What would you want to read? (I'm Writing Short Stories)

I'd want to see more "Real" characters and less "Token" characters.

I'd like to see a gay character who isn't defined by being "The gay character"

That's all I want. I want people to follow their vision and what inspires them and not try to force a character inside the story who just feels forced in.

 

Just decent, fleshed-out characters that are believable and relatable. Identifying as LGBTQIA+ shouldn't be their entire life but merely inform it and their choices.

 

Yeah. Back in the 90's it was that way with Black characters too, and even now sometimes they'll have a black character on who is just there to be black. They'll usually be some sort of stereotype and it always bugged me. I don't much care for it, they don't feel like characters.

 

How one handles failure, and whether or not they use those lessons to improve their life. It's easy to be well when all is good and secure, but penetrating those outer layers and getting to the core of an individual, that is what keeps me reading.

Humor and wit are always welcome, too, but not necessarily required.

 

Something original, not just the usual tropes. Some kind of uniqueness, maybe it's set in a totally fantasy world or maybe there's murder and mystery abound. Realistic too, there should be rejections and disappointments, though maybe not too many to make it depressing.

Personally, I'm often more interested in the story and backstory rather than the characters so short stories aren't usually my thing.

 

I'll read anything as long as the characters are likable and feel real to me. Oh, and plot helps too.

 

As a writer myself, I know exactly what I want in a story. Instead of telling you what I prefer to read, I'll give you a piece of my own story idea.

One of the main characters of my book (there's 13 main characters in all) is a closeted bisexual who does not know how to come out as his best friend is extremely homophobic. Throughout the story, he has points where it seems like he'll come out or nearly slips up letting it loose, all the while the anxiety of keeping it to himself eats him away inside. One time, another one of his friends notices him not doing as well as he usually is, and he finally lets it out that he is bisexual, as he can't take any more of the anxiety. He nearly loses his best friend for a while, until the best friend realizes how much they've been through together before he came out, and decides to change his ways and stay friends with him.

This is only a small portion of a phonebook-sized story that I've been working on for almost a year now. I hope this story of mine was somewhat inspiring to you for your own story writing.