Chat is open, and the issues seem to be temporarily resolved.

This week.

I liked being surprised and happy in the end.

Oh no, look what that acronym spells --- SHITE

If I fall in love with a character, I will scan the end to see that the character is still alive...I had a bad experience with a book when I was in high school in which the main character died. I was devastated by it, so now I check just to make sure. I've had to do that in one of Dom's stories just to make sure a relationship that I fell in love with remained...although, I was somehow able to resist doing this with the final Harry Potter.

Like you said Dom, I don't like seeing a meaningless death. It depends exactly what kind of surprises your talking about.

I am guilty of reading a certain author with some expections based on other stories they wrote. For example, I know that Tiff will always write dark, twisted, downright gut wrenching stories, so i prepare myself for them and only read them when I'm at that certain mental state of mind that i know I'll be okay to read them.

Then there is Dom, who writes amazingly love stories, mostly with surprises here and there, but in the end everything works out the way it's suppose to and all is well in the world of Domluka.

I try to stay away from tragic stories, I have had enough losses in real life.

I am totally the person who picks up a book in the store and reads the first page and the last page. When I get to a suspenseful part in the novel, I will skim ahead until I find the resolution, then go back and read the suspenseful part. (That is why I am such an impatient reader of your books, waiting for the next chapter in all your cliffhangers is stressful!) I like happy stories. Angst and drama is great as long as it all works out in the end. Ever read, "My Sister's Keeper"? That book (not the movie-the movie wasn't nearly as sad) pissed me off!

As far as chat, I drop in once in a while to say Hi, so I tend to miss the drama. No idea what happened, but the threads were frustrating to read. Chill out! Grow up! Deal with issues in a respectful manner so all of the adults don't have to be grounded by the admins. That is embarrassing.

P.S. I wasn't around for your earlier absences, but please ... when you need to take a break again ... try not to do it during a cliffhanger!!!

If a story sucks but I'm hooked, I'll skip to the end to get it over with.

Otherwise, I'll read it as the author wrote it. I presume that when a writer kills off a character, its for a reason - either to progress the story forward or to set up something coming later in the story.

And stories should, to some degree, mirror real life. Tragedy happens. How characters deal with it can be a great read.

I am not a fan of the "cliche death" - so often found in amateur fiction - which is really just the writer pulling puppet strings on characters. I hate that.

Anyway, surprise is part of the fun, although a little foreshadowing has its place...

I always read the end first. And I don't always expect happily ever after.

I think at this point, you're in the group of 'trusted authors I know will give me what I want', but generally, I don't want to know exact details, just that I'll end up satisfied and happy I spent hours of my life reading it.

PS. Milo ate my SOUL... AGAIN!

I think that it's important that there be a reason for the way the story ends. Tragedy for the sake of tragedy is just as nauseating as 'and suddenly a wizard appeared and made everything better'.

One of the reason's I love Robin Hobb, a fantasy author, is that she isn't afraid to have a less than perfect ending. People who've read the Assassin's trilogy will know what I mean by that.

The very last line of the last book in a 6 book series is 'I am content' and I think that it may be the best ending I've ever read because while it didn't have all the glory of most fantasy epics, it was logical and in the end much more emotionally satisfying.

I normally don't reply because by the time I get ready to everyone has basically said what I was going to say anyways. I've been reading your stories for a long time and patiently wait for your updates. You are by far my favorite writer and the reason I keep coming back. So if for some god for saken reason you have to take a year off I'd respect that and anticipate your next post.

As for stories with out a happy ending have you read Mark Roeder "The soccer field is empty" anyways I don't think I have ever read a book that has left me as devasted as this one. I cried for three days straight. And like the true sap that I am I will pick it up and reread it expecting a different ending. So I guess what I am saying is that even if the story has an unhappy ending as long as the charecters touch you, you will read it.

Unless I've already decided to buy a novel, I'll read the last page and a random one from approximately the middle. If they intrigue me, I'll buy the book.

I like bittersweet endings on the whole, like The Other Side of Me.

I've just finished reading two books by Mark Behr (an SA writer) his books don't have happy endings, but do leave you wishing for one.

I recommend The Smell of Apple and Embrace - be warned the second one has great tracts of Afrikaans in it (annoying with no translation) and the subject matter may not sit easily with everybody - both cover in some way budding sexuality and adults versus 11 - 15 year old boys. His greatest strength is that his prose is written as that of a young child - excellent considering the author is in his late 40's

there is one author who i read and have been reading her for years and years it seems like forever that i've been reading her. In her first book i read. I fell in love with one of her characters. Near the end of the book he died. I balled my eyes out. I have never read that book over agian to see if i would have the same reaction.

Now in her series i check the last page to see who is still around. I'll even read the ending. But it's cool cuz i'll forget the ending a few pages into the book.

She had one character completly dissappear half way through a book not knowing whether he would return or not. I balled my eyes out. When he returned in the next book i cried! And at the end when it was all done and happy i cried some more. I'm now reading the newest book of that series and i'm praying he doesn't leave agian. He's one of the people in that series who i need to be there or it's not the same for me.

I don't mind if people die in a story but not if its pointless death. I don't like stories either where everything is super happy and everyone is perfect and great. Theres gotta be a balance.

And some of her stories haven't ended either in perfect happy endings so it leaves me wondering "What will happen in the next book?" Life isn't fairytale happy and i love stories that aren't.

But in the end if the characters are content in how it ended then so am i.

I have to admit I am a read the last page person too. I have no issue with main characters being killed off if the story is improved by it but I do need to know that there is resolution for some of the tension that builds up in the book if it's any good. I do sometimes have a hard time reading serialised stories on GA but that's all part of the excitement.

As for chat... who knows *shrugs* Group politics, bitching and paranoia happen... then they change and fade and happen again.. it's life

To me a surprise is accetable as long as it is plausible in hindsight and it supports the point of the story.

Sometimes a story or rather a chapter can become long and tedious. That's when I like to skim through to the end of the chapter or story.

As far a the death of the protaganist is concerned: I would be disturbed but a little less so if, in the epilogue, you will include how he/she is doing in heaven.

Thanks for all the input! I think it's interesting, how so many people want to know the way things turn out before they invest their time. Not spoilers, but the guaranteed

Errr, why do I feel like a weirdo because I don't read the end of a book? >.< LoL

Personally, I would never EVER skim ahead or read the last page/chapter of a book. It's, like, almost sacrilegious to me. LoL. I was surprised to see so many who do read ahead! Maybe I am weird. ^.^

As for character death, its ok with me. Sometimes a character death can develop a story more so than without the death. I've ready many books where my favorite character died (not always the main character), and yes I was upset (I've even thrown a book at a wall I was so upset. But 5 minutes later I picked it back up and continued reading), but not everything in life is happy and roses. I can appreciate a story that is willing to reflect the harsher times in life along with the happier times.

By all means, I

Count me as one of the people like prefer to be surprised than read ahead. I generally just trust that the author has a plan for the particular way that they lay out a story and it will be a better story for me if that is how I experience it.

I never read the ending . I dont have to have the story end well. Also, I usually seem to be drawn to trilogies and more so reading the last page would be pointless. If the first book or two are bad, I wont read the second/third. I dont need to skip to the end.

Robin Hobb is one of my hands down favourite authors!

"Anyway, it seems like I've read too many stories where someone dies meaninglessly and I'm brought down instead of up, even if the character finds a reason to smile at the end. It's disappointing."

It is like Your story: In a fishbowl.

You have done it yourself.

"Anyway, it seems like I've read too many stories where someone dies meaninglessly and I'm brought down instead of up, even if the character finds a reason to smile at the end. It's disappointing."

It is like Your story: In a fishbowl.

You have done it yourself.

As far as I recall, allan is the only one who dies in that one, and him living would have changed who Travis was as person, therefore changing the story, so I didn't see it as meaningless... I'm curious about what you mean.

 

As far as I recall, allan is the only one who dies in that one, and him living would have changed who Travis was as person, therefore changing the story, so I didn't see it as meaningless... I'm curious about what you mean.

Oh ... sorry wrong story, i meant desert dropping, specifically the last chapter.

Lol, okay, I'll give you that one. At least I didn't kill off Luke.

Lol, okay, I'll give you that one. At least I didn't kill off Luke.

Yes ... i give you that, but it was the most depressing chapter i have read to today.

I liked this character ... and it was not necessary that he died.