I’ve noticed over the past couple of years that I’ve developed an especially bad habit–I’m having a harder and harder time finishing novels that I pick up.
I wasn’t always so hard to please! There once was a time when I finished almost every book I started.
But these days, my shelves (both real and virtual) are overflowing. I have plenty to read. But not enough time.
And to be perfectly honest, the longer I write, the harder it gets to find books that I like. My internal editor often comes out in the middle of books and gets impatient or too picky.
If I had to list the top 7 reasons why I stop reading a book, here they are:
1. Not enough conflict and tension. If the story doesn’t drop me into the central problem and the ensuing issues right away, I’m likely to get bored. Even if the conflict is introduced right away but is weak, contrived, or non-cohesive (ebbs and flows with non-essentials), I still might yawn. Every time I set a book down, I need a compelling plot line that makes me want to return.
2. The characters don’t make me care. If the characters are abrasive, boring, not heroic, or simply haven’t done anything to make me like them, then I usually have a hard time staying tuned to the story.
3. Too slow moving. Even with good conflict and tension, and even with characters that I’ve grown to care about, if the story begins to slow down or the author slips in paragraphs/scenes that don’t move the plot along, I often lose interest. This includes backstory dumping or internal narration with very little else going on.
4. Overwriting. If the writer describes too much, has verbose dialogue, has large paragraphs, is redundant, overuses adverbs or dialogue tags, or is just plain wordy, I usually start skimming. I like to get to the heart of the story and only need to know those things that truly add flavor and character.
5. Lack of depth. If a major part of the story happens at a very surface level or if the writer doesn’t take me deeper into the passions and emotions of the characters, then it’s harder for me to engage with the story. This is often connected with the development of the character and the lack of past pains and motivations that usually drive the emotional current of the story.
6. Subject matter doesn’t appeal. Yes, sometimes, for whatever reason, the subject matter of the book or the themes don’t hit me deeply enough. Or perhaps the character growth/issues seem superficial. Or the whole plot of the book centers around something that just doesn’t hold my attention. As much as we want to give weight to all topics, subjects, and settings, there is some truth about universal commercial appeal and finding themes most people can relate to on some level.
7. Amateur writing. This could take on the form of a number of things including not writing by scenes, too much telling and not enough showing, underwriting (not giving me a sense of setting or character), over-dramatizing (so that the story isn’t believable), or even making beginner mistakes (using clichés, stilted dialogue, too many characters, etc.).
So those are my top reasons for putting a book down and not picking it back up! On the other hand, I have to agree with Jane Austen, “If a book is well written, I always find it too short.”
What about YOU? What makes you put down a book?
Jody Hedlund
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I’ll never forget my first editor at Bethany House telling me that because she read so many manuscripts, she’d become jaded, and it was hard to find a book that kept her attention. At the time I couldn’t imagine that, and even had a policy that I finished any book I started unless it turned “sleazy.” I was so dismayed after I learned how to write that it RUINED reading for me. When I turned 50 I decided life was too short to finish a bad book and my rule was: if the author hadn’t grabbed me after 50 pages, I could put the book down. When I turned 60 I started giving books 60 pages. 🙂 And I must say that there were a few I thought I’d be setting aside and after 60 pages, they HAD captured me.
If it’s any consolation, Jody, my inner editor has quieted some in the 28 years since I first started writing and I’m enjoying books again and embracing a few writers who break some rules I once thought essential. It’s a whole new sense of freedom for me! Even so, that inner editor that prevented me from enjoying reading for a while was an important part of my learning curve as a writer.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad to know that the internal editor does quiet itself after some time and that you have a new sense of freedom! The inner editor is a blessing as well as a curse! But I appreciate that there are a lot of great books and writers to choose from, that if one book doesn’t hold my attention, I can usually find one that does! 🙂
I’m reading one now that I don’t think I will finish. Mine has things that don’t make sense. Like: I’ll introduce you to her in an hour at dinner, when she wakes up from her nap. Then, another person says : I’ll meet you in an hour and then we will have an hour to take a tour before dinner.
Lots do not make sense. And this is 9 a.m.?
I have more interesting books to read.
These things get in the way of the story and don’t advance the story.
Hi Paula,
Yikes! Sounds confusing! I’ve been reading a book at bedtime the past few nights that have been confusing to me too. Finally, last night I decided I’d had enough. But the nice thing is that it’s through Kindle Unlimited. So I don’t feel bad about not finishing it since I have an unlimited number of books I can read each month.
With those reasons being stated, I would be curious about a couple of your top reads in the past year or so?
My top reads for 2021 include a couple of books by T.I. Lowe: Sea Glass Castle and Driftwood Dreams. I loved All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese. And of course I always gobble up any Becky Wade and Denise Hunter book! (Just to name a few!)
I read that series by T. I. Lowe and really enjoyed it!
It is so hard for me to put down a book. The guilt! Especially if I have invested money in the purchase of said book. And as a author, I feel a bit disloyal turning away from a book when I know how much time and effort goes into producing it. But if I get stuck with a book that bores me, I end up not reading at all because my task-oriented self won’t let me start a new book until I’ve finished the old one.
I’ve tried to avoid this problem by being super selective with the books I choose to buy/read, but it doesn’t always work. I have so little time for reading these days, that I’m gradually learning to give myself permission not to finish books, telling myself that my time is worth more than the few dollars I spent on the book. The older I get, the higher I value my time. One of these days, I’ll be tossing books around willy-nilly. 🙂
Hi Karen,
I DO think it’s much harder to set a book aside that you paid full price for! I feel the same way as you, that I have to try to get my money’s worth from the book! LOL But over the past year since having my Kindle Unlimited subscription, I’ve felt much more freedom to put a book aside when it doesn’t hold my attention. There are “limitless” other books waiting for me, and so I move on much more easily.
I did not have much time to read when I was working. I retired 25 years ago and I started reading soon after, as one of my sisters-in-law gave me some to read. I then started buying books. I would read in the back or the front, wherever, the message about the book was located. If it did not seem interesting, I did not buy. I had one book during this time, don’t even remember the author, but I read some – it was a thick book. I do remember that but it was never finished.
Aah, I feel ya, Miss Jody!! I try my absolute best not to dnf a book (mostly because 75% of the books I read are review copies), but I will begrudgingly take six months to finish one if it hasn’t garnered my attention…and that typically happens if (1) there’s no Christianity presented or there are unbiblical views that are portrayed positively (I read predominantly Christian fiction, which is what I write as well, so my standards are pretty high), (2) the romance is poorly written (I am a HUGE romance fan), or (3) it’s s l o w. I’m all for slow beginnings, but if the entire novel is s n a i l paced, I just can’t take it! Not to mention annoying/obnoxious heroines always turn me off! I’m obsessively picky! LOL!
What a great list! Can I just say “ditto” for the reasons I quit a book? You’ve elucidated some of the issues I haven’t put a name to that definitely make me lose interest. I, too, have a harder and harder time simply enjoying a book because I cannot turn off my internal editor.
I can understand that it would be easier for an author or editor to notice more concerns when reading than the average reader. Interesting to read through the list of reasons you’d stop reading a novel.
For me, the main reasons are profanity in general market books (this happen a lot and I wonder sometimes why I keep trying), disinterest (I generally read 50-100 pages before giving up), events are not believable or actions of characters have me rolling me eyes.