrician class or even upper middle/merchant class, tended to have more freedoms than other cultures. (Not entirely certain about Jewish culture at the time because there are a few outstanding biblical women ... but only a very few.) Perhaps you could give her a companion? This will sound awkward, but a favored slave or bodyguard that accompanies her might give her the freedom you feel is too modern? Maybe consult with a historian who's area of concentration is the period you're working in. Sometimes they can give very good, enlightened information.
@@scloftin8861 she’s a Patrician, close to marriageable age (around 12-13), daughter of a senator who’s been exiled to Jerusalem due to Emperor Tiberius’ treason trials. She does have a slave who was purchased for her as a consolation prize of sorts. Which actually could work quite well with your suggestion! Thank you! :)
@@Luca..S not a bad idea! One of my characters is a centurion, which I originally planned as a minor character, but upgrading him to a second protagonist seems like a better idea lol!
What is DNF?
Do Not Finish
Oh ok I didn't know what that meant ether.
Oh thanks @@Zimoria
Do not fck is what I thought. Like, I dnf w this book. Or... DN, I der any circumstances, F this book.
Did not finish
Loved your book “The Otherworld”
❤️
To the best of my recollection, there has been only 1 book that I threw into the trash can somewhere shortly after chapter 3. There have been quite a few that I finished and have told others to not waste their time. Some, I've classified as avoid like the plague! So for me, it's either Recommended ( Excellent, Good, OK, probably not YOUR cup of tea) or DNR- Do Not Read - when discussing them with others. For me to even start a book, something about it has to have caught my attention/sparked an interest, either as a review, comment by friend, knowledge of other works, etc.
4:19 while yes obviously giving someone cheerios when they ask for cheese puffs is generally disliked if you know what you're doing this can make the story significantly more interesting (although there is usually subtle foreshadowing in these cases i will admit)