Good Book or Good Story

Which would you rather read, a good book or a good story? The difference between the two has arisen a few times over the past couple of years as I’ve learned more about writing and publishing novels—and, of course, reading them.

But which is more important? Which is better?

A Good Book

This another way to say a literary book. Literary fiction seems to be particularly hot in current publishing circles, and when I’ve asked various people what literary means, it invariably comes down to language. Literary novels are “denser”, for lack of a better term.

Settings are richer, more immersive. Characters are not just three-dimensional, but truly detailed. We can not only recognize them as extraordinary people, but also see something about ourselves in them—something we aspire to achieve.

Literary novels also tend to utilize a broader, more extensive and more advanced vocabulary. Complex sentences using literary devices like alliteration, repetition, onomatopoeia, parallelism, and rhythm of the words. Good books have better allusions, deeper metaphors, rich symbolism, and breathtaking imagery.

Character backstory, event settings, and world-building are both detailed and plausible and interspersed throughout the text such that background knowledge is provided just when needed by the story, but not obviously so.

In short, literary writing is an experience, and one that may not be appreciated on the first try. It is common to have to re-read sentences, paragraphs, even full chapters to fully understand the layers provided in the text. Reading a literary book can be a battle as the reader fights against the prose to pull the story out. Or it can feel like a life lesson has been bludgeoned over the reader’s head—an assurance that the reader has learned something.

Reading a literary novel can be a mental workout.

A Good Story

These are generally considered non-literary novels, or even more profane, “genre fiction.” (Though, I must admit that the lines between the two are fading. I have certainly read some science fiction and fantasy novels that have aspired to be everything literary fiction has to offer. And my head still aches in remembrance.)

As implied by the grouping, a good story focuses on the story, not the writing. Flow, pacing, tension, and drama are the prevailing tools, and the characters are not only believable, but relatable. They could be us. Emotions run deep and situations are plausible.

If you’ve read a book that you couldn’t put down, kept turning page after page, reading not just into the wee hours but through the night to find out what happens, you’ve read a good story. If you’ve laughed out loud at something a character said or wiped away tears at a character’s death, then you’ve read a good story.

A good story leaves the reader exhausted and enthused. Ecstatic about the ride they experienced and upset that it’s over. When finished, a reader should be emotionally spent but wanting more. A good story is immersive. Escapist. Cathartic.

Give Me A…

As a writer, I can appreciate the level of craft it takes to write a truly literary work. Many authors aspire to write a great literary novel—to be recognized by the quality of their writing and mastery of the craft. I get the appeal.

But I don’t read novels so that I can say, “Wow, what a sentence!” but instead, “Wow, I can’t believe that happened!” I want to laugh, to cry, to hope, to despair, to swoon, and to detest.

Give me a Good Story, because I want to feel.