What Makes a Novel a Novel?

Recently, I read an awful novel. To prevent its fans from going insane, I will call it The Unbelievable Book for now. In fact, it was unbelievable that I had been thinking of the book once in a while after finishing it.

Depict, not explain

First, The Unbelievable Book contained too many explanations, such as “He felt sad.” or “She was beautiful.” The characters felt more like puppets rather than living humans. Isn’t it the author’s responsibility to depict how he felt sad or what made her so beautiful? I can truly relate to the character when I am shown that he stood without moving in the cold rain instead of simply being told he felt sad.

Give your characters human flaws

All the characters in The Unbelievable Book were flawless. They never complained when their families made their lives difficult. They never complained about their boyfriends even if they had not been in contact for several months. There was not even the slightest argument among them. They all had exceptional bravery, intelligence, beauty, and noble spirits. Could such people truly exist in the real world? If the characters were perfect at the beginning of the story, how were they supposed to grow throughout the story?

Craft lively conversation

In The Unbelievable Book, conversations hardly took place. Well, actually, there WERE conversations. However, they were more like speeches than casual conversations that would occur among close friends. Instead of multiple lines of dialogue appearing on a page, with speakers taking turns, long speeches filled entire pages, enough to make readers forget they were even reading a character’s line. Who on earth wants to sit through long speeches when seeking advice from a friend?

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a masterpiece, but it does at least ensure that a novel is a novel and that readers can finish the story without feeling like they have wasted their time or, worse, turned their leisure into torture.