Or is it well? Lee Child, creator of the Jack Reacher series, says that it all comes down to the character. That readers don’t really care too much about the plot. But a memorable protagonist … zowie!
Michael Connelly — the guy who dreamed up Hieronymus Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, — has a similar take, “It is all about character and velocity.” He posits that a book is like a car with the passenger door open and the engine revving. Do you want to hop in for a ride?
Then it’s up to the driver to tell you a story. Sharp turns, frantic braking, whiplash acceleration. Whew.
Paige