Lately I’ve spent some time reading a lot of stories from other authors, and even some of my own. The ones that work for me get a review on this blog. This latest exercise has once more left me wondering and pondering: what makes a story work? Though many aspects of a story make it or break it, one word has come to the forefront: movement.

What sort of movement? I’ve decided that as a reader, a story that clicks with me has to move three ways. Most of the stories I’ve trudged through or have set aside before finishing have failed with two or more of these types of movement. Usually they get the first one right–mostly–and go on to drop the ball with the other two.

It has to pull you in

First, a story must engage me. Some call this the hook. Yes, it is about that snappy first sentence, or that first paragraph where you go, man, I want to read this. To sustain you, though, that move has to include an interesting premise and concept (one of the 4 Cs of Storytelling).

It must move ahead

Now that I, the reader, got hooked, interested enough to page ahead, I expect each page will bring new developments in the story. Something has to be happening. The characters must be struggling with something and doing things born of and borne in that struggle. In short, action! Escalate conflict. Up those stakes. Yes, the sort that makes sense. But don’t just sit there, telling me things that don’t move the story forward or that won’t play a major role when it finally does move ahead three chapters from now. Move it, move it. And the faster, the better.

It will move You

Move it, yes. But don’t forget to move me. Sometimes I’ve read stories that careen forward at millions of miles per second, and yet, leave me empty in the end. I didn’t really care. It was just a fast ride from point A to point B. This goes back to character development, but more precisely, to character engagement. Do I identify with my character? Does her pain become mine, or do I at least appreciate it and sense what she’s going through? Even if I come face to face with a villain inside the protagonist, do I sympathize enough with his failings because in many respects they are my failings, too? What does all this do to change or enhance my perspective of the world? How did it stir my heart?

I’ll keep on reading, looking for great stories that move me at least three ways, and all three ways. What about you? What sorts of stories move you most, and how do they impact you as a person?