Why We Read

Stories capture our imaginations in many ways. We all are drawn to stories for different things.

Some people are character driven. They love to find a character that they can join for the ride. Whether it’s someone they deeply identify with, someone they admire, or finding out how someone so different from them thinks. The character’s growth is the reason.

Some people are world driven.They love to find a new world to explore. Different ecosystems, taking evolution in a new direction, an exploration of a different time and place. Just reading the worlds and the cultures that are somewhere between completely alien to societies we have here on earth. The diversity of life is the reason.

Some people are puzzle driven. They want a mystery. They want clues and to be able to see if they can guess where the author is going before the protagonist can. The challenge is the reason.

Some people are action driven. They love to see the fight, the battle, the confrontation. Fulfilling some of their inner power fantasies, the fast motion, the clever tactics. The fight is the reason.

Some people are relationship driven. Friendships, family, lovers, enemies–whichever their preference, they read to see how the characters relate to each other. They want to see people come together or suffer as they’re torn apart. Human interaction is the reason.

Some people are plot driven. They just can’t wait to see where the author goes next. How the character handles the situation and where they go next. The journey is the reason.

The good stories combine these aspects and draw in readers looking for different things – uniting them and weaving the elements together.